"Some memories sleep like ashes until love breathes them back into flame."
The sound came from everywhere. A low hum that vibrated through the walls, the floor, even the air itself.
Elias stiffened beside me, his eyes narrowing as if he could see the sound.
"It's too soon," he muttered. "They shouldn't have found us yet."
"Who?" I asked, but the answer came before he could speak.
A sharp crack split the air. The lights burst, plunging the room into darkness. Sparks rained down like fireflies. The hum rose into a shriek.
Elias grabbed my wrist. "Move!"
We stumbled through the dark, past broken shelves and shattered glass. The door we'd entered through was glowing faintly pulsing with the same strange light that had appeared under Elias's skin earlier.
He reached for the handle, but before his fingers touched it, something slammed into the door from the outside. Metal bent inward with a deafening roar.
"They're here."
My pulse spiked. I didn't know who they were, but fear clawed its way up my throat.
Elias turned to me, his voice low but urgent. "Do not speak. Do not think. Whatever happens, stay behind me."
The air vibrated again. The smell of ozone filled the room sharp, electric, unnatural. And then the door gave way, crashing open with a blast of white light.
Figures stepped through the smoke. Three of them. Their faces hidden behind masks that glowed faintly blue.
Their eyes or maybe it was just the reflection of the light shone like glass.
"Return the vessel," one said. The voice echoed, layered, inhuman.
Elias stood tall, his hand raised slightly, fingers curling. I saw faint lines of light trace across his palm symbols, like ancient writing, moving under his skin.
"You're too late," he said. "The soul's anchored. You can't take him."
The leader tilted his head. "We can take the body."
Before I could react, the world exploded into motion.
Elias lunged forward, his arm slicing through the air. The lights flickered, and a burst of energy shot out from his hand invisible, but strong enough to throw one of the masked intruders against the wall.
The others retaliated instantly. One raised his hand, and a spear of light shot toward us. I barely had time to flinch before Elias yanked me down. The beam tore through the air where my head had been, searing the concrete behind us.
"Elias"
"Stay down!"
I did as he said, though my body trembled. The room shook again with another blast. The smell of burnt metal and rain mixed in the air.
When I finally dared to look up, Elias was bleeding a deep cut along his shoulder, glowing faintly like it wasn't blood at all but light leaking out of him.
He gritted his teeth and raised his hand again, muttering something under his breath words that didn't belong to this world. The air shimmered. The masked figures froze mid-step, like time itself had been trapped.
Then, with one last push, Elias slammed his hand to the ground. A wave of light erupted outward, shattering the floor beneath our feet.
The intruders vanished.
Silence fell heavy, absolute.
Only the rain remained.
Elias staggered, his knees hitting the ground. I rushed forward, catching him before he collapsed completely.
"Elias! You're bleeding"
He laughed softly, shaking his head. "It's… nothing. They'll be back."
"Then we have to get you to a hospital"
"No." His hand gripped mine, tight and warm. "No hospitals. No records. Promise me, Aiden."
I hesitated, but his eyes dark and sharp, even through pain left no room for argument.
"I promise."
He exhaled, the tension in his body easing just a little. Then he said something that made my stomach twist.
"They won't stop until they get you."
"Why? I don't even know who they are!"
He looked at me for a long time. "Because you're not supposed to exist."
The words hung between us. My heart pounded.
Elias touched my chest, just over where my heartbeat thudded. "This body belongs to Aiden Vale. But the soul inside it she broke the laws of death itself."
"Ariselle"
The name rolled off my tongue before I even realized I'd said it. It tasted familiar. Old.
Elias nodded slowly. "You remember."
Images flickered through my mind a battlefield drowned in fire, a man standing beside me with blood on his hands, a promise whispered in the dark.
If the world ends, I'll find you again.
But the face in the memory was the same as the one now kneeling before me. Elias.
I stumbled back, dizzy from the rush of emotion. "That's not possible."
He smiled faintly. "We've done the impossible before."
Something cracked inside me then not fear, but something dangerously close to longing.
I didn't know what scared me more: the idea that he was telling the truth, or that a part of me wanted it to be.
Outside, lightning flashed, illuminating his face for an instant pale, cold, and beautiful in a way that made my chest ache.
I crouched beside him again. "You said they'll be back. What do we do?"
His hand brushed against mine. "You run when I tell you. And if I don't come back…"
"Don't," I interrupted. "Don't say that."
He smiled a small, tragic curve of his lips. "Then promise me something else, Ariselle."
I froze. "What?"
"When this is over when you finally remember everything don't forgive me too easily."
Before I could answer, a thunderous crash echoed from above. Dust fell from the ceiling. The ground trembled.
Elias's eyes widened. "They've breached the seal."
And then, from the cracked ceiling, a shard of white light burst downward not lightning, not magic, but something older.
It hit Elias square in the chest.
His body jerked violently, his hand slipping from mine. For a moment, the world held its breath and then he fell.
"Elias!"
I caught him as he hit the floor, his breathing ragged, his skin unnaturally pale.
The rain outside grew louder, almost deafening.
He opened his eyes one last time, his voice barely a whisper. "Don't let them win this time."
And then the light in his eyes dimmed.
I screamed his name, shaking him, but there was no answer only the echo of my voice and the storm raging above.
Then, just as I thought the world had gone still, something inside me broke open.
The air shimmered. My veins burned.
And from deep within my chest, a faint golden light began to rise.