Elixir’s POVThe walls creaked like they were alive. The old stone pressed around us, closing in. The air smelled rotten, thick enough to choke on with every shallow breath.I forced myself up, pressing my palm against the icy floor. My ribs hurt, and my mind fogged. I couldn’t break down now.Lucian stood a few feet away, sword ready, eyes fixed on the empty hallway. It looked empty, but it felt anything but.Veylan’s presence hung in the air, tightening around us like a noose.Ewen wiped blood from his forehead. “Tell me we’re not trapped.”Lucian didn’t say anything.Soren looked at me, his eyes sharp. “Elixir, you sensed it first. Does he have control here?”I swallowed hard. “Not just control. This place bends to him. He isn't just in the temple; he is the temple.”Lucian straightened. “Then we burn it down.”I wanted to believe it could be that simple. Destroy the place and watch Veylan’s hold crumble.But the temple was alive. It was tied to Veylan in ways we didn’t get.Ewen’s
Elixir’s POV The world imploded. Stone crumbled. The walls that once caged us turned to dust, sucked into the gaping void beyond. A force- ravenous, all-consuming- ripped through the ruins, swallowing the torches, the air, the very fabric of reality. I tumbled backward, my body weightless, plummeting into a darkness so absolute it devoured my breath. My scream never left my throat. Then- impact. A shockwave tore through me as I crashed onto an unseen surface. But it wasn’t stone. It wasn’t solid. It pulsed beneath me, a sick, shifting mass. Lucian landed beside me, his sword already drawn, his eyes scanning. Ewen and Soren weren’t here. Just the two of us. The space around us was vast yet suffocating, shifting in unnatural ways. Faint pulses of red light flickered in the air, illuminating the truth. We were standing on something alive. My stomach twisted. The ground beneath us slithered, a thick, pulsating mass of flesh and bone, stitched together by sinew. Faces
Lucian's POVLucian stood still. The darkness below stirred with each breath Elixir took. It felt like an old friend to her, wrapping around her like a loyal pet waiting for a command. His hands turned into fists. This felt wrong. Elixir had always been strong, but this- this was unnatural.Veylan thrashed against the shadowy tendrils holding him. He was halfway lost in the nothingness. His screams turned into something growly and animal-like. Every struggle made the shadows squeeze tighter, pulling away his life. The air was thick and heavy, almost like it was alive. “Elixir,” Lucian called, keeping his voice steady. “Let go.” Nothing happened. Her eyes, once filled with fire and defiance, now held an emptiness that sent a shiver down his spine. The glow around her hands pulsed, growing stronger, as if the abyss recognized her. As if it welcomed her.“Elixir,” he tried again, stepping closer. She took a slow breath, and the tendrils around Veylan squeezed tighter. A hor
Elixir’s POVThe ground opened up beneath me.One second, I was running. The next, I was falling into a dark pit. I barely had time to scream before the air rushed past me. I gasped for breath. I clawed at nothing, hoping for something to grab. But there was nothing. No ledge, no rope, no helping hands. Just empty darkness.The wind howled around me. Or was it something else? It felt alive, sliding through my hair and chilling my skin. It seemed to know who I was. It called my name in a mix of voices that wasn’t mine.I twisted in the air, heart racing and stomach churning. How long was I falling? Seconds? Minutes? Time felt strange, twisting around me.Then I hit something.It wasn’t the hard landing I expected. Instead, I landed on something soft. It felt like sinking into thick mud. I gasped, forcing my body to move.My hands pressed into the surface. It was warm and pulsing.I jerked my hands back. Panic shot through me.This wasn’t stone or dirt. This was flesh.The thought mad
Elixir's POVThe air got really cold. I touched Lucian's hand. But just as I grabbed his wrist, that old, decayed hand pulled him into the darkness.“No!” I screamed, my voice echoing in the crumbling room. I lunged forward, but the darkness swallowed him whole. The walls around me twisted, like they were alive and eating my hope. The floor cracked beneath me.Lucian was gone.Soren and Ewen struggled to keep their balance on the shifting ground. The whole temple shook, like a big animal waking up. When Veylan disappeared, it felt like the place was deciding our fate.“Where is he?” Ewen shouted, panic in his voice. “Where the hell is Lucian?”I had no answer. My hands shook, stretching out to where he used to be. I knew something dark was watching me. I could almost feel it lurking.“We need to go!” Soren cursed. “Before this place crushes us!”The temple groaned, the floor splitting wider. My heart raced. I wanted to jump into the dark and save Lucian, but Soren pulled me back.“Eli
Lucian's POVLucian breathed sharply, his fingers gripping his sword tightly. The cold air in the old temple was thick with dust and decay. Elixir was next to him, her face serious. The weight of their fight still showed in her eyes. Her heart raced, but she stood tall, not showing any fear. Soren struggled to rise from the rubble, wincing as he held his side. Blood stained his fingers. “That guy isn’t dead,” he muttered, scanning the dark corners. “I can feel it.” Ewen, barely keeping his balance, nodded. “He’s watching us.” Lucian didn’t need to say anything. He already knew. The air felt heavy like it was waiting for something. Veylan was still alive. The cut Lucian had made showed that the creature could bleed, but that didn’t mean he would die. The temple groaned, the stones shifting. It wasn’t just a battleground; it felt like a grave waiting for someone. Elixir stepped forward. “We’ve got to go. If this place falls again, we won’t survive.” Lucian looked at her, knowing
Elixir's POVLucian’s fingers shook on the handle of his sword. But he forced himself to stay calm. The moment felt heavy, like a big rock pressing on his chest. It was suffocating. Out of nowhere, his past came back, smirking at him. Its eyes looked like burning gold.You can't be here, Lucian cried out, his voice barely a whisper.The man stepped forward, slow and steady. He moved like someone who had never felt fear. And yet, here I am.Elixir’s breath caught in her throat as she took in the stranger. She didn't know him, but Lucian did. He stood stiff, his face pale in the dim torchlight.Lucian, she said softly, feeling nervous. Who is he?Lucian didn’t respond. His throat felt tight. Memories flashed in his mind, sharp and painful. He pictured blood on the stone. Screams mixing with the night air. A shadow at the end of a long hall, whispering his name.The man tilted his head, amusement shining in his golden eyes. Still quiet, just like before. His voice was smooth, almost swee
Elixir's POVElixir was breathing fast. Her heart raced as she felt the air around her. It was thick and heavy, as if something was watching her. In front of her stood a golden throne. It shined brightly even in the dim light of the torches flickering around the room. The throne seemed to call to her. Not in words. Not in whispers. But in a way that pulled at her inner self.She moved forward cautiously. Her boots barely made a sound on the shiny black stone floor. As soon as her fingers touched the arm of the throne, flames burst to life on the walls. A strange orange glow filled the room.Then she saw her.Sitting on the throne was someone who looked just like her. But it wasn’t a reflection. No, it was another Elixir.This doppelganger looked similar, but there was something off about her. She sat still and seemed to command the space around her. Her eyes were a bright gold that almost looked like they were burning. A smug smile played on her lips, as if she’d been waiting for this
Elixir's POVIt was dark all around me - not just dark, but like being stuck in thick mud. Each breath felt like trying to suck air through a straw, and my lungs were screaming. The darkness felt alive, sucking the air right out of me.This can't be real. Please, no.But then I saw it. Standing right there in front of me was a figure with my dad's face. It was him, no question.Think you could just get rid of me by dying, huh? The voice was soft, but it cut like ice, wrapping around me like smoke.I couldn't stop shaking. My heart was going crazy, banging against my ribs. You're not him, I choked out, my voice shaky. He's gone.His face twisted into a slow, mean smile, and his eyes... they were totally empty. The kind, warm light that always showed on his face was nowhere to be found. Really? he whispered, taking a step closer. Or are you just now finding out the truth?I stumbled back, every part of me screaming to run. But my feet were stuck, frozen in place. The air felt heavy, and
Elixir’s POVThe instant I walked into the war room, the heavy quiet hit me, like the air before a thunderstorm. The fire in the fireplace was jumping, casting freaky shadows on the stone walls. Lucian, Soren, and Ewen were standing around the table, looking super serious. Maps and scrolls were all over the place, but they weren't looking at them. They were staring at me.I swallowed hard. What's up?Lucian's jaw tightened. His dark eyes locked on mine, giving me the chills. Another attack happened. Not by those rogue guys this time. By something else.My stomach did a flip. Something else?Ewen crossed his arms, looking grim. Wraiths. More of them than before. And this time, they didn't just attack— He let out a sharp breath. They left a message.Soren slid a piece of parchment across the table to me. My hands were shaking as I picked it up. I gasped when I read the messy, scrawled words:Give back what you took, or we'll take her instead.My blood turned to ice. What was taken? I as
Elixir's POVEverything around me shakes crazily. Light and dark twist together, fighting each other. The air is heavy with so much power that I can feel it pushing on my skin and getting into my bones.Soren is next to me, not backing down, every muscle tense. The gold figures stand there, their empty eyes staring at me like they're waiting for something.I grab my chest, breathing hard. The power under my skin feels alive. It squirms; it needs something.You have to pick, the woman who looks just like me whispers.My head became heavier. I know that the second I walk toward her, toward that gold place, there's no turning back. I'll become something scary or maybe unpredictable. Something not connected to the world I fought so hard for anymore.But if I stay… and I fight… I don't even know if I can make it through this. A scream cuts through the air. Soren jumps, quickly turning his head toward the sound. My stomach dropped.That voice, I know that voice.Lucian.The air shifts al
Elixir’s ViewWe're falling, It feels like it's never going to end, like the void swallowed has us whole. Everything just poof disappeared. The shiny gold people, the super bright light, even the little voices from that weird world I never belonged to. Gone.I can't even scream or take a proper breath.The only thing keeping me together is Soren holding onto me like crazy. His fingers are digging into my wrist, and he’s squeezing so hard. I can feel his arm shaking like he’s putting every ounce of strength into keeping me from falling into this dark pit.But it's probably not even enough.This dark pull is way stronger than I thought. For a split second, my heart drops because his grip goes a little loose.Oh no.I freak out and grab his arm with my free hand, digging my nails into his skin.Hold on! He manages to yell, but the wind is so loud I can barely hear him.I feel myself losing it.This unseen thing is dragging me down with no mercy.If I let go now, I'm never coming back.I
Elixir’s POVThe area between the gold statues and Soren feels like a tense standoff—quiet but about to blow. You could cut the tension with a knife.My heart's hammering in my chest like crazy, warning me. I try to move, to get away from whatever's holding me here, but I can't. The gold woman—the one who looks just like me—is staring at me blankly.You don't get it yet, she says, her voice smooth. But you will.I feel a weird tingle under my skin when she says that, like I should know her. But I don't. And I don't want to.I don't belong here.Soren takes another step, and the darkness around him looks like armor. His face is set, and you can't read what he's thinking, but I can feel him. He's ticked off but determined.I said, let her go, he says, his voice sharp.The gold figures don't move, and their presence just crowds the space, makes it hard to breathe. They aren't scared of him. But they should be.A low hum vibrates through the place, making my skin crawl. It's not a languag
Elixir’s POVThe second my foot touched that bright ground, everything flipped. I felt this jolt of something old shoot right through me, something that felt like it shouldn't even exist. It was just raw force. No holding back. It didn't just hang around inside me; it took over, like this thing that had been waiting for me to come back finally had what it wanted.I tried to catch my breath, but the air was thick with voices. They weren't far off anymore; they were right there, all around me, speaking some language I couldn't make out. And yet, somehow, I knew what they were saying.Welcome home.My body felt like it weighed nothing, but at the same time, I felt this pressure, like a thousand lives were pushing in on me. Then came this wave of images, none of them mine. They flashed by so fast I could hardly make them out.I saw this seat made out of bone, empty.There was this battle, all fire and shadow. A whole place in trouble, begging for someone to save it.And a lady who never
The Last Question If you were me, would you fight to live? Or would you let fate claim you? I never thought I would ask myself this. I always believed that life, no matter how difficult, was something worth holding onto. But now, standing at the edge of everything I’ve ever known, I am not sure. The woman who wears my face stands before me. She is not a shadow anymore. She is real with flesh and bone. Eyes that mirror my own, yet they do not belong to me. The whispers have gone silent. The village is still. Everyone is watching, but no one dares to speak. "It’s time," she says again, her voice calm. Certain. I feel the weight of her words pressing against my chest, heavy and suffocating. "What do you want from me?" My voice hardly went above a whisper. She lifted her head, considering me. "I want what was always meant to be. For you to accept the truth." "And what is that?" She takes a step forward. I do not move. "You were never meant to stay here," she says
Entry Six – The Choice That Will End Everything I stand in the center of the village square, the burned symbol beneath my feet still pulsing with an unseen force. The whispers have stopped, but their silence is heavier than their words ever were. But I do not move. Because this moment was always meant to come. The ground beneath me hums, the burned symbol searing against the soles of my feet. I try to ignore the way it pulses, a slow, steady heartbeat that is not my own. And then, there is her. My shadow, My twin, My fate. She stands at the edge of the circle, the torches casting flickering light across her face. She looks like me, but she is not me. She is something else, something older, something endless. "You hesitate," she says, her voice smooth as silk, as cold as the grave. I swallow hard. "I don’t know what I’m supposed to do." She tilts her head, dark hair falling over her shoulder. "You already know." I clench my fists. "Stop saying that." She smiles, a s
Entry Five – The Shadows That Speak My Name The whispers never stop. At first, they came only at night, slipping into my dreams like a cold breath against my skin. I could push them away and then, dismiss them as nightmares, as tricks of my weary mind. But they are not nightmares. They are not tricks. Now, they follow me everywhere. I hear them in the rustling of the trees when the wind is still. I hear them in the crackling of the fire when no one is near. I hear them in the silence, in the spaces between each heartbeat, growing louder, more insistent. They do not scream, they do not beg, they whisper. Soft, Constant and Unrelenting. Elixir!!!.A name I have known all my life, yet it feels foreign when they speak it. I do not answer; I do not dare. Because I know the moment I do, everything will change. The Shadows in the FireI keep myself busy, trying to silence them. The village is awake long before the sun rises, and I force myself into the rhythm of daily li