The storm came quietly at first. A low wind rolled through the streets, carrying dust and whispers. The sky turned gray again, heavy and slow, like it was waiting for something. By the time Taye, Nnena, and Lira reached the mainland bridge, the air had changed. The scent of rain mixed with smoke. Every sound felt sharper, the rustle of paper, the flap of broken signs, the hum of the city's pulse deep underground.
Taye stopped walking. "You feel that?"
Nnena frowned. "Yeah. Like thunder's breathing down our necks."
Lira looked up. "It's not thunder. It's him."
Taye knew what she meant. The shard in his hand pulsed, each beat faster than the last. He could almost hear words forming inside it not clear ones, just a deep call that pulled at his chest.
He took a slow breath. "He's getting closer."
Lira nodded. "The third gate woke him fully. Now, he's no longer just a memory. He's rising again."
They kept walking. The streets were emptier than before, but traces of life still lingered, a flickering light in a window, a radio playing static, clothes hanging from balconies where no one stood anymore. It was as if the city was half here, half somewhere else.
When they reached the middle of the bridge, the water below looked wrong. It wasn't moving. It just sat still, black and shining, like a mirror turned upside down.
Nnena leaned over the railing. "What's wrong with the lagoon?"
"It's listening," Lira said.
"Listening to what?"
"To him."
They crossed quickly and entered the mainland. The streets there were cracked, buildings tilted, but strange flowers had started to grow between the concrete silver petals that glowed faintly under the dim light. The air smelled sweeter, but heavy, almost like honey left too long in the sun.
Taye crouched beside one. "This wasn't here before."
Lira touched one of the petals. It folded in, like it recognized her. "These grow where the shadow touches the light. The veil's thinning faster than I thought."
Nnena sighed. "So what, we're walking through a magic garden now?"
Lira's face stayed serious. "No. A graveyard."
The ground rumbled slightly. Dust fell from the nearby buildings.
Taye stood quickly. "He's watching."
Lira's eyes glowed faintly. "Not just watching. Testing."
By nightfall, the sky had turned almost black, though no stars appeared. Instead, faint red lights flickered across the clouds like veins of fire. The shard in Taye's hand burned hot now, and his vision blurred every few minutes...flashes of red eyes, shadowed thrones, and the man with his face standing in endless sand.
They found a small house still standing and went inside. It was quiet except for the faint sound of dripping water. Nnena dropped her bag and collapsed on a dusty couch. "I'm done walking for the day. My legs feel like bricks."
Taye sat by the window, looking out at the glowing flowers swaying in the wind. Lira stood behind him, her voice calm but distant. "He's close now. Once he reaches full strength, every gate we sealed will start to shake again."
"So what do we do?" Nnena asked without opening her eyes.
"We reach the next one before he does," Lira said. "The fourth gate lies beneath the heart of the old city, the place where the first light fell. If he gets there first, everything we've done ends."
Taye turned to her. "How do we know where it is?"
Lira didn't answer right away. She touched her chest, right over her heart. "We'll know. It calls to the bearer."
Her gaze met Taye's, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.
The shard in his hand glowed again, faint white mixing with red. He looked down at it and whispered, "Then it's already calling."
They left before dawn. The air was thick, the sky pale gray. The city was quieter than ever, like it was holding its breath. As they walked, shadows moved in the corners not real people, but flickers, like echoes trying to take form.
Nnena tightened her grip on her gun. "If one of those things touches me, I swear I'm quitting."
Taye smiled faintly. "You've said that three times now."
"And I meant it all three times."
Lira said nothing. She walked ahead, her eyes glowing faintly. Each step she took left a small trace of gold light that faded slowly. It was faint, but it helped guide them through the fog.
The road led them toward the old cathedral,one of the few buildings still standing tall. Its doors were half broken, the stained glass shattered. The air around it buzzed softly.
Lira stopped. "Here."
"The gate's here?" Taye asked.
"Yes. Beneath it."
They entered the church. The air inside was cold and still. Rows of broken benches stretched toward the altar, and faint writing covered the walls. Most of the words had faded, but one line remained clear...
"Where the light first fell, darkness was born."
Nnena muttered, "That's not comforting."
Lira walked to the altar and knelt. She pressed her hand against the cracked marble, whispering words in a language neither of them knew. The ground trembled. The altar slid aside, revealing a staircase leading down into darkness.
"Of course," Nnena groaned. "More stairs."
"Stay close," Lira said. "The fourth gate doesn't like intruders."
They went down slowly. The deeper they got, the louder the hum became, low sound that seemed to come from inside their bones. The air smelled like metal and dust. The walls glowed faintly with the same runes they'd seen before.
At the bottom, they stepped into a wide hall filled with statues again, but these ones weren't kneeling. They stood tall, holding spears made of light.
Lira whispered, "The Keepers of Dawn."
Taye frowned. "They look alive."
"They are," she said. "Waiting."
As if on cue, one statue's eyes flickered open, glowing bright gold. Then another. Then all of them. The spears lifted, pointing straight at Taye.
"Okay," Nnena muttered. "That's new."
Lira stepped forward. "Wait! He carries both sides. He's the chosen bearer!"
But the statues didn't lower their spears. One of them spoke, its voice deep and layered, echoing off the walls.
"The bearer walks with shadow. The oath forbids his kind."
Taye took a step forward. "I didn't choose this."
"All who carry the shard choose. Light and shadow cannot share one heart."
He clenched his jaw. "Then I'll make them."
The shard flared in his hand. The light and red twisted, forming a single, steady glow....soft, not harsh. The statues paused, their eyes dimming slightly.
Lira whispered, "He's balancing it."
Nnena raised a brow. "Balancing what?"
"The light and the shadow," Lira said. "He's not fighting it anymore. He's letting both exist."
The statues lowered their spears slowly, then knelt. The air grew calm again.
"Then the bearer may pass."
A door behind them opened, flooding the hall with pale gold light.
Taye stepped through first.
The chamber beyond was small, circular, and bright. In the center stood a pedestal holding another sphere, this one half white, half red.
"The fourth fragment," Lira whispered.
As Taye approached, the shard in his hand vibrated harder. He felt a pull in his chest, strong enough to make him stop.
Then a voice filled the room.... deep, calm, and sad.
"Eran. You walk my path. You bear my curse."
Taye froze. The name again....Eran. The same one the shard had whispered before.
"Who are you?" he called.
The light shifted, forming a figure....tall, cloaked, eyes glowing gold and red.
"I am what remains of what you will become."
Lira stepped forward. "The Shadow Lord."
He looked at her, then at Taye. "Not yet. Not fully. The bearer still resists, but his heart grows tired."
"I'm not you," Taye said through clenched teeth.
"You will be. Each gate you seal feeds me. Each seal breaks the world's balance. When the last closes, I will rise...through you."
Lira shouted, "No!" and threw her blade. The light passed through him like smoke.
He smiled faintly. "You can't kill what's already inside him."
The shard in Taye's hand burned bright. The pain shot through his chest, sharp and deep. He fell to one knee.
"Embrace it," the Shadow Lord whispered. "Stop fighting what you are."
But then another voice rose... soft, like wind through trees.
"Don't listen."
Taye looked up. Lira was kneeling beside him, her hand over his. Her eyes glowed gold.
"You're stronger than him," she said. "The light chose you for a reason."
Taye gritted his teeth. The shard's glow wavered, red and white twisting, fighting, blending. His breath came hard. He thought of everything, the murders, the ruins, the gates, Nnena's laughter, Lira's eyes in the rain.
He slammed the shard into the pedestal.
Light exploded.
The Shadow Lord screamed, his form shattering like glass. The chamber trembled, dust raining from the ceiling.
When the light faded, the sphere was gone....absorbed into the shard. The glow steadied again, white and red now perfectly even.
Lira helped him up. "You did it."
Taye shook his head. "No. He's still here. I can feel him."
She nodded. "Yes. But now, he's part of you, not the other way around."
Nnena walked in, coughing. "Please tell me that was the last earthquake."
Taye managed a small smile. "Not yet."
Lira looked toward the faint light above. "One more gate left. The final one. The throne itself."
When they returned to the surface, the rain had started again, slow, heavy drops that hit the ground like heartbeats. The sky was darker, but the city lights flickered in strange patterns, like stars trapped in the streets.
Nnena pulled her jacket tight. "So after the last gate… what happens?"
Lira's voice was quiet. "Either the world resets… or burns."
Taye looked at the horizon, where the clouds twisted like smoke. The shard in his hand was warm now, not burning, just steady, like it had finally found balance.
He whispered, almost to himself, "Then we finish it."
Lightning flashed far away, lighting up the whole skyline for one breathless moment.
The storm had finally come home.
And this time, it spoke his name
To be continued.....