Elixir's POVThe rogueâs lifeless body lay sprawled on the floor, its twisted form illuminated by the pale moonlight filtering through the shattered window. My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath, the faint hum of the bond still buzzing in the back of my mind. What had I done? The others were still staring at meâLucian, Soren, and Ewenâall three with expressions that I couldnât quite decipher. Awe? Fear? Suspicion? I wasnât sure, but the weight of their gazes pressed against me like a physical force. Lucian was the first to break the silence, walking toward me with slow, measured strides. âElixirâĶ What was that?â His voice was firm, but there was an edge about it that made me pull away âIâI donât know,â I stammered, my voice trembling. âIt justâĶ happened. I didnât mean toââ âYou saved us,â Soren cut in, his tone softer but no less intense. His blue eyes searched mine as if trying to piece together a puzzle. âBut that wasnât just the bond. That was something else entirely
Elixir's POVThe moon hung heavy and low in the sky as I stumbled back into the manor, the eerie silence wrapping around me like a second skin. Every shadow in the hallway felt alive, each creak of the wooden floor beneath my feet echoed like a gunshot. My heart raced as the weight of everything Lucian had said lingered in my chest. Who was trying to kill me? The question gnawed at the edges of my mind, demanding answers I didnât have. Iâd only just begun to understand the prophecy, my role, and the bond I now shared with Lucian, Soren, and Ewen. But this? This was something else entirely. The faint glow of candlelight spilled from the open door of the sitting room. My breath hitched when I heard voicesâlow, urgent, and filled with tension. I pressed my back to the wall, inching closer to the doorway to listen. âSheâs not ready for this,â Sorenâs voice was firm, yet there was a rare note of worry laced in his words. âWe should have waited. The bond isnât strong enough to prote
Elixir's POVThe slight rustle of leaves was the only sound accompanying the nightâs quiet. As I stood at the edge of the clearing, the moonlight appeared dimmer, as though the skies themselves were holding their breath. My heart raced, pounding loudly in my chest, drowning out any coherent thought. Whatever comfort I had found in the presence of Lucian, Soren, and Ewen was now overshadowed by the storm brewing within me.It all felt wrong. The ceremony, the bond, the sudden shifts in their behavior since that night. Something was amiss, and I couldnât shake the suffocating sensation clawing at my gut.Lucian appeared first, his tall figure emerging from the shadows like a phantom. His dark eyes locked onto mine, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I saw somethingâfear? Guilt? Whatever it was, he quickly masked it with his usual stoic demeanor.âYou shouldnât be here, Elixir,â he said, his voice low but firm. âItâs not safe.ââAnd yet, here you are,â I shot back, crossing my arms. âD
Elixirâs POVThe heavy silence stretched across the dimly lit hallway, only broken by the soft creak of the wooden floor beneath my feet. My breath hitched, and I pressed my back against the cold wall. The faint glow of moonlight seeped through a crack in the door ahead, casting elongated shadows that danced eerily in the corridor.Something was wrong. A deep worry twisted in my stomach.âStay close,â Lucian's voice came from behind me. He sounded calm, his tone low and commanding. Despite his calm demeanor, there was a slight edge to it that mirrored the unease growing in my chest.I nodded without looking back. My pulse pounded in my ears, and my hands trembled as I gripped the dagger Ewen had handed me earlier. Its weight felt unfamiliar in my palm, but tonight, it was my lifeline.Sorenâs sharp eyes scanned the hallway. âWe shouldnât have left her alone,â he muttered, sounding frustrated. âThis is risky.âEwen, who had been quiet, finally spoke. âShe insisted. You know how stubbor
Elixirâs POVThe air felt heavy with an unspoken tension as I stared at the faintly glowing rune carved into my wrist. Its silver hue pulsed gently, like a heartbeat tied to something far beyond my understanding. Despite the comforting warmth it brought, my instincts whispered that something was wrong.âElixir, are you okay?â Lucian asked. His dark eyes studied mine. I could hear the uncertainty in his voice. That wasnât like him and it made my stomach churn more.âIâm fine,â I said, forcing a smile. It was weak. Deep down, I knew I wasnât fine. The ceremony felt unfinished. We had opened a door meant to stay closed.We were all gathered around a big oak table in the dim war room. Maps and old scrolls were spread out, lit by candlelight. Shadows flickered on the walls, making the place feel tight and small.âThe seerâs prophecy didnât prepare us forâĶ this,â Ewen muttered, his fingers tapping an uneven rhythm against the tableâs edge. His usual calm demeanor seemed fractured, a rare cr
Elixirâs POVThe icy air clung to my skin as we returned to the house, silence stretching like a taut thread between us. Every step felt heavier, my mind swirling with the cryptic message whispered by the shadows: âBeware the false bond. The true queen has yet to rise.âWhat did it mean? The bond, the prophecy, my place in all of this felt like a cruel game, one I didnât know the rules to. As we stepped into the dimly lit war room, Lucian was the first to speak. His sharp voice cut through the stillness: âWe need answers now.â Sorenâs usual calm was fraying at the edges. âFrom who? The seer? Sheâs as cryptic as the shadows themselves.â Ewen crossed his arms, his jaw tight. âWeâre not going to find answers by snapping at each other.â I stayed silent, my fingers brushing the faintly glowing rune on my wrist. It pulsed softly, a quiet reminder of the bond that now felt more like a chain. My gaze flickered to Lucian. âYouâve been keeping things from me. What else do you know?â L
Elixirâs POVAs I took an awkward step forward, the world around me appeared to blur. My breath caught in my throat. The truth had been directly in front of me, but it had stayed elusiveâobscured by veils of half-truths and secrets. Now, in the thick of it all, I couldn't tell if I was more betrayed or afraid.The room was eerily silent except for the faint hum of the wind against the windows. Sorenâs expression was unreadable, but there was tension in his clenched jaw, a crack in his usually calm exterior. Ewen stood off to the side, his fists curled tightly, his knuckles white. And Lucian... his eyes burned with an intensity that made it hard to meet his gaze.âElixir,â Lucian said, his voice low and controlled, but I could hear the tremor beneath it. âYou need to trust us.ââTrust you?â I repeated, my voice sharper than I intended. âHow can I trust you when every step forward feels like falling into a trap I didnât see coming?âLucian took a step closer, and I instinctively backed
Elixirâs POVThe silence that followed the seerâs words was deafening, as if the world held its breath alongside me. My knees felt weak, my chest tight, and the weight of a thousand unanswered questions bore down on me. I could hear the muffled sounds of chaos outsideâdistant shouts, the snapping of branchesâbut inside this room, it was just us. The seerâs piercing gaze remained fixed on me. âElixir, you must decide now. The longer you wait, the more dangerous it becomes.â Decide. The word reverberated in my mind like a mocking echo. What was I supposed to decide? Every choice seemed shrouded in mystery, like walking a tightrope in the dark. âI canât choose if I donât even know whatâs happening!â My voice cracked, frustration and fear pouring out like a dam breaking. âYouâre asking me to trust you, to trust all of you, but how can I when I donât even understand whatâs at stake?â The seer didnât flinch, her expression calm but unreadable. âYou already know, deep down. Itâs not
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 stayâĶ and I fightâĶ 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
Elixirâs 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 heâs squeezing so hard. I can feel his arm shaking like heâs 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
Elixirâs POVThe area between the gold statues and Soren feels like a tense standoffâquiet 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 womanâthe one who looks just like meâis 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
Elixirâs 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 Iâve 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. "Itâs 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 â 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 donât know what Iâm 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 â 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
Entry Four: The Masked Man and His Lies I met him in the ruins of a forgotten world. The sky was dull gray, thick with the scent of ash and something ancient. The ground beneath me felt wrong, like I was standing on the bones of something that had once lived and still remembered. Every step I took felt like an intrusion; the earth itself wanted me gone. And then he appeared, A man in a mask, standing at the edge of the ruins, watching me as if he had been waiting forever. He did not move like other men. His presence was unsettling, quiet but heavy, like a shadow stretching where no light had touched. He wore dark robes, torn at the edges, and a mask that hid everything except his eyes. They were hollow, empty yet burning with a knowing I didnât understand. "You came," he said. His voice was calm and unreadable as if my arrival had been inevitable. My fist tightened. "I donât even know who you are."His head slightly lifted. "You do." I shook my head. "No, I don't." "You will," h
Entry Three: The Men Who Bleed for MeI stumbled back, my breath seizing in my throat as the weight of the situation pressed down on me. The flame sparkled, throwing extensive shadows on the walls, but no amount of darkness could cover up what I saw. She stood there, scanning my posture and expression except for her smile. It was too knowing, too satisfied as if she had won a battle I didnât even know I was fighting. I didnât blink. Neither did she. The silence between us stretched, thick with invisibles, words unspoken, and the ancient. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms as I forced myself to speak. "Who are you?" My voice came out hoarse, barely a wave. "You already know," she answered, lifting her head. "Youâve always known who I am." I shook my head. "Youâre lying."Her smile widened. "Am I, she asked?" The mirror rippled as if made of water, distorting her form and warping her features. The room grew colder, and the air thinned around me. "You s