Chapter 10: The Shadow of the Past
Aarav's entire body tensed. The figure standing in the doorway radiated something ancient—something powerful. He was tall, dressed in flowing black robes, his long, jet-black hair falling over his broad shoulders. His piercing ember-like eyes locked onto Aarav with an intensity that sent a shiver through his core.
"Who the hell are you?" Aarav demanded, his voice steadier than he felt.
The man's lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, Kairos… you wound me. Have you truly forgotten?"
Aarav clenched his fists. That name again. It was becoming harder and harder to push it away, to separate himself from the echoes of a life he didn't remember.
Seraphina and Selene exchanged glances before Seraphina spoke. "You shouldn't be here, Lord Veyron."
Veyron.
The name rang in Aarav's mind, stirring something deep, buried beneath layers of time and forgotten memories.
Veyron stepped into the mansion, his boots making no sound against the marble floor. "I came for him," he said smoothly, never taking his gaze off Aarav.
Aarav narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
Veyron tilted his head. "Because you are awakening. And because we have unfinished business, old friend."
"Friend?" Aarav scoffed. "I don't even know you."
Veyron chuckled. "Not yet. But you will."
Aarav felt his pulse—no, not pulse, something else—quicken. The air around Veyron seemed to ripple, charged with an energy he recognized but couldn't explain.
Seraphina stepped between them, her tone sharp. "He's not ready for you, Veyron. His transformation isn't complete."
"Which is exactly why I came." Veyron's gaze darkened. "The hunters will return. And next time, they won't underestimate him. If he's to survive, he must remember who he is."
Selene scoffed. "You expect us to just hand him over?"
Veyron smiled. "Not at all. He must choose."
Aarav hesitated. His instincts screamed at him to be cautious, but there was something about Veyron—something familiar, something magnetic.
"Choose what?" he asked warily.
Veyron clasped his hands behind his back. "To embrace your destiny. Or to die fighting it."
A heavy silence settled in the room.
Aarav's mind raced. He barely understood what was happening to him, and now this mysterious stranger was offering him a choice he wasn't sure he was ready to make.
But deep down, he knew one thing.
This was just the beginning.
And there was no turning back.
To be continued…