The word Vessel slithered through the air like cold smoke.
Rayan's pulse quickened. Kael's hand drifted to the dagger at his waist, and Liora's gaze darted between the shadows.
"This place is warded," Kael whispered. "No one should be able to sneak in—"
A shelf three rows down rattled. A single book fell to the floor with a muffled thump.
Liora moved first, stepping silently toward the sound. Rayan followed despite the knot of dread tightening in his stomach.
They turned the corner—
Nothing.
Just a toppled book, pages splayed open.
Kael crouched to pick it up. "Looks like an ordinary—"
The pages shifted. Words rearranged themselves before their eyes, forming a single phrase in ink so black it seemed to sink into the paper:
The chains awaken.
The temperature dropped. Frost spread across the edges of the shelf, creeping toward the book.
Liora grabbed Rayan's wrist. "Drop it. Now."
Kael hesitated, then let the book fall. It hit the ground with a clap, and the frost instantly receded.
Before they could breathe, a shadow moved at the edge of their vision again — but this time, it wasn't trying to hide. It stood between the shelves, tall, hooded, and wrong. The darkness clung to it like water refusing to drip away.
The hood tilted toward Rayan.
"You are incomplete," it whispered.
Then it stepped back, melting into the rows of books — and was gone.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Finally, Liora broke the silence. "It knows what you are." She looked straight at Rayan. "And now… so do I."