We stepthrough the seam in the wall.A musty, ancient smell as thick as fog consumes me, as if the chamber hasn’t tasted fresh air in decades.Darkness drapes over everything like a heavy quilt, embracing me like an old friend.Our footsteps echo in the void, our breathing the only sound in the hollow.
Kael illuminates his hands, the light flaring brighter than I expected.A cavernous space opens before us, mirroring the shrine in the Hollow like two sides of the same coin.This place feels older.Deeper.As if the city above grew over it by accident.
A pool of black water sits in the centre, rocks lining the edge to encircle whatever ancient secrets lie at its heart.Above, the ceiling is a jaw of glittering, black teeth, poised to snap shut.
A rush of air blows toward us, sending us both scurrying back toward the seam in the wall.Then, it’s gone.Shadow’s take me.
“What was that?”Kael breathes.
“I—I don’t know.”
Follow my child.She waits for you.Her voice slithers through my mind, sending shivers snaking down my spine.
The pads of my feet kiss the stone.My heartbeat vibrates through my soles as I approach the rocks.Another huff of air hits me, trailing my hair behind my shoulders.
“Seren—”
“It’s okay.”I say, the words meant more for myself than him.
Step by slow step, I make my way to the largest stone.A soft, high-pitched whine sounds from behind it—the cry of a dog in pain.My hands find the rough surface.I lean closer, peering into the gloom behind the rock.
The eyes greet me first.
My thoughts are wiped clean.All distractions vanish.A magnetic force pulls from deep within, pinning my gaze to those eyes.They radiate light—two pinpricks of pure, living violet, encased in black fur.Thick, coarse, and wolf-dark.
A gentle touch caresses the edge of my thoughts.It isn’t a sound, but a distinct consciousness.
I’m transported to another world—a lifetime where these eyes were my home.I see days of long-past happiness: nights spent curled up before a fire, my fingers intertwined in coarse black fur.A steady heartbeat mirroring my own.My companion and I.
Not my memories—but mine now.
Tears spill down my cheeks as I’m pulled back to the cavern, back to her.“My dear, old friend,” I whisper.“How could I ever forget you?”
I reach out, my palm meeting her fur without a flicker of hesitation.The deep pit in my chest opens wider as a rush of shared emotion overwhelms.I lunge forward, cradling her neck as her whimpers grow louder.The vibrations flow through me until I am nothing but a conduit between her sorrow and the cold, stagnant air.
“Eira.”I sob.“Wh—what are you doing here?How…how can you be here?”
She locks her violet gaze into mine until a thread grows taut between us.Images flood my mind: the Triarch, a cloak of chains, a shimmering silver light descending upon her like a predator.Where the light touches, it burns.I feel the searing heat of the brand as if it were my own skin.I feel the whip of pure energy—the shock of her being dragged down into this hole to rot for a century.
My poor, poor girl.
She whines as I cup her face in both hands, wiping the tears that rain down her fur.
“Seren?”Kael shouts from the shadows.“Seren—what’s going on?”
I look at my friend.Decades of hurt and loneliness bury themselves in my soul, fusing with my own.Her pain is mine.And I will have vengeance for what they have done to her.
Galaxial eyes stare into mine, their swirling nebula of light bewitching me, sending a silent question down the connection between us:Who is he?
“Play nice,” I mutter under my breath, ruffling the top of her head.
Eira stands, taking her rightful place at my side as if she never left.A pang of guilt shoots through me, fresh tears flowing freely.How could I have forgotten her?An old life is intertwining with my own until I can no longer tell which memories are mine.
“It’s okay—I’m here.”I step out from behind the rock to face Kael.
His eyes, wide and unfocused, stare through me and land on Eira.The light drains from his pupils, the silver dimming to ash-grey.His breath catches.The skin around his eyes tightens, his expression hardening into a mask of disbelief.
“What…isthat?” he asks, his finger trembling as he points to her.
