The Midnight Key

Silence.

The kind that suffocated.

The kind that sent chills down the spine.

Rene felt her heart hammering against her ribs as the faceless being stood there—bowing.

Not attacking.

Not speaking.

Just waiting.

For Rena.

The baby—no, the soul inside her—stared at it, unmoving.

Rene swallowed. "What do you mean, she's awakening?"

The being lifted its head slightly, but there was still nothing there. No face. No eyes. Just shifting darkness.

"She was never meant to be reborn."

The words made Rene's stomach turn.

Nyra tightened her grip on her blade. "Who is she?"

The air seemed to grow heavier, as if reality itself was bending under the weight of the answer.

"She is the one who was created and cast away."

Adrian's silver light flared. "Why?"

The being tilted its head.

"Because she was meant to replace the gods."

Rene's breath stopped.

She could feel Lucien shift beside her. Not his usual lazy movements.

No.

This was different.

Serious.

Because this?

This was new.

Lucien chuckled, but there was no amusement in it. "Well. That explains a lot."

Rene turned to him sharply. "You knew?"

Lucien ran a hand through his hair. "I guessed." He exhaled. "But this? This is bigger than I thought."

The being turned back to Rena.

"They fear you, My Lady. They always have."

The baby blinked. Her tiny fingers curled slightly around Rene's cloak.

Then, she spoke again.

Not as a child.

But as something older.

Something buried.

Something forgotten.

"I remember... pieces."

Rene's blood ran cold.

Adriel took a step closer, his voice quiet. "What do you remember?"

Rena's silver eyes flickered.

Then—

"The name they took from me."

The air shifted.

Lucien swore under his breath. "Don't say it."

The being laughed.

A soundless, empty laugh that echoed like whispers in the dark.

"She has already begun to remember. It cannot be stopped."

Nyra clenched her jaw. "Then we need to find Selene. Now."

Lucien sighed. "That's assuming Selene even wants to be found."

Rene barely heard them. Her pulse was roaring in her ears.

Because she was staring at Rena.

And for the first time—

She wasn't just looking at her baby sister.

She was looking at something else.

Something ancient.

Something that was never meant to return.

But it had.

And now?

Now it was only a matter of time before the rest of the world realized it too.

To Be Continued…

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