"Light is not the opposite of darkness. It's what remains when everything else has fallen away."
— Unknown Chronicle of Eryndor
Silence.
That was the first thing Aiden felt when he opened his eyes. Not the kind of silence that comes from quiet rooms or sleeping cities—but a vast, hollow emptiness, like the world had stopped breathing.
He stood in a place that wasn't a place at all. The ground was glass, reflecting a sky that shimmered with broken stars. Shadows moved beneath the surface, like memories trying to crawl their way back into his mind.
"Where… am I?" he whispered. His voice barely echoed.
No answer came.
He took a step forward. The reflection beneath him rippled, revealing flashes of faces, lives, and places he didn't remember living. A kingdom in flames. A woman in silver armor. A blade drenched in her own blood. His hand trembled as he reached toward it—but the image shattered before he could touch it.
Aiden fell to his knees. His breath came fast, his pulse frantic. Every sound, every color felt too sharp, too alive. "Elias?" he called. "Elias, where are you?!"
Nothing. Just the echo of his voice, fading into the abyss.
Then, faintly, a sound like wings brushing against air. A soft, rhythmic beat that drew closer until a figure emerged from the distance—white-haired, barefoot, draped in something that glowed faintly like moonlight. The figure's eyes gleamed with warmth and sorrow.
"You've come far, Ariselle," the stranger said, voice neither male nor female, but something eternal. "But you cannot stay lost between worlds forever."
Aiden staggered to his feet. "Who are you? Why do you keep calling me that name?"
The being smiled gently. "Because it is your true name, the one written in the fabric of magic itself."
Aiden shook his head violently. "No, I'm Aiden Vale. I live in the city. I work at a bar. I—"
He stopped. The words sounded so small, so fragile in this vast emptiness.
The being stepped closer. "You are both, child of time. The soul remembers what the body forgets."
Aiden's throat tightened. "Then why am I here? What happened to Elias?"
At that, the figure's smile faded. "You were torn apart when the light struck. Your soul has slipped between the seams of reality. And he…" The figure looked down, expression heavy with something like pity. "He bleeds for you still."
Aiden's knees weakened. "Then send me back. Please."
The figure's gaze softened. "To return, you must remember what binds you. Not the pain, not the death—but the promise."
Aiden blinked. "Promise?"
"Search your heart," they said, and placed a hand over his chest. "The moment you remember what you swore beneath the dying sky, the path will open."
Warmth spread from the figure's touch, blooming like fire through his veins. The glassy floor cracked beneath him, and light began to pour through the cracks, flooding his vision.
And suddenly—he wasn't there anymore.
He woke to the sound of rain. The world was gray and blurred. Aiden gasped for air, chest heaving, his clothes soaked. He lay sprawled on cold asphalt beside an abandoned warehouse, the same one from his nightmares.
His vision adjusted. Blood streaked across the ground. Fresh blood.
"Elias," he whispered.
He staggered to his feet, every muscle screaming. The scent of iron filled his nose. The trail of blood led to a half-open door.
Inside, shadows moved.
Aiden pushed the door wider. The room was filled with flickering light from a single dying bulb. The metallic tang of blood grew stronger. And in the center—Elias knelt, his hand pressed to his side, dark liquid dripping between his fingers.
"Elias!" Aiden rushed forward, dropping beside him. "You're alive—thank God, you're alive—"
Elias looked up. His face was pale, his lips curved in a faint, painful smile. "You shouldn't be here."
Aiden's hands trembled as he tried to stop the bleeding. "You think I'd just leave you after everything? After what you did for me?"
"You don't understand," Elias murmured. "They'll come for you next."
"Let them," Aiden said, his voice breaking. "I'm not running anymore."
Elias reached up, fingers brushing his cheek, leaving a streak of red. "You remember something, don't you?"
Aiden froze. "I… I saw something. A promise."
Elias's eyes softened, filled with both recognition and fear. "Then it's begun."
Before Aiden could ask what he meant, a sound echoed from the shadows—footsteps, slow and deliberate. A chill ran down his spine.
Someone else was in the building.
Elias's grip tightened around his wrist. "Listen to me. No matter what happens, don't let them touch you. Do you understand?"
The footsteps grew louder.
Aiden turned toward the sound, heart pounding. The door creaked. A tall figure stepped through, his face hidden beneath a hood. His voice was calm, almost bored.
"So this is the lost king and his ghost."
The light flickered.
Aiden's fingers curled into fists. He didn't know who the stranger was, but his blood knew. His magic pulsed faintly beneath his skin, like a memory waking up for the first time in centuries.
The stranger tilted his head. "You shouldn't have returned, Ariselle."
---
The hooded man stepped closer, his boots echoing softly against the concrete floor. The air around him seemed to twist, heavy with pressure that made Aiden's chest tighten.
Elias tried to stand, but pain shot through his body. Aiden caught his arm, helping him balance. "Don't move," Aiden whispered. "You're hurt."
Elias's eyes stayed on the stranger. "You shouldn't be here," he said coldly. "You should have stayed buried with the others."
The man's chuckle was soft but sharp, like a blade scraping against glass. "And miss this reunion? You were always too sentimental, Thorn."
At the mention of Elias's true surname, Aiden froze. Thorn. He'd heard it before—in the dreams, in the whispers of that old battlefield where Ariselle died.
The stranger pulled back his hood, revealing a face that could have been carved from stone: pale skin, black eyes that reflected no light, and a faint mark running down his neck like burned ink. He looked familiar in a way that made Aiden's stomach twist.
"You," Aiden said softly. "I've seen you before."
The man smiled. "Of course you have. I was the one who ended your life."
The world tilted. The faint hum beneath Aiden's skin turned into a violent pulse. Flames of white light flickered in his vision, and for a moment, the warehouse melted away. He saw a memory—a throne room drenched in fire, the man's sword piercing through his chest as Elias screamed her name.
Aiden stumbled back, gasping. "You… you killed me."
"And I'll do it again," the man said. "Because your soul should never have crossed the veil. You both defy the laws written by the gods themselves."
Elias's voice turned to ice. "You talk about laws while bathing in innocent blood?"
The man's grin widened. "Innocence is a luxury the world can't afford anymore."
Before Aiden could react, the man raised his hand. Darkness erupted like a storm. A blast of black energy shot across the room. Elias moved first—throwing himself in front of Aiden, his own power flaring crimson. The two forces collided, shaking the walls and shattering every window.
Aiden fell backward, covering his head from flying debris. The floor cracked beneath him, dust and sparks raining down. "Elias!" he screamed.
When the air cleared, Elias stood in the middle of the wreckage, breathing hard. Blood trickled from his temple, but his eyes burned with determination. "Run," he said hoarsely.
"I'm not leaving you!"
Elias turned, meeting his gaze. "This isn't a request."
The dark man stepped forward, laughing softly. "Ah, the lovers' argument. Just like before."
The sound of his voice broke something inside Aiden. Rage—pure, hot, unstoppable—rose through him. The world blurred. His pulse became thunder.
The glass around them began to vibrate. The floor glowed faintly beneath his feet, patterns of light spiraling outward like ancient runes being reawakened.
Elias's eyes widened. "Aiden… your power—"
Aiden didn't hear him. His body moved on instinct. The energy that had once belonged to Ariselle of Eryndor burst free, surrounding him in a swirl of silver light. The air hummed with an old, familiar magic.
The man's smirk faltered. "Impossible."
Aiden raised his hand. "You should have stayed in the dark."
A shockwave of light exploded outward. The man was thrown back, crashing into a metal beam with a deafening crack. The building trembled, sparks flying from shattered wires.
For a moment, everything went still again. The power in Aiden's body flickered, then faded. His knees buckled. Elias caught him before he hit the ground.
"Breathe," Elias whispered. "It's okay. I've got you."
Aiden gasped for air, trembling in his arms. "What… what was that?"
Elias's voice was low. "The beginning of the end."
The words made Aiden's heart sink. "You mean…?"
Elias helped him stand. "The seal's gone now. You're fully awake. Which means they'll all come for you."
Aiden looked toward the wreckage. The dark man's body was gone. Only a faint mark of burned ash remained where he had fallen.
"He's not dead," Elias said quietly, following his gaze. "He'll be back."
"Then we'll be ready."
Elias looked at him, really looked at him, as if seeing both Aiden and Ariselle at once. "You're stronger than before," he said softly. "And yet, I'm terrified of losing you again."
Aiden managed a faint smile. "You won't. Not this time."
Elias reached out, brushing his thumb across Aiden's cheek. The touch lingered longer than it should have. "You always said that," he murmured.
Aiden was about to answer when the sound of sirens broke the silence outside. Blue and red lights flickered through the broken windows. The police were coming.
Elias glanced at the door. "We have to move. Now."
He wrapped his arm around Aiden's waist, leading him toward the back exit. Rain poured harder outside, washing the blood from their skin.
As they slipped into the alley, Aiden looked back at the building one last time. For just a moment, he swore he saw a figure standing in the upper window—watching.
And in that instant, he heard a voice, soft as a whisper in his mind.
"You can't run from destiny, my queen."
He froze, his pulse stopping cold.
Elias noticed the change in his expression. "What is it?"
Aiden's eyes lifted to the window again, but the shadow was gone. "Nothing," he lied. "Let's just get out of here."
They disappeared into the rain.
But the night was far from over.
Cliffhanger Ending:
As the city lights faded behind them, the first crack appeared in the sky—like glass beginning to break.
---