Chapter II: The Frozen Years
The snow never melted, and neither did their grip on one another.
Manitoba welcomed them with silence and snow. Victoria painted by moonlight. Robert buried himself in books and bone-dry humor. But outside, something always watched. Their home creaked even when still. And when guests visited, the walls listened.
Here, they learned the rituals of living together—the conjuring of coffee on bleak mornings, the shared glances during midnight power flickers. A slow dance of survival wrapped in thick blankets and secrets.
Chapter IV: The Pact Sealed
They say never propose in October. The veil is thin.
He asked her when the leaves turned, when the world sighed its last breath before winter. She said yes without speaking—the kind of yes you feel in your bones. It wasn’t just an engagement. It was an invocation.
Plans were made in blood-red ink. Dresses and rings became artifacts. And though others called it wedding planning, they called it preparing the rite. This wasn't a beginning. This is the final chapter of the prequel.
Chapter I: It Begins in Shadow…10 Years Ago
They thought it was just another ordinary night...
Ten years ago, beneath the dim hum of a streetlamp, two souls collided in the dark. Victoria, drawn to forgotten corners and whispered things. Robert, already lured to her strange glow. No one saw them coming—but maybe they weren’t meant to be seen.
The first year was marked by late-night drives that blurred like fog on glass, laughter echoing in empty hallways, and the creeping realization that this wasn’t just love. It was tethered. Bound. Fated.
Chapter III: The Rock Beckons
They fled west, but the island found them.
By the time they reached Newfoundland, the fog was familiar. Victoria fell for the cliffs and seabirds. Robert found the lab work oddly calming—until the samples began arriving with names too familiar.
The wind scratched at their windows like a warning, but they didn’t listen. Instead, they nested deeper. Made new rituals: storm-watching with wine, grocery store hauntings, reading in graveyards for fun.