CHAPTER FORTY ONE
DANIEL'S POV
Ever since the royal witch doctor spoke about the unborn child—
My life lost its peace completely.
Every word he said continued haunting me day and night.
"The kingdom is cursed…"
"An evil unborn child…"
"The child must die…"
At first, I refused to believe him.
But deep inside—
I already knew.
The child he spoke about belonged to Sandra.
To the woman who disappeared after changing my life forever.
For two months, I searched endlessly for her.
I visited different kingdoms secretly, consulting powerful witch doctors, spiritual healers, prophets, and seers.
Some feared speaking to me.
Others demanded impossible prices.
But none of them gave me the answer I wanted.
None of them could find Sandra.
One old prophetess nearly fainted after trying to trace her spiritual presence.
"There is dark magic protecting her," she whispered fearfully.
Another witch doctor burned sacred herbs before shaking his head nervously.
"The woman you seek cannot be seen," he warned. "Something ancient hides her existence."
Every answer only frustrated me more.
Finally, one elderly seer spoke words that left me restless.
"You will not find the woman until the child is born," he said calmly.
My expression darkened instantly.
"What does that mean?"
"The child's power is still incomplete," the old man explained. "Once born, the spirits will be able to trace its existence."
Child.
Every time I heard that word, my chest tightened strangely.
I still struggled to understand everything.
Was Sandra truly pregnant?
And if she was—
Why hide from me?
I would never abandon my own child.
Never.
Days passed slowly after that.
I stopped sleeping properly.
The palace servants noticed it.
Even my father became worried.
"You look exhausted," the king told me one evening during dinner.
But how could I explain the chaos inside my heart?
I could not.
Because even I no longer understood myself.
That night, unable to endure the pressure any longer, I visited the only place that ever calmed my soul.
My mother's grave.
The royal cemetery remained silent beneath the moonlight as I walked slowly through the cold night air.
I stood before her grave quietly.
As always.
Whenever life became too heavy—
I came to her.
"I think I'm losing my mind, Mother," I whispered bitterly.
The wind moved softly through the trees around me.
I closed my eyes briefly.
"Why can't I forget her?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
But strangely enough—
Being there made my chest feel lighter.
I stayed there for hours speaking softly about everything.
Sandra.
The child.
The prophecy.
The fear consuming me.
Then finally, near midnight, I returned to the palace.
For the first time in weeks—
I felt tired enough to sleep.
That alone surprised me.
When I entered my chambers, my body felt unusually heavy.
Almost as if something was pulling me toward sleep forcefully.
I barely managed to remove my coat before collapsing onto the bed.
And then—
I dreamed.
At first—
Everything was dark.
Then slowly—
A forest appeared before me.
Ancient trees surrounded me from every direction.
The air smelled of smoke, blood, and rain.
And standing at the center of the jungle—
Was a gigantic baobab tree.
My breathing slowed instantly.
The tree felt familiar.
Painfully familiar.
Its branches stretched across the sky like giant claws, while strange symbols glowed across the trunk.
Then suddenly—
I saw her.
Sandra.
No…
Not Sandra.
Tanya.
The name appeared naturally inside my mind as if I had always known it.
She stood beneath the baobab tree wearing black robes, her long dark hair moving wildly with the wind.
Her eyes—
Completely black.
Dark magic surrounded her body like living shadows.
And yet—
Even seeing her terrified me and captivated me at the same time.
Then the dream changed suddenly.
Pain exploded across my body.
I fell onto my knees while Tanya stood before me coldly.
"You humans destroyed everything," she said bitterly.
Then torture began.
I saw her hurting me mercilessly.
Chains.
Dark magic.
Blood.
Hatred burned inside my chest.
I hated her.
I wanted to destroy her.
Wanted revenge.
But then—
The dream changed again.
I saw Tanya crying alone beneath the stars.
Saw her suffering as a child.
Saw her being beaten.
Starved.
Abandoned.
And slowly—
My hatred disappeared.
Replaced by something else.
Love.
Painful.
Dangerous love.
The dream continued changing rapidly.
I saw myself protecting her.
Fighting for her.
Holding her in my arms.
Kissing her.
Loving her.
Then suddenly—
A terrifying scream echoed across the forest.
I turned immediately.
Prince Raymond stood beneath the sacred baobab tree surrounded by warriors from the western covenant.
His eyes burned with cruelty.
And in front of him—
Was Tanya.
Weak.
Injured.
Bleeding.
But still fighting desperately.
A newborn baby cried loudly in her arms while dark energy exploded around the battlefield.
Bodies of witches covered the ground.
Blood flowed beneath the sacred tree.
"Tanya!" I shouted.
But she could not hear me.
Prince Raymond raised his weapon toward her child.
"Your bloodline ends tonight," he declared coldly.
Tanya screamed in fury before attacking him again desperately.
She was protecting the child with everything she had left.
Fear exploded inside me instantly.
"STOP!"
I shouted so loudly that the entire dream shattered apart.
I woke up violently.
Sweat covered my entire body.
My breathing became uneven as I sat up quickly on the bed.
The room was dark.
Silent.
But my head—
My head felt like it was splitting apart.
Suddenly—
Pain exploded through my skull violently.
I grabbed my head immediately.
Memories.
Thousands of memories crashed into my mind all at once.
The covenant.
The sacred baobab tree.
Tanya.
Her black eyes.
Her laughter.
Her tears.
Her pain.
Everything returned.
Everything.
I remembered the first time we met.
The first time she tried to kill me.
The first time I touched her.
The first time she saved me.
The first time I fell in love with her.
And finally—
Sandra.
Sandra was Tanya.
The woman I had been searching for all this time—
Was the witch I was cursed to love.
Hours passed before the pain finally disappeared.
By dawn—
Everything became clear.
I sat silently at the edge of my bed while the rising sun entered through the palace windows.
Tanya erased my memories.
That was why I forgot everything.
But now—
I remembered.
And strangely enough—
I felt relieved.
Because finally—
My heart no longer felt empty.
I understood now.
I understood why no other woman could touch my heart.
Why Sandra felt familiar.
Why my soul kept searching for her endlessly.
Because my heart already belonged to Tanya long before I met Sandra.
A small bitter smile appeared on my face.
"A witch…" I whispered softly.
The dangerous woman I was supposed to destroy…
Had become the woman I loved most.
I slowly stood up before staring toward the distant sunrise.
"I don't care anymore," I said firmly.
Not about the prophecy.
Not about the covenant.
Not about the consequences.
Tanya was carrying my child.
And no matter what stood against us—
I would protect both of them.
Even if I had to fight the entire world.
Even if loving her destroyed me completely.
Because now—
I finally remembered the truth.
And I knew one thing for certain.
I would never let Tanya face this darkness alone again.