I sat there, confused, unsteady, and still reeling from everything Safyrr had just revealed.
The fire crackled softly, casting shifting shadows across the stone walls, but the warmth did nothing to ease the cold unease settling in my chest.
I met Safyrr's silver gaze, my voice quiet but firm.
"What is a human?"
The question felt strange on my tongue, like something I should already know the answer to.
Safyrr watched me carefully, as if she had expected this moment.
"They are from another realm," she said, her tone calm but weighted. "A world where magic is just a myth."
I stiffened. "Another realm?"
"Yes." Her silver eyes held mine as she leaned in slightly, her voice measured. "Unlike us, humans are not born with magic. Their world is the complete opposite of ours, governed by laws of science, untouched by the forces that shape Elarion. To them, beings like us exist only in legend."
A deep, twisting sensation curled in my stomach.
A world without magic.
It sounded impossible.
And yet… something about the way Safyrr spoke unsettled me in a way I couldn't explain.
Zarich shifted beside me, arms crossed. "This is all fascinating," he said gruffly, "but she's barely holding herself together. We need to deal with her injuries first."
Safyrr nodded, exhaling slowly. "You're right."
She reached for a small ceramic bowl from the nearby shelf, filled with a shimmering silver-blue liquid. The moment she dipped her fingers in, the liquid glowed softly, as if responding to her touch.
"This will help," she murmured.
I tensed as she pressed her hands over my arms, directly over the dark bruises coiling around my skin like the shadows had left their fingerprints behind.
A warmth pulsed through my limbs, soothing and strangely heavy, like something was pulling the pain away.
I sucked in a breath as the bruises began to fade, the deep purples and blacks melting away into my skin.
For a moment, relief flooded me.
Until I saw what was left behind.
Where the bruises had faded, angry red lashes remained, deep, raw, and untouched by Safyrr's healing magic.
I frowned, turning my hands over, looking at the jagged markings that traced across my skin. "Why didn't they disappear?"
Safyrr's expression darkened slightly.
She pulled back, studying the red welts with quiet intensity.
"Because these aren't ordinary wounds."
Something in her voice made my stomach drop.
"Then what are they?" I asked, my pulse quickening.
Safyrr met my gaze, her silver eyes gleaming in the firelight.
"They are proof that something ancient touched you. And whatever it was… it left its mark."
"Will it ever go away?" My voice was quiet, but the weight behind it was crushing.
Safyrr's expression softened, but there was something else in her gaze, something close to sorrow.
She reached out, tracing one of the marks lightly with her fingers, her silver tattoos flickering faintly in the firelight.
"I'm afraid not, my dear," she said, her voice gentle yet firm. "Only the same power that left these marks can undo them."
A chill ran through me.
The same power.
I had no idea who, or what had left these wounds on me.
And I had even less of an idea of how to find them again.
I exhaled, trying to push down the frustration rising in my chest. "So what now? I just live with this?"
Safyrr tilted her head, her gaze sharp. "For now, yes. But these marks are more than just scars."
I stiffened. "What do you mean?"
She hesitated, exchanging a glance with Zarich, who remained stone-still, his arms crossed, his eyes watching me like I might collapse at any moment.
Safyrr sighed. "They are not just remnants of pain, Athena. They are a connection."
The words sent a slow, cold dread creeping down my spine.
"A connection to what?"
Safyrr's silver eyes met mine, steady, knowing.
"To the force that touched you."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
The flames in the hearth crackled softly, the air between us thick with something unspoken.
My stomach twisted. "You mean they can still..."
"Yes," Safyrr cut in, her voice grim. "If they wish to find you again, they can."
My hands curled into fists, my nails digging into my palms. "So I'm marked. Hunted. And I can't do anything about it?"
Safyrr's lips pressed together. "Not yet."
I hated the way those two words sent a rush of helplessness through me.
Not yet.
That meant one day, I could.
One day, I'd have the power to make sure whatever touched me never reached me again.
But right now…
I was just waiting for the inevitable.
Zarich's voice finally broke the silence. "Who do you think did this to her?"
Safyrr looked at him, something unspoken passing between them. Then she turned back to me, her silver eyes unreadable.
"That is what we need to find out."
Safyrr's gaze flickered toward him, something unspoken passing between them.
She already had her suspicions.
But when she turned back to me, her silver eyes remained carefully unreadable.
"I have an idea," she admitted, "but I need to be certain before I confirm it."
As Zarich helped me to my feet, I felt a dull ache still thrumming beneath my skin, Safyrr turned to one of the shelves.
Her fingers brushed over a row of small ceramic vials, each filled with swirling liquids of various colors, before she plucked a deep blue one from its place.
She stepped toward me, pressing the vial into my palm.
"Drink this before you go to bed." Her voice was calm but firm.
I glanced down at the vial, the liquid inside shifting like captured moonlight.
"What is it?"
"Something that will keep you steady," she said simply, offering no further explanation.
Before I could press her, Zarich gave a sharp nod. "We should go."
Safyrr's silver eyes held mine, her expression unreadable.
"Take care of yourself, Athena."
She hesitated, then allowed the smallest knowing smile to cross her lips.
"I get the feeling you'll need my help in more than just the kitchen."
A chill prickled down my spine.
She knew something.
But before I could ask, Zarich was already leading me out into the night.
The moment we stepped past the threshold, the door closed behind us on its own.
As we pulled away from Safyrr's house, I exhaled slowly, staring out the window, watching the twisted silhouettes of trees blur past.
For a while, Zarich didn't speak. The silence between us wasn't uncomfortable, but it was charged, heavy with thoughts neither of us voiced.
Eventually, he spoke, his voice low.
"You're handling this well."
I let out a breathless, humorless laugh. "Is that what this looks like?"
He didn't smile, didn't glance at me. "You should be in shock."
"Maybe I am."
Another beat of silence.
I rolled the vial between my fingers, feeling the cool glass beneath my skin.
"You trust her?" I asked finally.
Zarich exhaled through his nose. "Safyrr? More than most."
That wasn't a yes.
I turned to him, studying his profile, the way his grip tightened on the wheel just slightly. "But not completely?"
His jaw ticked. "She's fae."
That was all he said, but it was enough.
The fae were bound by different rules, loyal only to their own kind.
I let the thought settle, the weight of the night pressing down on me.
And then, my mind drifted back.
Back to the shadows. The voices. The deep, cold voice that had spoken in the dark.
"The Ancient Rune chose a human. Interesting."
The memory sent a chill racing down my spine.
It was only now, sitting in the quiet of the car, away from the suffocating grip of those shadows that something clicked.
That voice… was familiar.
My fingers tightened around the vial.
Why?
I closed my eyes, trying to piece back what I heard him say.
"Not her. It's the other one."
A sick feeling curled in my stomach.
Something told me I already knew the answer.
And I didn't like where it was leading me.
The car slowed to a smooth stop, the familiar sight of home coming into view. The glow of the estate lights cast long shadows across the driveway, but tonight, it felt different, like I was returning to a place that no longer felt the same.
Zarich killed the engine, resting his hands on the wheel for a moment before turning to me.
"Was it worth it?" His voice was steady, but there was something else beneath it. "Going through hell to find answers?"
I let out a slow breath, the weight of the night settling deep in my bones.
"Believe it or not, Zarich, I got more answers in one night than in my entire life."
He held my gaze, searching for something in my expression.
I wasn't sure what he found.
I turned slightly in my seat, meeting his gaze head-on, my fingers tightening against the fabric of my dress as the weight of the night settled deep in my chest.
"Thank you, Zarich." My voice was steady, but there was no mistaking the raw emotion behind it. "For pulling me out when I couldn't save myself. And mostly, thank you, for agreeing to be an ally in this."
Zarich exhaled, his grip on the wheel tightening before he finally spoke.
"You don't owe me anything, Athena." His voice was low, edged with something unreadable. "But you do need to understand what you're stepping into."
I nodded, absorbing his words, letting them ground me in a reality I hadn't fully acknowledged until now.
"I honestly don't know where to go from here," I admitted, rubbing a hand on my forehead. "But I'll let you know if I remember anything useful. Maybe it could help Safyrr confirm who we're dealing with."
Zarich gave a slow nod, his gaze holding mine. "Do that."
He didn't say anything else, but he didn't need to.
The weight of the night sat heavy between us, unspoken but understood.
I reached for the door handle, pushing it open, the night air sharp against my skin.
The moment the car door shut, the soft rumble of the engine filled the silence, and Zarich pulled away.
I didn't turn back.
Instead, I faced the estate, knowing that the second I stepped inside, I would have to pretend. Pretend that tonight never happened. Pretend I didn't know what I knew now.
But I wasn't the same girl who had left this house earlier.
I wasn't completely in the dark anymore.
And now, whether I liked it or not, I had a role to play.
The house was silent as I stepped inside, the air thick with the stillness of a place that had already settled into the night.
It was past midnight.
Each step up the grand staircase felt heavier than the last, exhaustion dragging at my limbs. My body ached, the phantom touch of shadows still lingering against my skin.
But right now, I had one goal, to rid myself of the weight of the night, to wash away everything that had happened, even if I could never truly forget.
I pushed open my bedroom door, stepping inside before closing it softly behind me.
For some reason, the space I was so used to, felt foreign.
I exhaled sharply, crossing the room and reaching for the bottom zipper of my dress. But the moment I moved, a sharp sting rippled across my arms, where the angry red lashes still marred my skin.
I sucked in a breath, my fingers stilling.
I stepped toward the mirror, tilting my arm under the dim glow of my bedside lamp. My fingers traced over the jagged lines, feeling the rawness of the wounds, the ridges where they had been cut deep. They weren't just injuries, not mere remnants of pain, they were deliberate.
My pulse quickened as I studied them closer, my mind racing, grasping at something just out of reach.
A slow, sickening realization crept over me.
I stilled, my breath caught somewhere between dread and disbelief.
These weren't random wounds.
They were symbols.
My stomach dropped as I turned my arm, scanning each mark. Not just any symbols. Familiar ones.
I had seen them before.
Somewhere.
The thought struck like a whisper in the dark, a memory buried beneath layers of time, just beyond my grasp. I stepped back, my breath coming faster now, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
What had they done to me?
What had they left behind?
Left behind.
The words echoed in my mind, and with them came a sudden, violent collision of memory and realization.
I tore my gaze away, stripping off the dress and grabbing the first comfortable set of clothes I could find.
My mind racing too fast to keep up. My body moved on instinct, crossing the room and grabbing my Spectris and my journal from the desk.
I crawled onto my bed, flipping open my Spectris with a flick of my fingers. The cool glow of the screen illuminated the room, casting flickering shadows against the walls.
I had a feeling I wouldn't be sleeping much tonight.
A simple search among the endless data archives pulled up the answer I needed. My heart pounded harder as I scrolled through images, the Spectris casting a faint hum as it processed the results.
Then, I found it.
The picture was grainy but unmistakable, likely captured secretly by one of the Elite media outlets of Elarion. The scene was familiar yet foreign now, my pulse hammering as my eyes locked onto the symbols etched in the image.
I felt a cold wave of unease crash through me.
The marks left on my body matched the ones that had been left at Lara's birthday party.
I inhaled sharply, my grip tightening around the Spectris as the weight of another realization hit me.
My life had taken a sharp, unrelenting turn since that night.
What should have been an ordinary birthday celebration had become a starting point, a fracture in the illusion of normalcy.