"The past doesn't die. It waits in silence, wearing new faces."
The rain came down in sheets, soaking the cracked pavement of the alley as Elias guided Aiden through the maze of narrow streets. Neon lights shimmered across the puddles, blurring into streaks of pink and blue. The storm's roar swallowed the world around them.
Aiden's legs ached, his lungs burned, but he didn't dare slow down. Every sound—the rumble of thunder, the whisper of wind—felt like footsteps behind them.
"Where are we going?" he gasped.
Elias didn't answer right away. His jaw was set, eyes darting between shadows. "Somewhere they can't trace us."
"The Order?"
"Yes." His tone made the word sound like a curse.
They turned into an abandoned underpass. A faint light glowed at the far end—Elias's hidden sanctuary. The moment they stepped inside, a low hum pulsed through the air, and symbols etched on the concrete flickered faintly.
Aiden looked around. The place was small but secure; old tech screens and scraps of spell diagrams covered the walls. It smelled faintly of dust, ink, and rain.
"This is where you live?" Aiden asked softly.
Elias didn't reply. He knelt by a cracked console, fingers dancing across glowing runes. "It's where I watch the world fall apart."
Aiden swallowed hard. The exhaustion caught up with him, making his limbs heavy. "They knew where to find us. How?"
"Because of the pendant." Elias turned toward him, eyes sharp. "That thing connects you to more than just your memories. It's a beacon."
Aiden touched the small crystal at his chest, guilt curling in his stomach. "I didn't mean—"
"I know." Elias's voice softened slightly. "But meaning doesn't matter to them. You carry what they fear most—truth."
He stood and began tracing sigils on the floor, forming a protective circle around Aiden. "This will block their tracking spells for a while."
Aiden watched him work, mesmerized by the precision of his movements. "You make it look easy."
"It isn't," Elias murmured. "Every symbol has a cost."
When he finished, the circle glowed faintly blue. The tension in the air eased. Aiden sat down inside it, wrapping his arms around his knees.
For a while, silence filled the room except for the steady drip of rain through the cracks above.
Finally, Aiden spoke. "Back in the cathedral… when you said you made a promise—was it really to me?"
Elias hesitated, then nodded once. "To her. To you. To whatever you are now. I don't pretend to understand it."
Aiden's heart ached. "What happened to her? To… Ariselle?"
For the first time, Elias's mask cracked. His gaze drifted toward the flickering light. "She died because of me."
Aiden's breath caught. "You said that wasn't you."
"It wasn't. But it was someone who wore my face. My bloodline carries his sins. I remember fragments—his rage, his devotion. It's as if his ghost lives inside me, whispering."
Aiden reached out, his fingers brushing Elias's sleeve. "And you think protecting me now will make up for it?"
Elias met his eyes, expression unreadable. "No. But it might stop history from repeating itself."
The words hung heavy between them.
Aiden wanted to believe him. But deep down, something inside whispered that fate wasn't so easily rewritten.
The pendant at his chest pulsed once—like a heartbeat.
He frowned. "Elias…"
The older man looked up instantly. "What's wrong?"
"The light. It's changing."
Before Elias could react, the crystal flared bright red. The air trembled. The sigils on the floor flickered violently, one by one burning out like dying stars.
Elias cursed and rushed forward. "They've found us already—"
Elias moved before the light could explode, wrapping an arm around Aiden and dragging him from the circle just as the last rune shattered. The air rippled, a concussive wave slamming against the walls and blowing out every light in the room.
For a moment, everything went dark. Only the sound of Aiden's uneven breathing filled the space.
Then came the whisper — low, cold, and everywhere at once.
"You cannot hide from us, Vessel."
Aiden froze. "Who said that?"
Elias's grip tightened. "Don't answer it."
But the voice didn't need him to. It slid into his mind like a blade, threading through every thought.
"The body you wear was not meant for your kind. Return what was stolen, and we may spare what's left of him."
Aiden clutched his head. "Get out of my mind!"
A surge of white light burst from his chest, knocking Elias backward. The concrete cracked beneath his feet. The pendant had split — half red, half white — glowing like two opposing hearts.
Elias swore under his breath and reached for him. "Aiden, listen to me! You have to control it before—"
Before he could finish, the air split open.
A tear appeared in the space between them — like a wound in reality itself — and from it stepped a tall figure cloaked in black, wearing the same insignia as the guardian from before.
Only this one wasn't masked. His face was strikingly beautiful, but his eyes were empty, reflecting nothing but cold eternity.
"Step away from the vessel," he said. His voice carried authority that bent the air.
Elias's expression hardened. "And if I don't?"
"Then you'll share her fate."
The words hit Aiden like a physical blow. "Her… fate?" he repeated, voice trembling. "You mean Ariselle?"
The man's lips curved faintly. "She defied the Order once. You carry her spirit. And that mistake cannot be repeated."
Elias drew a blade from thin air — black metal humming with energy. "You'll have to kill me first."
"Gladly."
They moved in an instant. Blades met, sparks scattering across the dark room. The clash echoed through the tunnel like thunder, ancient magic colliding with steel and fury.
Aiden stumbled back, overwhelmed by the force of their fight. His vision swam — flashes of another life bleeding into this one.
He saw a grand throne hall, banners burning. A woman in silver armor, her hair a cascade of gold, falling beneath a sword that gleamed like midnight.
Her last words rang in his mind — "Elias, please… remember me."
He gasped, clutching his chest. His knees hit the ground.
The pendant pulsed faster, brighter, until it felt like it was trying to tear him apart.
Elias threw his opponent back with a surge of dark fire, then turned, eyes wild. "Aiden! You have to shut it down!"
"I can't!"
"You can! It's your power—"
"It's hers!" Aiden cried. "It's not mine!"
The air screamed. The ground split open beneath them. Elias lunged forward, grabbing Aiden just as the floor gave way. Both of them fell into the darkness below — a storm of light, rubble, and echoes swallowing them whole.
And as they fell, Aiden heard that same ancient voice again — no longer cold, but grieving.
"You cannot escape what you were, my child. You are the bridge between life and death… and both will claim you soon."
The world went black.