The forest behind them was still whispering.
After their encounter with the weeping angels, the air had grown heavier, like the sky itself was holding its breath. The trees began to thin, and in their place rose barren fields dusted with frost and shadow. Isla clutched her cloak tighter, glancing at the overcast sky. The silence among the trio—Isla, Caius, and Finn—was loaded with the weight of unspoken thoughts. But ahead, something broke that silence.
A building. A towering structure of cracked stone and weathered spires loomed at the edge of the road, half-swallowed by creeping vines and dark moss. The windows were long black voids, shattered in places, and a wrought iron gate hung ajar with a mournful creak.
"There," Isla said, stopping. "That's it."
Caius raised a brow. "That crumbling thing?"
"Old Marla said we might find answers in any of the Circle's old safehouses. This must be one of them." She took a step forward. "She mentioned a manor, hidden on the road to the sacrificial grounds. It fits."
Finn looked uneasy. "Creepy place to stash secrets."
"That's exactly why they chose it," Caius muttered.
Inside, dust lay like snow. The air smelled of burnt parchment and damp rot. Paintings hung crooked on the walls—portraits with slashed-out eyes. Books littered the floor, pages torn and smeared with dried ink. As they walked, the echo of their footsteps was the only sound.
They found a scorched symbol carved into one of the walls—one Isla had seen before.
"This was on my mother's pendant," she whispered, tracing it with shaking fingers. "She was here…"
Caius stared at it, his jaw clenched. "The same sigil from the Hollow Archive. The same from the book. Everything's leading back to her."
Finn was already off exploring another corridor. "Uh… guys?" His voice echoed from a side hall. "You'll want to see this."
They followed him to a large chamber where a metal manhole, half-covered in dust and grime, was sunken into the center of the stone floor. Around it were shattered desks, rotting ledgers, and faded journals splayed open like gutted carcasses.
Caius pried the manhole open, and a gust of foul air hissed out. A stairwell descended beneath it, cloaked in dampness and black.
Finn passed Isla one of the journals. She opened it.
Inside were sketches. Twisted rituals. Diagrams of a bleeding moon. The words First Sin repeated over and over, in shaky, frantic handwriting. Notes described inhuman rites. Test subjects. One line chilled her:
"He screamed as the third eye opened. We called it ascension. But what we made was a monster".
Isla slammed the journal shut. "This is just sick," she whispered, her voice trembling.
Caius crouched beside another book. "They weren't just hiding here. They were experimenting. This wasn't a safehouse—it was a laboratory."
Suddenly, a sound. A slow clap. 1....2....3
From the shadows stepped a tall man, clad in torn black leathers. His cloak flapped as he moved, and a curved blade glinted at his hip. A bandana wrapped tightly around his head, hiding his eyes.
"Well done," the man said. "You made it farther than I expected."
Isla froze. "Who are you?"
"The one sent to clean up," he said, voice like gravel. "You've been sniffing too close to the Circle's breath."
Caius's daggers were in his hands in an instant. "You can try."
The bounty hunter lunged—his speed unnatural. The room erupted into violence. Blades clashed. Finn ducked as a table splintered behind him. Isla hurled a loose spell that fizzled against the man's cloak.
Caius took the lead, striking with precision. The man was strong—but not invincible. Blood began to show on his coat. Then, in a vicious counter, the hunter struck Caius across the jaw, sending him reeling.
"Still just mortals," he hissed, drawing a second dagger.
Isla darted in, aiming low, her blade catching his side. He stumbled, snarled, and backed off. Caius, recovering, darted forward and with a fierce slash—cut across the man's right eye.
He screamed, staggering back. The bandana slipped, and as it fell, it revealed something horrible.
A third eye, embedded in his forehead.
It glared at them with a certain magic ... They all froze unable to move a limb
Isla felt her body lock mid-breath. She levitated inches off the ground, suspended like a puppet with its strings pulled tight. Caius floated beside her, unmoving, fury still burning in his wide eyes. Finn gasped, frozen mid-step.
The Cyclops smiled, blood trailing from both his human eyes. "You shouldn't have looked."
That third eye pulsed with a sickly blue glow, freezing time and flesh.
Isla's pain surged. Something burned in her chest. Her fingers twitched.
The token.
From her cloak, she managed to pull the carved silver coin—the one she hadn't dared use. As it touched her palm, it flared to life, radiating a brilliant white light that shattered the hold of the third eye's power.
With a scream, Isla flung it forward.
A searing beam erupted from the token, slamming into the Cyclops and sending him flying across the room. The eye on his forehead snapped shut with a sizzling hiss.
The air unfroze. They collapsed to the ground in heaps, coughing and gasping.
Caius blinked hard. "How—" He turned to Isla, panting. "How long have you had that?"
Isla stood, her hand still trembling.
"You could've said something." Caius said
She didn't reply.
They dragged the unconscious Cyclops to the center of the room and tied him up with torn bindings from the drapes. His face, still bleeding, twisted into a bitter grin as he woke.
"Your eyes," Caius said. "That third one—what did they do to you?"
"You don't want to know," he rasped, spitting at Caius's boots. "But I'll give you something."
He looked at Isla. "They've started the convergence. The First Sin is coming again. You've already seen the signs."
"What signs?" Finn asked.
The Cyclops just smiled. "They made me. Gave me that cursed eye. But I'm nothing compared to what's coming. You think I'm a monster?" He leaned forward. "You haven't seen Him."
"Who?" Isla pressed.
"Your answer lies in the Hollow Grotto. But by the time you get there, it may already be too late."
Finn crossed his arms. "Great. More cryptic villain talk."
The Cyclops ignored him. "You think you're fighting shadows, but the Circle is rooted in the blood of kings. The sins of your ancestors made this. And now you're just trying to outrun it."
Isla's voice was cold. "We're going to stop it."
He just laughed.
They left him tied and unconscious. .
The wind had grown quieter now, the manor a fading silhouette behind them. The path ahead was damp, the scent of moss and something metallic lingering in the air. Isla walked ahead, shoulders stiff, eyes unfocused. Finn trailed behind her, humming nervously to himself, while Caius kept pace beside Isla in silence.
But the silence didn't last.
Caius's voice cut through the hush, sharp but low. "How long have you had that token?"
Isla flinched slightly, her steps faltering. She didn't turn to look at him, not immediately. "A while," she muttered.
Caius didn't let the answer slide. "And you didn't think to mention it? You waited until we were nearly torn apart by a Cyclops to pull it out?"
"I didn't know if it would even work," Isla said quickly, her tone defensive. "I've never used it before."
"But you knew it was something," he pressed. "You knew it had power. You had it this whole time and said nothing."
She finally turned to face him. Her eyes were stormy, her cheeks flushed with a mix of anger and shame. "I didn't keep it from you out of malice. It was my mother's. I didn't even know what it did. I was scared it would... change things."
"It did change things," Caius snapped. "It saved us. But it also makes me wonder what else you're hiding."
Isla narrowed her eyes. "Funny. I could say the same to you."
That silenced him for a heartbeat. "What?"
"The sigil," she said, pointing at the place on his arm where he always wore his bandage. "You knew about it and never told me. So don't act like I'm the only one keeping secrets."
Caius's expression tightened. "That's different."
"Is it?"
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The tension buzzed like static between them. Then Finn, still walking behind, cleared his throat and muttered, "Some duo you guys are…"
In perfect sync, both Isla and Caius turned and barked, "Shut up, Finn."
Finn blinked, threw up his hands in surrender, and muttered something about just trying to help.
Isla exhaled and looked away, her tone softening. "I'm sorry. I just… I don't know how to explain it. I didn't want to lose the only thing I had left of her."
Caius looked at her a long moment. "I get it. But next time, don't wait until we're fighting monsters to be honest with me."
She nodded slowly. "I won't."
And together, with the tension slowly fading behind them like a storm breaking, the trio moved forward once more into the
---
In a different manor, far from the trio, shadows danced across the stone walls. A single candle lit the room.
A girl no older than eighteen stood with her hands clasped behind her back. Her face was solemn, but her eyes flickered with anticipation.
Before her stood a man, cloaked in black mist. His face was hidden, voice cold and commanding.
"You know what to do?"
"Yes, Lord."
"You will join them. Make them believe you seek the Circle's end. Be their friend. Their ally."
She nodded.
He stepped closer. "Can I trust you?"
"Yes, Lord," she said again, this time with a smile.
"Good. Feed me everything."
As she turned away, her eyes glinted with secrets—and betrayal yet to come.
To be continued....