The fire crackled softly, sending flickering shadows against the ruined stone walls of the outpost. The world had been silent for too long, as if it held its breath, waiting for something inevitable to unfold.
Vivian remained motionless, her fingers pressing into the dirt beneath her. Her dream still clung to her like cobwebs—dark whispers crawling against her skin, the smirk that wasn't hers reflecting in the abyss of her mind.
She could still feel the weight of it. The presence of it.
It was not just a trick of the water.
Sebastian stirred from where he had been sitting, sharpening his blade. His eyes met hers briefly, and something passed between them—a quiet understanding. He knew something was wrong. He had known since the sanctuary. He just didn't say it aloud.
Lucian was staring into the fire, seemingly lost in thought. The flames painted his sharp features in hues of orange and gold, but his expression was unreadable. He hadn't asked any more questions, yet Vivian could sense the way he studied her in the silence, waiting for her to crack.
Elaria was the only one who slept. Or, at the very least, pretended to.
The quiet stretched between them, suffocating. Finally, Sebastian spoke, his voice low. "You should tell us what really happened."
Vivian inhaled sharply. "I told you everything."
"No," he said. "You didn't."
Lucian's gaze flickered toward her. "The sanctuary didn't feel right when we left. It wasn't just because of what we sealed. You saw something."
She clenched her jaw. The words hovered at the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them down. They wouldn't understand. They couldn't.
Because what she had seen wasn't just a reflection.
It was something else.
Something living beneath her skin.
She pushed to her feet abruptly, ignoring the way the others tensed at her sudden movement. "We should get moving," she said, forcing steel into her voice. "We've wasted enough time."
Sebastian exchanged a look with Lucian, but neither of them argued. Instead, they gathered their things, dousing the fire before it could betray their presence. The night still held its weight upon them, an unseen force watching from the trees.
They had spent years fighting the darkness.
But what if it had never been outside of them to begin with?
By dawn, they had reached the outskirts of the city.
The air felt different here. It was not the crisp, untouched silence of the wilderness. It was thicker, as if the city itself was holding its breath.
Vivian barely recognized the streets. What had once been bustling pathways were now eerily empty. The buildings stood like skeletons of their former selves, their windows hollowed out, their doors slightly ajar as if waiting for something to enter.
A shiver ran down her spine. The city was not abandoned. Not truly.
Something still lived here.
"We need to find shelter," Lucian murmured. "We're too exposed out here."
Sebastian's eyes swept the empty streets. "The old cathedral," he said. "It should still be standing."
Vivian hesitated. "The cathedral?"
Elaria, who had remained quiet for most of the journey, finally spoke. "It was once a sanctuary."
Vivian glanced toward the horizon. The cathedral's towering spires still stood, a dark silhouette against the gray sky. But she knew—she knew—that whatever lay inside would not welcome them with open arms.
They moved quickly, keeping to the shadows. The silence was oppressive, but worse still were the whispers that seemed to curl through the alleyways.
Vivian wasn't sure if the others heard them too.
She wasn't sure if they were even real.
But the voice inside her head was growing louder.
You're almost home.
She grit her teeth, pressing forward.
The cathedral doors groaned as they pushed inside. The scent of old parchment, incense, and something long since decayed filled the air.
The stained-glass windows were shattered, their jagged edges catching the dim light. Statues of long-forgotten saints lined the walls, their faces worn and unreadable.
Lucian's fingers traced the hilt of his blade. "Something isn't right."
Vivian stepped forward, her gaze sweeping the vast hall. And then—
A sound.
A breath.
The others heard it too. They froze, weapons drawn. The air thickened, the dust swirling unnaturally around them.
And then, from the darkness of the altar, a figure emerged.
Vivian's pulse slammed against her ribs.
It was her.
A perfect reflection.
And she was smiling.
To be continued...