Chapter 1
Ghosts of Love novel
Ella never believed in the old tales her grandmother used to tell at night—stories about spirits, about forbidden love that rises from the shadows. To her, they were nothing but myths to entertain children. But recently, something strange had begun to repeat itself. Every night, the same dream returned: a man with blurred features, watching her from afar, before vanishing into a thick, white haze. The dream wasn’t terrifying. It was unsettling in a different way—his presence felt… familiar, as if she had known him long before, though she had never met him. On the night everything changed, Ella woke abruptly at three in the morning. Her heart pounded, too fast, too loud. The room was silent—far too silent. She reached for her phone, but the screen had gone black on its own. She touched the lamp by her bed, and it flicked on without her pressing it. That was when she noticed it. Her journal lay open on her desk, though she clearly remembered closing it before sleep. On the last page, written in a hand that was not hers, were the words: **“I do not come only in dreams… I am closer than that.”** Ella gasped, the chill of fear rushing through her veins. What she did not see… was the mirror behind her, reflecting a shadow that did not belong to her. Then, in the silence, a whisper brushed against her ear, softer than breath, carrying a voice she thought she had forgotten: **“Ella…”** Her grandmother’s stories no longer felt like myths.
The First Encounter
The air shifted, heavy and cold, as if the walls themselves had begun to breathe. Ella froze. Slowly, her eyes turned toward the darkest corner of the room. He was there. A tall figure cloaked in smoke-like fabric, face half-hidden in shadow. But his eyes… deep as the sea at night, burning with sorrow and fire. When he spoke, his voice was low, smooth, yet heavy with something ancient. “I knew the mark would awaken in you… Ella.” Her breath hitched as she stepped back. “You… you’re the one from my dreams?” He moved closer, shadows trailing behind him. “I am Arias. And I am no dream… I am your fate.” Suddenly, pain flared across her wrist. Ella gasped, clutching it. The skin burned, glowing with a silver mark that pulsed like fire beneath her flesh. Arias’s gaze lingered on it. His lips curved into a sorrowful smile. “That mark is not a curse—it is a bond. You carry a fire meant to destroy evil itself. And I… I am bound as your guardian.” The words struck her like thunder. Guardian? Bond? Fire? But all she could do was stare into those burning eyes, knowing that nothing in her life would ever be ordinary again.
