Chapter Five – The Shadow That Remembers
Aren stared at Lysa, her heartbeat echoing in her ears.
"Kill me?" she repeated. "Why? I didn't even want this thing!" She lifted the case helplessly. "It literally dropped into my work shift!"
Riven stepped between her and Lysa. "She's not ready."
"She doesn't have to be ready," Lysa replied. "She just has to stay alive."
She eyed the case with a mixture of caution and fear. "And that won't be easy."
The forest wind changed — a sudden, chilling ripple that made the leaves tremble.
Lysa lowered her voice. "We need shelter before nightfall."
"Why?" Aren asked.
Riven answered, eyes scanning the trees. "Because down here, the nights move."
Aren blinked. "…the nights move?"
Lysa turned away, already heading deeper into the forest. "You'll see."
Riven gestured for Aren to follow. "Come on. Before the shadows wake."
The shadows?
Aren tightened her grip on the case.
She didn't like any of this.
---
They walked for what felt like hours, though the sun barely shifted overhead. The lower world's daylight had a strange quality — thicker, golden, like it didn't want to fade.
Riven moved like a ghost between the trees. Lysa walked ahead with purpose, her bone staff glowing faintly. Aren stumbled through roots and unfamiliar plants, trying to keep up.
At last, a structure appeared.
A ruined tower, half-swallowed by vines. Cracked stone walls rose at odd angles, but the interior looked stable enough.
"This is where we rest," Lysa said.
Aren stepped inside, both relieved and uneasy. The place felt ancient. The floor was covered in moss, and carvings lined the walls — symbols she didn't recognize.
But one symbol appeared again and again.
A circle.
With a shadow inside.
A shadow shaped… almost like a person.
Aren shivered. "Okay. That's creepy."
Lysa began scattering dust-like powder around the entrance. "These markings are older than Solis itself."
Riven crouched near Aren, studying one of the carvings. "This tower belonged to the People of the First Light."
"Who?" Aren asked.
Lysa answered without looking up. "The civilization that existed before the sky broke. Before Solis. Before the divide."
Riven touched the carving with a gloved hand. "Before the shadow."
Aren backed up. "You two are talking like I'm supposed to understand this."
Lysa finally looked at her — really looked at her.
"You are," she said softly.
Aren's stomach tightened. "Well, I don't. So maybe one of you could start explaining why every machine, masked man, and exploding firefly wants me dead."
Lysa and Riven exchanged a glance — a long, heavy one.
Riven sighed. "Aren… the thing inside that case—"
A tremor cut him off.
The tower shuddered.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
A low hum rose from outside — deep, vibrating, like the growl of something impossibly large.
Aren froze. "What was that?"
Lysa's expression darkened. "Nightfall."
"But it's not even dark yet!"
"It doesn't matter," Riven said, grabbing her arm. "The nights move, remember? They're early today."
The humming grew louder. Closer.
Lights flickered between the trees — not mechanical lights. These were soft, drifting… like floating embers of darkness.
Shadows detached from the forest floor.
They rose.
They stretched.
They breathed.
Aren felt her blood freeze.
"What—"
Lysa thrust her staff into the ground. A protective ring of pale flame ignited around the tower, but even the flames wavered in fear.
"Aren Kai," Lysa said urgently, "open the case."
Aren whipped around. "You told me NOT to open it!"
"We no longer have a choice!"
"But—"
Riven's voice cut through the rising fear.
"Aren," he said, calm but desperate, "if the moving night reaches us, none of us will survive. Open it."
Outside, the shadows were gathering — forming shapes. Limbs. Heads. Empty eyes.
Aren swallowed hard, hands trembling.
She lifted the case.
The latches clicked open.
A whisper escaped — loud this time, echoing through the ruined tower.
"Welcome back… Aren Kai."
The lid rose on its own.
And the shadow inside opened its eyes.