16. Xavier

Chapter 16

Xavier

I stood atop the library, a stone sentinel once more. But this time, the familiar weight of my granite form felt like a prison. Despair filled every crevice of my being, as unyielding as the stone that encased me.

The previous night had been a blur of frantic searching. Amber was gone, vanished without a trace. I couldn't sense her through our nascent mating bond. The truth was undeniable - she had rejected me and left Beastly Falls. With her departure, my fate was sealed.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, I wondered if this would be my last day of awareness. Would I ever wake again, or would I remain a lifeless statue for eternity? The thought should have terrified me, but I felt only a dull ache of acceptance.

Suddenly, a jolt of panic and fear surged through me. But these emotions weren't mine. They were Amber's. She was in trouble, desperate for help. The realization hit me like a physical blow. She needed me, and I was trapped in this cursed form, unable to move, to speak, to even cry out.

I strained against my stone prison with every ounce of will I possessed. If I could just move a finger, blink an eye, anything to signal for help. But it was useless. I remained frozen, a silent witness to Amber's distress.

The bond between us pulsed with her fear, growing stronger with each passing moment. She was getting closer to town, I realized. Running towards Beastly Falls, towards me.

But I was powerless to help her. As her terror mounted, so did my frustration and despair. For the first time in centuries, I truly felt the weight of my curse. To be so close, yet so hopelessly far from the one I loved in her moment of need. It was a special kind of torment.

All I could do was wait, a stone gargoyle with an all-too-human heart, silently praying for Amber's safety and for the sun to set so I could finally come to her aid.

As I struggled against my stone prison, a shimmering figure materialized before me. Ethereal and barely visible in the daylight, it regarded me with ancient, knowing eyes.

"What would you give up for Amber?" the spectral being asked, its voice echoing in my mind rather than in the air.

Without hesitation, I answered, "I would give up anything to save her."

The figure cocked its head, as if I was a puzzle it could not understand. "Would you give up your life?"

Again, there was no delay in my answer. "Gladly. If it meant keeping her safe."

The figure nodded slowly, a hint of sadness in its otherworldly features. "I will grant your wish," it intoned. "You can be human and save her, but know this: she has until nightfall to accept the bond, or you will remain a statue forever."

The weight of this ultimatum settled heavily upon me. It was a steep price, with no guarantee of success. But Amber's fear still pulsed through our bond, spurring me to action.

"I accept," I said, my determination unwavering.

Suddenly, I felt a crack. Then another. The stone encasing me began to splinter and crumble. With a surge of strength I didn't know I possessed, I pushed against my granite prison. Chunks of rock fell away, clattering on the library roof.

In a final, dramatic burst, I broke free. Human flesh replaced stone, and I stumbled forward, gasping in the sunlight I hadn't felt on my skin in centuries.

There was no time to marvel at this miracle. Amber needed me. With renewed purpose, I flew off the roof, skimming the ground before I caught a draft.

As I flew towards the forest where I sensed Amber, I couldn't help but think of the ghostly figure's warning. Nightfall. We had until nightfall to seal our bond, or I'd lose everything.

But none of that mattered now. All that mattered was getting to Amber and keeping her safe. Whatever came after, we'd face it together.