They're coming back.The cult???
I looked around frantically, then spotted a closet and ducked inside, quietly closing the door behind me. My hand went over my mouth as I tried to calm my ragged breathing.
Voices entered the room.
Someone already attacked them, one said, low and serious
I peeked through the crack. The man speaking had a blue glowing crystal affixed to his belt, pulsing with faint light. He radiated power.
Then his eyes locked on the closet.
No… please don't see me.
He raised a hand and pointed.
Another figure stepped forward, yanked the closet door open, and raised a stick ?!? wand directly at my face.
Who are you? he barked. I'm sure you're one of them. Talk. Now. Or I'll burn your face off.
I could see the suspicion in his eyes piercings glinting in the light and his tone made my stomach knot.
Wait! I'm not one of them! I shouted, throwing my hands up. I don't want any trouble!
I don't believe you, he growled, raising the wand higher.
Just before he could strike, another man stepped in.
Stand down, Zuriel, the newcomer said calmly. I don't think she's one of them.
Zuriel lowered his wand, still glaring at me.
I apologize for my pupil, the man said, turning to me with a gentler tone.
He's… understandably distrustful. You can't really blame him.
He stepped closer and extended a hand. I'm Nathaniel.
I'm Gehan, I said, cautiously shaking it.
He was the polar opposite of the chaos around us. His blue robes looked like frozen waves, etched with white patterns that seemed to shift as he moved. He wore thin, round glasses and me . He looked more like a calm librarian than a man who just broke a curse.
Then there was the other one.
Zuriel just stood there, arms locked tight over this loud, red crop top covered in orange flame prints.
He had a black undershirt on beneath it, which made the fire patterns look almost like they were moving.
Between the spiked blonde hair with that weird teal streak at the front and the silver glinting off his ear piercings and lip ring, he didn't look like any hero I'd ever imagined.
He looked like a rebel waiting for an excuse to start a fight.
He studied me for a moment and nodded. Looks like you were abducted. Based on your aura, you're… unique. No wonder they targeted you.
What the hell does that mean, Aura? I silently asked myself. I exhaled, rubbing my temples. Can you help me get home? Please. I've had enough adventure for one day.
Nathaniel's lips curved into a half-smile. We can help you but it's not that simple. There's a mark on your palm. A tracker. They put it there so they can follow you. Only a trained mages or sorcerer can remove it.
I looked at my hand, feeling a faint tingling under the skin.
You guys are sorcerers, right? Can't you just take it off?
I could, Nathaniel said, but you should come with us tomorrow. If you leave now, they'll find you again. And next time… you might not be so lucky.
I can't break that seal here, he added, examining my palm. I need to study it first. Make sure it won't harm you. Come with us, Gehan. Maybe you'll find out why they took you in the first place.
Why do these things always happen to me? I thought silently.
Okay, I said finally. I'll come with you.
Zuriel tugged at Nathaniel's sleeve, his voice a sharp, urgent whisper. "Are you crazy, Master? What if this thing is a spy? We can't just expose the hideout to a stranger."
I raised an eyebrow, not even trying to hide my annoyance. You know I'm standing right here, right?
Zuriel blinked, then a sneer curled his lip where that silver ring sat.
You're pretty rude, I snapped at him. Calling me a "thing" like I'm a piece of furniture.'
Zuriel just let out a dry tch and actually laughed, like he enjoyed the friction.
I'll say it to your face you're weird, I shot back, my voice steady despite the chaos in my head.
'You've got this strange energy I can't even put a name to. That makes you dangerous.
I jabbed a finger toward Zuriel. He didn't even look guilty; instead, a smirk grew on his face like he was getting a real kick out of pissing me off.
Hey!! he snapped at me, his eyes sparking. Don't go pointing fingers at me.
You're the one waving a stick around like a madman, I cut him off, eyeing his wand. Thinking fire is just going to burst out of it.
Before he could snap back, Nathaniel reached over and pinched Zuriel's ear, hard.
Before he could argue, Nathaniel reached over and pinched Zuriel's ear hard.
Ow! Master! Zuriel yelped.
Nathaniel smirked, letting go. You need manners, Zuriel. Remember, we can't condemn someone just because they're different.
I couldn't help but grin. So, if you're going to keep me, sir Nathaniel, you might as well blindfold me now.
Nathaniel chuckled softly. You're funny, aren't you?
I shrugged. I don't have to be. I just… have a feeling I can trust you.
There was something about him
calm, confident, steady. Still, I reminded myself: don't trust anyone too quickly.
But… I'll come with you, I said, finally. I need your help. It's safer than going back alone. They could find me again, and there might be more of them here.
Zuriel scowled, clearly irritated. Turning his back, he muttered, Now we have another problem.
As we descended the stairs, sudden footsteps echoed around us. We froze, alert.
But no one appeared.
Are there ghosts in this place? I asked nervously.
Zuriel rolled his eyes. I don't care about ghosts. This is magic. Something else.
Wait, he added, voice tense, who's there?
Nathaniel's expression grew serious. Shadow people. Guardians of this place. We have to keep moving but it feels like we're going nowhere.
Exhausted, I sank onto the edge of the steps and pulled out my inhaler.
I'm tired of running.
I believe someone cast a spell to trap us here,Nathaniel said grimly.
If we're locked in, Zuriel should search for any sigils, and I'll try to connect with the others if our communication devices still work.
I wondered silently, If we're trapped here, how did Nikolai get out?
Before I could ask, Zuriel cut me off.
Master, he said, scanning the floor, this is a high-level sigil. It's perfectly designed, but I think it's pointing us somewhere… though it might be a trap.
Nathaniel frowned. I can't reach our team. We have no choice but to follow wherever this leads.
What if someone's waiting to kill us? I asked, panic creeping in.
Zuriel smirked. Well, I bet you'll be the first to die.
Nathaniel tapped Zuriel's head lightly. Stop teasing her.
He turned to me. We don't have much choice, Gehan. I could try breaking the seal now, but it would drain all my energy. Without enough mana to protect us, they'd have an even better chance of destroying us.
Our best bet is to figure out who created this sigil and stop them, Nathaniel continued. We don't know how many enemies there are. Destroying this barrier could trigger an explosion and leave us vulnerable. We have to move."
He looked at me. Can you walk?
I nodded. Yes. I can.
Following the sigils, we moved cautiously. Shadows flickered along the walls, shapes seeming to watch us.
The air was thick, heavy, and unsettling.
At a large door, I hesitated before opening it.
Inside lay a massive book so enormous I wondered how anyone could carry it.
Inside lay a massive book so enormous I wondered how anyone could even lift it, let alone carry it.
It didn't look like it was made of leather or paper. The cover was a heavy, hammered gold that seemed to hum under my fingertips. It wasn't the shiny gold you see in a jewelry store; it was a deep, ancient brassy color that looked... wrong. Like the metal had been forged in a fire that didn't exist on our periodic table.
It looked completely out of this world, sitting there with a weight that felt like it was pinning the very air down.
That book belongs to the Nephilim,
Nathaniel whispered, his voice thick with awe. Passed down through generations of blood and---
C-crack.
The ceiling groaned. A massive stone slab slammed into the floor just inches from us. Dust exploded into the air, and I felt my throat seize up instantly. Not now, I prayed, reaching for my pocket. I can't have an attack now.
We're going to be buried alive! Zuriel screamed, his mask slipping as he panicked.
Nathaniel was frantically searching the walls for a hidden latch, but I couldn't move. My eyes were locked on that book. I didn't think. I didn't plan. I just... felt a pull in my gut, like a hook catching on my ribs.
A voice whispered in the back of my mind. Reach.
It wasn't mine, but it sounded exactly like me—only colder, ancient, like the sound was echoing up from the bottom of a deep, dark well.
I didn't decide to move. My hand just... stretched out.
The iron chains holding the book didn't just break; they snapped like dry straw caught in a gale. The massive book flew across the room, shrinking as it moved through the air until it slammed into my palms. It hit with a heavy, warm thud that sent a stinging shockwave straight up my bone.
My fingers moved on their own, frantic and possessed, flipping through the old pages until they landed on a sigil that pulsed with a violent, electric blue light. I didn't recognize a single letter of that language, but my tongue felt thick and heavy with the words anyway.
I screamed the spell. I didn't want to. I didn't even know what I was saying. It just had to come out of me or I felt like I would burst.
The blue light exploded, shattering the barrier holding the house captive like a hammer through glass.
We need to hurry! I urged.
We raced toward the door, walls shaking, debris tumbling around us.
Nathaniel's eyes narrowed. How did you make the book work? It's sealed with magic and chains. You didn't even cast a spell.
I… I don't know, I said, still trying to catch my breath. I just… heard something in my head. A voice. Calm, but urgent. It told me to reach out and then it… it just flew into my hand.
The book felt warm, almost alive, as if it recognized me. My fingers tingled, and for a brief moment, I could almost see flashes of memory holding the book before, reading the words, feeling the power pulse under my skin.
But before I could understand any of it, the gold started to rot.
The bright, celestial metal curdled into a deep, bruised black that looked more like dead skin than gold. Then, the center of the cover split open with a wet, sickening tear. A massive red eye bulged out from the darkness, lidless and bloodshot, staring straight into me.
Thick, dark blood began to seep from the edges of the pages, staining my hands. It felt hot too hot.
Then, a swirl of light and suffocating shadow lingered where the book had been, fading away like the last, ragged breath of something ancient.
It was gone. Just like that.
I stumbled back, heart racing.
What just happened?
I pressed a hand to my chest. I wasn't sure if I'd moved the book or if it had moved itself. Either way, it felt… personal. Almost like it knew me.
I glanced at Nathaniel, his calm expression doing nothing to ease the questions racing through my head. My mind buzzed with possibilities, but also with a strange, uneasy certainty, this book, this magic it's not random. It chose me.
It's always something with me, isn't it? I thought, a shiver running down my spine. Everything I've survived, every impossible thing I've touched… it all leads to this.
I shook my head, trying to steady myself. I don't know why it chose me or if I'm ready for what's next but somehow… I have to find out.
Somehow, I have to survive.
This isn't the first strange thing to happen to me, I thought, glancing at Nathaniel. Maybe I should tell him.