Chapter 4: Threads of Fate
The library's silence felt like a living thing—thick, ancient, and watching. Dust particles danced in the fading rays of afternoon sun filtering through stained-glass windows, painting strange colors across the wooden floor. In that stillness, Lila clutched the ancient book Adrien had handed her, her knuckles white against the worn leather cover.
The book felt alive in her hands, pulsing faintly, almost as if it recognized her. Every time she turned a page, it groaned softly, like it was reluctant to share its secrets.
Across from her, Adrien stood quietly, his gaze never leaving her. He was unnaturally still, like a statue carved from shadow and bone.
"There's more you need to see," he said, his voice just above a whisper. He stepped closer and turned to a section marked with a ribbon—crimson red, like dried blood.
Lila swallowed hard. The passage was written in a swirling script that shimmered faintly, shifting as if the letters didn't want to be understood by just anyone.
She leaned closer.
The words told of a powerful bloodline—a lineage that traced back centuries, hidden in plain sight, bound to a prophecy older than memory itself. The bearer of this blood was destined to face a choice: to rise and seal the shadows… or to fall and let darkness consume the world.
It spoke of sacrifice, betrayal, and a battle not of swords, but of souls.
Lila's mouth felt dry. Her voice shook. "This… this can't be about me. I'm just a student. I barely pass math. I don't have powers. I don't even believe in this stuff."
Adrien's face softened, but his eyes remained sharp. "Normalcy is often an illusion, Lila. The world you know is only one thread in a vast tapestry. You've been hidden for a reason—but the veil is thinning, and your time is running out."
She shut the book abruptly, the sound echoing through the shelves. Her hands trembled.
"Why are you even involved in this?" she demanded. "Why do you know all this?"
Adrien hesitated. For a brief moment, a flicker of pain crossed his expression. "Because I was raised for this. I come from the Order of the Veil. We were tasked with finding the Bloodmarked before the prophecy awakens in full. I've seen what happens when we fail."
He paused. "We don't get second chances."
Lila stared at him. The library felt colder now, as if unseen eyes were peering through the cracks in the walls. Her breath fogged slightly in the air.
The distant sound of the bell rang through the school, signaling the end of lunch. It felt jarring, almost laughable. How could the world still be moving when hers had just tilted?
"I need time," she muttered, rising to her feet. She didn't wait for Adrien's reply. The book pressed against her ribs like a weight she could never put down.
As she stepped into the hallway, the noise of reality came crashing back—shouting students, slamming lockers, teachers barking reminders. But it all felt hollow. Muffled. Unreal.
Her thoughts spiraled: What did it mean to be chosen? What did the shadows want? How could any of this be real?
By the time she returned home, dusk had begun to fall, casting long, golden shadows across her bedroom walls. The sky outside her window looked like it had been set on fire—flaming streaks of orange and crimson melting into violet. Lila sat at the edge of her bed, the prophecy book open across her lap.
The words glowed faintly in the dying light, as if absorbing the sunset's final breath.
She flipped through page after page, images dancing across her vision: fire swallowing cities, beasts with too many eyes, figures cloaked in darkness, faces she couldn't see but somehow recognized.
Then the wind stirred through her open window, rustling the pages like fingers brushing against paper.
The book stopped on a verse she hadn't noticed before. It gleamed in silver ink:
> "When shadows rise and light seems dim,
The chosen's heart must not grow grim.
For in the bond of souls entwined,
The strength to conquer fate you'll find."
Her finger traced the verse slowly, as if memorizing it would anchor her to something solid. The words echoed in her mind like a lullaby from another life.
"Souls entwined…" she whispered.
And in that moment, she saw Adrien's face again—his steady gaze, the pull she felt when he was near, like gravity itself shifted around him. Was he part of this prophecy too?
She closed the book carefully, her fingers lingering on the cover.
Everything inside her screamed for normalcy—for things to go back to the way they were before strange dreams and mysterious boys and ancient tomes. But some part of her… deeper, older… resonated with this truth.
The red in her hair had always felt symbolic, but now it burned like a signal. She had always known she was different. She just never imagined how much.
As darkness settled outside and the moon rose full over the rooftops, Lila whispered into the night.
"Till we meet again..."
But somewhere—deep beyond her world—a dark force stirred at her words, as if it, too, had been waiting.