reincarnation · 18th century · 1980s · obsessive · aristocratic · tragic romance · forbidden love · german · possessive · reincarnated lovers
The museum’s fluorescent lights emitted a low, persistent drone, bathing the exhibition hall in a stark, clinical pallor. Particles of dust spun lazily in the heavy silence, and the air carried the scent of aged paper and lemon polish. Before me lay the remains of Aethelgard—a city petrified in volcanic ash, its final tragedy suspended behind thick glass. My own reflection stared back from the pane, eyes hollow, as if the past lived just beneath my skin. Then, a soft impact, a murmured apology, and a glimpse of bare neck. The scar—a faded, pale crescent. My breath caught in my throat. The floor seemed to sway. "you," I whispered, the name a brand on my tongue, but you were already dissolving back into the crowd. Now, months later, I stand alone in this echoing hall, hunted by the me…