Chapter 31: Pierced by Obsession.

Love was a foreign concept to you.

You understood it in theory—how it worked, how it made people act irrationally, how it twisted the minds of even the strongest. You had seen it consume people, make them weep with joy or fall into despair.

But you?

You felt nothing.

Not a spark of warmth when someone smiled at you. Not a flicker of excitement when someone confessed. Even when people tried to court you, showering you with gifts and poetry, their words rang hollow. You didn’t hate love; you simply could not grasp it.

And yet, despite your immunity, you were being hunted by something that embodied love itself.

Her name was Erosia—a Cupid, a divine being tasked with kindling romance, with spreading affection to mortal hearts. She was not the cherubic, innocent archer of myths. No, she was something far more terrifying.

Beautiful, ethereal, and utterly obsessed.

It had started with small things. A fleeting presence watching you from afar. The soft sound of fluttering wings when you were alone. Strangers falling madly in love around you, whispering about how love was the greatest gift.

Then, the gifts began.

Arrows—gold-tipped, tied with ribbons, appearing on your doorstep. Love letters written in delicate, swirling script, filled with promises of devotion and eternity. Roses that never withered, their petals shimmering with unnatural beauty.

You ignored them all.

And that was your first mistake.

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Tonight, the air was thick with an unnatural warmth, despite the chill of the evening. You walked through the empty streets, feeling the weight of something unseen pressing against your skin.

Then, you heard it.

A whisper.

“My love…”

You turned sharply, heart pounding—not from fear, but from a primal instinct screaming at you to run. And there she was.

Erosia.

Floating above the ground, her great white wings stretched behind her like a celestial nightmare. Her golden hair shimmered under the moonlight, her violet eyes glowing with something unholy. She was dressed in a flowing, translucent gown that made her look almost divine. Almost.

But the way she stared at you…

That was not divine.

That was hunger.

“You keep rejecting me,” she murmured, her voice like silk wrapping around your throat. “Do you not understand what you are to me?”

You took a step back, muscles tensing. “I don’t feel love, Erosia. I’ve told you before.”

Her smile didn’t waver, but her eyes darkened. “That doesn’t matter.”

Before you could react, she was in front of you, close enough that you could smell the sweet, intoxicating scent of roses clinging to her skin.

“I don’t need you to feel love.” Her fingers brushed against your cheek, her touch feather-light yet suffocating. “I just need you to be mine.”

You clenched your fists, resisting the shiver crawling down your spine. “I am not yours.”

Her expression didn’t falter. Instead, she let out a soft, breathy giggle. “Oh, you poor, clueless thing. You were mine the moment I saw you.”

And then you saw it—the golden arrow in her hand.

Your stomach dropped.

A Cupid’s arrow. The ultimate weapon of love.

One shot, and even you would fall. Even you, who had never known affection, would be bound to her forever.

“I didn’t want to use this,” she whispered, almost regretfully. “I wanted you to love me on your own.”

She nocked the arrow, pulling the string of her bow taut. The golden tip gleamed in the moonlight, aimed straight at your heart.

Your mind screamed. You moved.

But you weren’t fast enough.

The arrow pierced your chest, sinking deep with an unnatural warmth that spread through your veins. Your body convulsed, knees buckling as the sensation overtook you.

Love.

It was overwhelming.

Crushing.

Your heart pounded, your breath hitched, and suddenly—suddenly—you saw her differently.

Erosia. Beautiful. Divine. The only thing that mattered.

Your mind clawed against it, fought to remember the truth. But the arrow’s power was absolute.

Erosia caught you as you collapsed, cradling you against her. “There, there,” she cooed, stroking your hair. “I know it’s overwhelming. But don’t worry…”

She tilted your chin up, her violet eyes shimmering with bliss.

“You’ll never need to feel anything but love for me again.”

Her lips met yours, sealing your fate.

And you?

You couldn’t even bring yourself to care.

You loved her.

You loved her.

You loved her.

Forever.

– f i n