Home / Fantasy / Whispers of the Forgotten / Chapter 2: The Phantom Vision

Share

Chapter 2: The Phantom Vision

Author: Sunshine
last update Last Updated: 2024-09-09 13:49:44

The days following the memory dive felt like a blur. Lyra couldn’t shake the vision of the mysterious man. His face, sharp and defined, seemed to imprint itself onto the inside of her eyelids every time she closed her eyes. Each night, the dreams came—vivid and unnerving. The man with storm-gray eyes appeared in the depths of her subconscious, his presence growing stronger, more tangible. His voice, haunting and insistent, echoed in her mind, repeating the same words: *Find me.* It felt as though he were calling out to her from beyond the veil of memories, as if he were waiting for her somewhere, just out of reach.

It didn’t take long for the visions to start creeping into her waking life.

As she walked through the bustling streets of Elysium, she began to feel it—a constant prickling on the back of her neck, as though someone was watching her. The sensation followed her everywhere, and with it came the whispers. Faint, ghostly murmurs that she couldn’t quite make out, but always with the same underlying message: *Remember.*

Lyra tried to ignore it, telling herself it was just a side effect of the memory dive. Diving into other people's minds was a mentally taxing process, and residual effects weren’t uncommon. But the more she tried to rationalize it, the deeper the unease set in. Every time she walked past a reflective surface—a window, a mirror—she half-expected to see the man staring back at her. The world felt out of sync, like a badly tuned instrument playing just off-key.

Her work began to suffer. Focus, once her greatest asset, had slipped away. She found herself making small, careless mistakes—misplacing important data, missing key fragments of her clients' memories during dives. It didn’t go unnoticed. Her supervisor had pulled her aside twice now to ask if she needed time off, but Lyra insisted she was fine, despite the growing doubt gnawing at her.

It wasn’t until Aurelia Faelan stepped in that Lyra realized how much she had let the strange encounter consume her.

***

“Lyra, you look like hell,” Aurelia said bluntly, sliding into the booth across from her at their favorite bar. It was a dim, cozy place tucked away from the high-energy chaos of Elysium’s main streets. Here, they could speak freely without the fear of prying ears or unwanted surveillance. Aurelia was the type to call things as she saw them, her sharp, emerald-green eyes missing nothing. She had a fierce, protective aura that had saved Lyra more than once in the past, both professionally and personally.

Lyra gave a half-hearted laugh and rubbed her temples. “Thanks for the confidence boost.”

Aurelia’s expression softened slightly, though her concern remained clear. “I’m serious. You’ve been distracted for days. What’s going on?”

For a moment, Lyra hesitated. She trusted Aurelia more than anyone, but she wasn’t sure how to explain what had been happening without sounding like she was losing her grip on reality. But keeping it to herself had done nothing to help. Maybe sharing the burden would ease the weight she felt pressing down on her chest.

She took a deep breath and leaned in, lowering her voice. “Something happened during the dive. With Maris.”

Aurelia arched a brow. “What kind of something?”

“I saw someone. A man. But he wasn’t part of Maris’s memories. I know it sounds impossible, but I’m sure of it. He looked right at me, said my name like he knew me. And now I can’t stop seeing him. He’s in my dreams, Aurelia. And there are… whispers. I keep hearing whispers, telling me to find him.”

Aurelia’s expression didn’t change immediately, but Lyra could tell her friend was processing the information carefully. Aurelia was pragmatic to the core, always the one to find the logical explanation for things. After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice steady and measured.

“People’s minds are messy, Lyra. You know that. When you dive deep enough, things get tangled. Memories bleed into each other, especially if they’ve been tampered with, like Maris’s. What you saw could have been a fragment of something unrelated, or your own subconscious bleeding into the dive. You’ve been under a lot of stress lately. It could be nothing.”

Lyra frowned. “It didn’t feel like nothing. It felt… real. He felt real.”

Aurelia took a sip of her drink, her gaze never leaving Lyra’s face. “You’re not thinking of chasing this, are you? Because if you are, I’d advise against it.”

“I can’t just ignore it. It’s not going away. Every day it feels like he’s getting closer, like he’s—” Lyra stopped herself, the words sounding even crazier out loud than they had in her head.

“Like he’s what?” Aurelia asked, her tone sharper now.

“Like he’s… watching me.”

Aurelia set her glass down with a thud, her expression darkening. “Lyra, listen to me. I don’t care how real it felt. Memory diving messes with your head. I’ve seen people lose themselves chasing shadows, obsessing over things they shouldn’t. This man, whoever he is, isn’t your problem. Let it go.”

“I can’t,” Lyra said quietly, her fingers gripping the edge of the table. “What if he’s trying to tell me something? What if I’m supposed to find him?”

Aurelia sighed and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. “You’ve got to stop doing this to yourself. You’re a Memory Seeker, not a detective. Your job is to retrieve memories, not dig around in places you don’t belong. If you keep pushing, you’ll end up crossing a line you can’t uncross.”

Lyra knew Aurelia was right—at least, on some level. She had seen it happen before. Other Seekers who had gone too deep, who had let their curiosity pull them into a spiral of obsession. But something about this felt different. It wasn’t just a fragment or a glitch. The man felt like he was real, like he existed somewhere beyond the memory dive. She couldn’t explain it, but she knew, deep in her gut, that this wasn’t something she could just walk away from.

“I’ll be careful,” Lyra said finally, though the conviction in her voice was shaky.

Aurelia didn’t look convinced. “I hope so. Just remember—some memories are better left forgotten.”

As they parted ways that night, the whispers followed Lyra home, growing louder with every step. *Find me. Remember.* The man’s voice, smooth and chilling, echoed in her ears as she closed the door to her apartment behind her.

And in the silence of her empty living room, she could feel it again—that sensation of being watched.

Related chapters

  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 3: The Memory Broker

    Determined to uncover the truth behind the haunting visions, Lyra knew she had to dig deeper into Maris Harker’s memories. The fragments she had seen so far were just the tip of the iceberg, and her instincts told her there was something significant buried within the chaotic depths of Maris’s past. It was risky, and she was aware of the potential dangers, but the sense of urgency she felt was undeniable.To navigate this treacherous path, Lyra decided to enlist the help of Kieran Dax, a notorious Memory Broker. Kieran was a morally ambiguous figure who operated in the murky waters of high-stakes memory trades. Known for his charm and his penchant for bending the rules, he was someone Lyra had worked with in the past, though she had never fully trusted him. His reputation for getting results, regardless of the means, made him a necessary ally in situations where traditional methods fell short.Lyra’s decision to contact Kieran wasn’t one she made lightly. She knew his services came at

    Last Updated : 2024-09-09
  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 4: The Shadows of Nyxterra

    That night, Lyra’s dreams felt like something more than just the usual haze of her unconscious mind. From the moment she closed her eyes, she was drawn into a different place—one far from the bright, bustling metropolis of Elysium. The dream unfolded slowly, its details creeping into her senses until she could no longer tell if she was asleep or awake.Lyra stood at the edge of a world draped in perpetual twilight. The sky above her was neither day nor night, but something in between, with an eerie, purplish hue that cast long shadows over the landscape. The air was thick, almost oppressive, and the silence was unnerving. No sound of traffic, no distant hum of technology, nothing but a stillness that made her feel like she was walking through a forgotten graveyard.She looked around, her heart beating faster as the realization sank in: this was **Nyxterra**. The place she had only heard whispered rumors about, a world where lost memories supposedly went to die. It was said that those

    Last Updated : 2024-09-09
  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 5: The Pull of the Past

    Lyra couldn't shake the haunting dream. The image of Nyxterra and Elias lingered in her mind, replaying the encounter in the shadowed twilight and the soft warning in Elias’s eyes. His words echoed repeatedly: You’ve forgotten, but you’ll remember soon. It wasn’t merely a dream—it felt like a deeper truth buried within her. The boundary between memory and reality seemed increasingly fragile, threatening to snap at any moment.Determined to find answers, Lyra immersed herself in researching Nyxterra. In Elysium, where secrets and memories were traded like currency, Nyxterra was known only as a legend—an obscure tale whispered among Memory Seekers and Brokers. It was said to be the graveyard of forgotten memories, a place where the mind’s darkest corners merged with the physical world. Yet, despite its ominous reputation, concrete knowledge about Nyxterra was scarce. Official records mentioned it only in passing, and the few who claimed to know about it refused to speak openly.Lyra’s s

    Last Updated : 2024-09-09
  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 6: The Offer

    A few days had passed since Lyra received the strange message from Elias, but the unsettling feeling hadn’t left her. She sat alone in her small, cluttered apartment in Elysium, the glow of the city’s neon lights filtering through the window, casting soft shadows on the walls. Papers and data pads were scattered across the table, all of them tied to her previous memory retrieval jobs, yet she hadn’t touched any of them in days. The eerie dream of Nyxterra and her mysterious encounter with Elias still lingered in her mind, haunting her every thought. She couldn’t focus. The rent was due, her funds were dangerously low, and the pressure was mounting. She knew she needed to find work—fast. But nothing felt right. The usual jobs that once brought in quick money now seemed meaningless, and the visions of Elias had left her shaken, her sense of reality more fragile than ever. A knock at the door broke her from her thoughts.Frowning, she stood and approached cautiously. Her heart raced, t

    Last Updated : 2024-09-17
  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 7: Into the Abyss

    A week later, Lyra found herself standing outside a secluded memory dive clinic in the shadowy underbelly of Elysium. The air in this part of the city felt heavier, thick with the weight of secrets and whispers. The clinic was an unmarked building, but its sleek exterior and state-of-the-art security system gave away the wealth and power of its clientele. This wasn’t the kind of place where average people came to retrieve or erase memories. This was for those who paid top dollar to make sure their secrets stayed buried—or recovered things they didn’t want the world to know existed.Lyra felt a chill run down her spine as she stepped through the front entrance. Kieran was already waiting for her inside, his sharp suit and predatory grin blending perfectly with the sterile luxury of the lobby. He didn’t need to speak to the receptionist; he simply waved her forward, and they were escorted down a series of dimly lit hallways. The further they went, the more the world outside seemed to fa

    Last Updated : 2024-09-26
  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 8: The Forgotten Fragment

    As the dive ended, Lyra felt a disorienting shift back to reality. The sleek, high-tech dive room of Victor Hargrave’s private clinic came back into focus, but the vividness of the memory she had just experienced lingered like an echo in her mind. Her hands shook slightly as she removed the neural sensors, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Victor Hargrave’s anxious eyes were fixed on her, his face a mask of hope and dread. Kieran, leaning casually against the wall, had his usual smug demeanor replaced by a rare look of genuine curiosity.“What did you see?” Victor’s voice was hoarse, almost pleading.Lyra swallowed hard, struggling to gather her thoughts. “It wasn’t your memory,” she said, her voice trembling. “It was... something else. Something tied to me.”Kieran’s eyebrows raised slightly, his interest piqued. “Something tied to you?” he echoed, his voice carrying a hint of amusem

    Last Updated : 2024-09-27
  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 9: Unraveled

    Lyra woke with a start, her heart hammering in her chest, the nightmare still clinging to her mind like a stubborn shadow. It was as though the dive room at Victor Hargrave’s clinic had followed her into sleep, with its cold metallic scent and the weight of that ominous memory pressing down on her. Sweat soaked through her clothes, and her breath came in short, shallow gasps, the edges of the vision still vivid and oppressive in her mind.As she sat up, the weight of her legs felt like lead. She swung them over the side of the bed, her feet touching the cool floor as she tried to steady herself. The fragments she had uncovered during the dive whirled in her mind, piecing together a mystery that only seemed to deepen with each new revelation. How was she tied to Nyxterra? Why had her memory been buried in someone else’s mind? And Elias—the mere thought of him filled her with a strange mixt

    Last Updated : 2024-09-28
  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 10: Visions of Nyxterra

    The first steps into Nyxterra were disorienting. Lyra found herself standing at the edge of a vast, shadowy expanse that stretched out endlessly before her. The sky was a deep, eternal twilight, the horizon a blurred line where darkness met darkness. The landscape was alien and foreboding, a surreal amalgamation of shifting shadows and fragmented structures that seemed perpetually on the verge of collapse.The air was thick with an unsettling stillness, broken only by the occasional whisper of forgotten memories. Each whisper was like a ghostly touch against her skin, a fleeting sensation that left her shivering. The whispers were disjointed, fragments of conversations, cries, and laughter that seemed to echo from the very walls of Nyxterra. They whispered her name in haunting, fragmented tones, urging her deeper into the darkness.As she ventured further, the line between Elysium and Nyxterra began to blur in her mind. Her dreams were a chaotic battlefield of images, a jumble of memo

    Last Updated : 2024-09-29

Latest chapter

  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 28: The Epilogue

    Several years had passed since the Ritual of Unity since Lyra had made the ultimate sacrifice that saved Elysium and severed the threads of her memories. Time had a strange way of dulling pain, of smoothing over the raw edges of loss, leaving behind only a lingering ache—an emptiness that, though it had no name, was always there, always present, just beneath the surface.In the years since, Lyra had become one of the most renowned Memory Seekers in Elysium. Her reputation had grown far beyond the borders of the city where she once began her journey. People from all corners of the world sought her out, entrusting her with their deepest secrets, their forgotten pasts, and their hidden truths. And Lyra, with her sharp intuition and tireless resolve, always delivered.Yet, despite her success, there was a part of her that remained unsettled. It was as though she were searching for something, always reaching, always grasping for a piece of herself that she could not quite find. It wasn’t so

  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 27: The Farewell

    The air was still, eerily calm after the chaos of the ritual. The sky above flickered and faded, no longer the twisted amalgamation of Nyxterra and Elysium. Instead, the two worlds were separating, each retreating into their realms. The ground beneath Lyra’s feet steadied the tremors of merging realities ebbing as the final strands of the Ritual of Unity dissolved into nothingness.Lyra stood in the center of the clearing, her arms limp at her sides, her eyes fixed on the distance where the last threads of Nyxterra's dark magic faded into the ether. The world had been saved. Elysium had been restored. The prophecy had come to pass, as it always would. But as Lyra watched the skies clear, a deep emptiness began to settle inside her. She could feel it—a slow, inevitable erasure creeping into her mind, into her heart.Her memories of Elias were slipping away.It wasn’t like losing something tangible, not like forgetting a face or a name. It was li

  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 26: A Choice of Sacrifice

    The air felt impossible still as the Ritual of Unity reached its climax. The monolith at the heart of Nyxterra pulsed with dark energy, casting an eerie glow over the battlefield. Lyra could feel the magic thrumming beneath her skin and could see the world around her bending and shifting as the boundaries between Nyxterra and Elysium unraveled further. The two realms were on the verge of merging completely, and with it, the fate of countless lives hung in the balance.But at the center of it all stood Kieran, his eyes gleaming with triumph. He knew what was at stake, and the twisted smile on his face showed that he relished the agony of the choice that lay before Lyra.“You cannot stop the ritual now,” Kieran said, his voice smooth, filled with dark amusement. “But I’m feeling generous. I will offer you a choice, Lyra—one last chance to decide the fate of your world.”Lyra’s heart pounded in her chest as she stared at hi

  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 25: The Final Confrontation

    The air around them crackled with energy as Lyra, Aurelia, and Cassian approached the heart of Nyxterra. Shadows danced across the twisted landscape, their forms warping and shifting as if they were alive. The once vibrant land had become a chaotic blend of Elysium and Nyxterra, memories and reality colliding in a cacophony of dissonance. As they drew closer to Kieran, the immense power of the Ritual of Unity hung over them like a suffocating shroud, distorting the world with each passing moment.Kieran stood at the center of it all, his form bathed in the dark, pulsing glow of the monolith. He looked more like a god than a man now, his eyes gleaming with malevolent energy as he drew power from the merging worlds. His presence was oppressive, his very being woven into the fabric of the ritual. He was no longer just a man seeking power—he was the embodiment of it, a force of nature bound to the collapse of reality.“You’re too late,” Kieran said,

  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 24: The Ritual of Unity Begins

    The air was thick with tension as Lyra, Cassian, and Aurelia raced through the fractured landscape of Nyxterra. Every step they took was a battle against the terrain itself, which warped and shifted underfoot. The boundaries between Nyxterra and Elysium were unraveling with frightening speed, memories bleeding into reality, and the once-solid ground undulated like the surface of a disturbed lake.Kieran was ahead of them, at the center of it all. The Ritual of Unity had already begun, and with each passing second, the power he sought was slipping into his grasp.“We’re running out of time!” Aurelia called, her voice barely audible over the rising wind, which howled like the spirits of the lost. "We can’t let him complete the ritual!"Lyra’s heart pounded in her chest, not just from the exertion of running but from the overwhelming pressure of what was at stake. The world around them was crumbling, reality itself splintering. She cou

  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 23: The Darkest Path

    The oppressive atmosphere of Nyxterra thickened as Lyra, Cassian, and Aurelia pressed deeper into its heart. Every step felt heavier like the land itself was resisting their presence. The air crackled with energy, distorting the boundaries of reality. This place, where the borders between memory and truth disintegrated, was a nightmare of forgotten dreams and past traumas, and Lyra could feel its weight crushing her spirit.The landscape shifted with every glance, morphing into fragments of dreams and distorted reflections of the past. Towering structures, shaped by the twisted imaginations of forgotten souls, loomed over them, their jagged silhouettes blending into the stormy skies. The ground beneath their feet seemed to ripple like water as if the very fabric of Nyxterra was unstable, unpredictable, and dangerous."This place... it’s alive," Cassian muttered, his eyes scanning the flickering horizon. "I’ve never seen anything like it.""It’s

  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 22: Shadows of Betrayal

    The passageways of Nyxterra’s underbelly seemed endless, twisting like the labyrinths of Lyra's mind. Every corner they turned felt darker than the last, the shadows clinging to the stone walls like long-forgotten whispers. Lyra, Cassian, and Aurelia moved cautiously through the oppressive maze, their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of dust and decay that covered the ground. Yet, even in the silence, there was tension—tension that ran deeper than the dangers lurking in the tunnels.Cassian walked beside Lyra, his eyes scanning every shadow, every movement. His protective instincts had only grown stronger since their escape from Kieran's clutches. But it wasn’t just concern for her safety that weighed heavily on his face. His mistrust of Elias hung between them like an invisible thread, pulling taut with each step. Though Elias was not physically with them, his presence loomed in Cassian’s mind—and Lyra’s heart.They paused briefly in a wider cavern, allowing thems

  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 21: The Escape from Darkness

    The air in Kieran’s lair was damp and suffocating, pressing down on Lyra like a heavy shroud. She lay curled on the cold stone floor of her cell, shivering not from the chill, but from the gnawing dread that twisted in her gut. The ticking clock of the Ritual of Unity echoed in her mind, a relentless reminder of the looming deadline. With each tick, the boundaries between Elysium and Nyxterra weakened, and their fates intertwined in a dangerous dance that could spell doom for both realms.Lyra had spent countless hours in this dark prison, her heart heavy with despair and uncertainty. The prophecy had been whispered to her in fragments, elusive and haunting, and she felt the weight of its implications pressing down on her like a boulder. Kieran’s voice echoed in her mind, taunting her with his twisted sense of power. He believed she was nothing without her memories, that her identity could be sacrificed for the greater good. But she wouldn’t let him dictate

  • Whispers of the Forgotten   Chapter 20: The Cliffhanger

    Lyra stood at the precipice of her fate, the weight of Kieran's revelation pressing down on her like a vice. The air in the chamber crackled with tension, charged with the potential for disaster. As Kieran paced before her, his eyes gleaming with dark ambition, she felt the ground shifting beneath her feet. The walls of the room, adorned with ancient symbols that seemed to writhe and pulse, closed in around her, trapping her in a reality that had spiraled beyond her control."You see, Lyra," Kieran began, his voice smooth and insidious, "the Ritual of Unity is more than just a ceremony. It is a choice—your choice. To activate it fully, you must sacrifice something dear to you."Her heart raced at his words, confusion, and dread churning in her stomach. “What do you mean? What kind of sacrifice?” she asked, her voice steady despite the tremors coursing through her.Kieran paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in. “You must choose b

DMCA.com Protection Status