Silence settled like thick cold fog.
Not peaceful silence.Watching silence.
The kind that waits.
Lina stood frozen as the rubble sealed the tunnel behind them, cutting them off from the council, from Lyrin, from escape.
Kai stepped in front of her immediately, shielding her with his body.
"Don't move," he whispered.
Reyon flicked a small illusion spark into the darkness.
It didn't brighten the hall.
It… bent.
Like the shadows were eating the light.
Seren grabbed her own arms, shaking. "We shouldn't be here. We shouldn't—this place—this place remembers things."
Lina turned to her. "What does that mean?"
"It remembers people," Seren whispered. "It remembers their pain. Their fear. Their magic. Their failures."
Reyon winced. "Well, that's horrifying. Love that."
Kai didn't joke.His eyes stayed fixed on the long corridor stretching ahead — lined with old wooden doors carved with runes.
But every door was different.
Some were cracked.Some were burned.One was scratched until the wood splintered like claws had dug through it.
Another door was covered in faint writing:
DON'T LOOK AT YOURSELF.DON'T LOOK AT YOURSELF.DON'T LOOK—
Reyon muttered, "If we see my reflection in here, and it insults me, I'm leaving."
"Reyon," Lina whispered, "stay close."
He nodded.No jokes now.
The air grew thicker as they moved deeper into the archives, each step echoing too loudly, like someone else walked alongside them.
Halfway down the hall, Seren stopped abruptly.
Lina turned. "Seren?"
Seren's eyes were fixed on a door.Her breathing became shallow.
"Someone died in that room," she whispered. "They… they scratched the door trying to escape."
Lina shivered.
Kai placed a hand on Seren's shoulder. "Don't look in. Keep walking."
They continued.
But with each step Lina took, her flame pulsed harder — not alarm, but resonance.
Like… recognition.
Then she saw it.
A door at the very end of the hall.
Simple.Unbroken.Unmarked.
But something about it made Lina's skin crawl.
Kai's hand shot out, stopping her."Not this one."
Reyon's voice dropped. "What room is it?"
Seren closed her eyes.Her voice trembled.
"This one… remembers her."
Lina froze. "Remembers who?"
Seren lifted a shaking hand and pointed.
Lina looked.
On the door, glowing faintly, was a name written in elegant handwriting:
Lina Veris
Fresh ink.Still dripping.
Lina staggered back."What—how?! That wasn't there a second ago!"
Kai's Shadowsteel flared. "Someone's been here. Someone who knows her name."
Reyon stepped forward slowly. "Or worse — someone who was waiting for her."
The ink drip hit the floor with a soft tap.
Seren suddenly gasped, pressing her hands to her ears.
"They're whispering again—so many—too many—Lina, they're saying—"
She went pale.
Kai grabbed her shoulders. "Seren! What do they say?"
Her voice trembled.
"They're saying she's been here before."
Lina felt her heart stop.
"No," she whispered. "No, I haven't. Seren, that's impossible."
Seren sobbed. "They're not lying. They're dead. They don't lie."
Kai cursed under his breath. "We're leaving this door."
But before he could step away—
The door handle turned on its own.
All four froze.
Reyon whispered, "Please tell me that was you. Anyone here. Please tell me."
But none of them had moved.
Lina's flame burst in alarm.
The door creaked open.
And inside…
A single lantern flickered on.
Reyon hissed, "Okay, nope—absolutely nope—nothing good starts with a lantern turning itself on—"
Kai pulled Lina behind him again. "Stay close."
Seren clung to Reyon's arm. "Someone's inside."
Lina whispered, "Who?"
The lantern brightened slightly, revealing the inside of a small room.
Empty.
Quiet.
Except…
On the floor, a circle of chalk glowed faintly.And inside it—a notebook.
Old.Black leather.Its cover cracked with age.
Lina's breath hitched.
Kai frowned. "Do you recognize it?"
"I don't know," Lina whispered.
But her flame pulsed in response — a violent golden surge.
Seren whispered, "It… it's connected to you."
Behind themsomething moved in the hallway.
A soft scrape.
Like a shoe or a foot or something dragging itself toward them.
Kai turned sharply. "We're not alone."
Reyon's illusions flickered around his hands. "Yeah, that's more footsteps than we have people. Fantastic."
The footsteps grew louder—closer—slow, deliberate—
And then…
A voice whispered behind them.
Not Lyrin's.Not a mimic.Not anything human.
"Welcome back, Lina."
Her knees buckled.
Kai grabbed her.
Reyon cursed.
Seren screamed.
The lantern blew out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
And the Memory Archives awakened.
To be Continued© Kishtika., 2025All rights reserved.