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Chapter 16 - Chapter 15 – The Eyes in the Fog

The fog rolled in thick and heavy, swallowing the streets until even the nearest lampposts disappeared into pale gray.

It was the kind of fog that muffled sound, that made the world feel smaller, closer, more dangerous.

Aiden walked beside Elias, their steps silent on the wet pavement.

The city around them had gone still, the usual hum of traffic and chatter replaced by something else.

Something breathing.

He stopped suddenly.

"Did you hear that?"

Elias's hand was already on his sword. His eyes scanned the shifting mist, sharp and alert.

"Stay close."

Aiden nodded, though his heart was already racing.

From within the fog came faint whispers, overlapping like the sound of a thousand prayers.

Then, between them, a pair of eyes appeared.

Silver.

Unblinking.

Inhuman.

Aiden froze. "Elias…"

"I see it."

The fog began to move, not with the wind, but with purpose. It circled them slowly, forming shapes humanoid, but hollow, their bodies made of vapor and shadow.

"What are they?" Aiden asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Elias drew his blade. "Watchers."

The first shape lunged forward. Elias met it in a single strike. The blade cut through it, scattering its form into mist again.

But two more appeared. Then five. Then ten.

Aiden stepped back, his breath shaking. "There's too many."

"Run!" Elias shouted.

They sprinted through the fog, turning down empty streets, their footsteps echoing like ghosts.

But the mist followed, flowing like water, whispering with the voices of the dead.

We see you.

We remember you.

We were your soldiers once.

Aiden's chest burned. He could hear the truth in their words.

They weren't monsters. They were remnants of the past souls from the war long ago, bound to his magic.

He stumbled, falling to his knees. The fog wrapped around him like a living thing, cold and heavy.

"Stop! Please, I didn't mean to leave you behind!"

The mist hesitated. For a brief second, the whispering ceased.

Elias turned, cutting through the fog with another swing. "Aiden, get up!"

But before Aiden could move, a voice cut through the air deep, calm, and strangely familiar.

"That's enough."

The fog parted.

A figure stepped forward.

He was tall, wrapped in a dark coat that seemed untouched by the damp air. His eyes glowed faintly blue beneath the hood, and when he smiled, Aiden felt something stir deep inside him a memory that wasn't his.

The man looked at Elias first.

"You still wield her curse," he said softly. "Even after all this time."

Elias's blade lifted an inch. "Who are you?"

The stranger ignored him and turned to Aiden instead.

"I've waited centuries to see those eyes open again."

Aiden took a step back. "Do I… know you?"

The man's smile deepened, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"You once called me brother."

Elias moved instantly, placing himself between them. "Don't come any closer."

The man didn't flinch. His gaze lingered on Elias for a heartbeat, then softened in something like pity.

"You still think you can protect her, don't you? Even now, when you don't understand who she truly is."

"Say another word," Elias growled, "and I'll end you."

But the man simply chuckled. "End me? You already tried. You failed then, too."

Aiden's pulse thundered in his ears. The word brother echoed through his mind, stirring flashes of another lifetime white walls, a burning crown, a blade drenched in light.

And a boy's voice calling out her name as the world fell apart.

He swayed on his feet, dizzy from the rush of images.

The man reached out his hand gently. "Come with me, Ariselle. Before he kills you again."

Elias lunged forward, but the fog exploded between them.

When it cleared, the stranger was gone. Only his voice lingered in the air, fading into the mist.

The past always finds its way home.

Aiden stood trembling, staring at where the man had stood.

"Brother…" he whispered.

Elias lowered his sword, his expression torn between anger and confusion.

"We're not safe here anymore."

Aiden nodded weakly.

But deep inside, something ancient had begun to awaken again something that recognized that voice, that name, that promise.

And the fog whispered softly as they disappeared into the dawn.

Welcome back, Flame of Heaven.

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