The campus quad was eerily quiet, save for the faint rustle of leaves in the early morning wind. Students lingered in clusters, whispering among themselves, but no one dared approach the epicenter of the strange incident. Liora and Seren moved cautiously, their footsteps echoing against the cobblestone paths.
"What happened?" Liora asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Seren's eyes flicked around, sharp and alert. "Not what… who," she corrected. "Someone's been erased."
Liora froze. The word made her stomach tighten. She had read about missing persons, cases that never seemed to make the news, but she had never imagined the sensation of erasure so close—so immediate.
A faint shimmer hovered over the empty space near the fountain. It was subtle, almost invisible, but Liora saw it: the flicker of a presence, a memory residue. A blurred outline of a young man, terrified, reaching for someone who wasn't there. Then he vanished, leaving only a ripple in the air.
Her pulse raced. "I… I see him," she whispered.
Seren's eyes widened. "I knew it. I've been hoping I'd find someone like you. Someone who sees beyond the veil. That's why I'm here."
Before Liora could respond, movement caught her eye. Aiden was approaching, his expression unreadable. He didn't speak at first, simply observing the shimmer in the fountain's empty space. Then his voice broke the silence, calm but commanding.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, and Liora recognized the same edge in his tone from the night she walked the city streets. "It's dangerous. These… echoes attract attention."
"Attention from who?" Liora asked, her curiosity overpowering her fear.
He looked at her, gray eyes stormy and unreadable. "From those who make sure the forgotten stay forgotten. And from those who profit from it."
Seren stepped forward, smirking. "Then I guess we're all in trouble together."
Liora swallowed hard. The air around the fountain seemed heavier now, as if the city itself had exhaled, warning her. She could feel the threads of memory stretching, connecting her to something vast and terrifying.
And yet, beneath the fear, a strange exhilaration pulsed. For the first time, she wasn't just witnessing the shadows of the forgotten she was becoming a part of the story they whispered.
Aiden's gaze softened, just slightly, as he glanced at her. "You're not like anyone I've met before. But if we're going to survive what's coming… I need you to trust me."
Liora's heart thudded painfully against her ribs. Trust. The word felt heavy, almost impossible. But as the echoes of the forgotten lingered in her mind, she knew she didn't have a choice.
The city had claimed the night, but for Liora Vale, the real darkness was only beginning.