The Midnight Key

The torches had died, plunging the room into darkness.

But Rene could still see.

The silver glow from Adrian and Adriel's powers cast eerie, flickering shadows over the ancient walls, their cold light a stark contrast to the consuming blackness that swirled around them.

The figures in the dark had not moved.

Not yet.

Rena's voice—ancient, certain, wrong in the way a child's voice should never be—still lingered in the air.

"You shouldn't have come back."

Silence.

Then, the tallest figure took a step forward. The shadows coiled around their feet, their silver eyes gleaming.

"She remembers."

Lucien's jaw clenched. "You need to leave. Now."

The figure smiled. "We do not take orders from you, forsaken one."

Lucien moved faster than Rene had ever seen. His dagger was in his hand before she even registered the motion, its golden edge gleaming in the dim light.

"I won't say it again," he said, voice dangerously low.

A beat of stillness.

Then the figures began to fade, their bodies melting back into the darkness, their whispers lingering even as their forms dissolved.

"It is not our place to intervene… not yet."

And just like that, they were gone.

The torches flickered back to life. The heavy presence in the air lifted. But the weight of what had just happened remained.

Nyra exhaled sharply. "That was too close."

Adrian and Adriel didn't relax. Their silver eyes remained fixed on the space where the figures had vanished, their cold expressions unreadable.

Lucien sheathed his dagger but said nothing.

And Rena…

Rene turned to look at her baby sister.

She wasn't crying. Wasn't afraid.

But she was watching.

Her tiny silver eyes gleamed, unfocused, distant—like she was seeing something no one else could.

Nyra hesitated. "Rene…"

"I know," Rene said quietly.

They had always known Rena was different. But this?

This was something else entirely.

She crouched down, gently brushing a strand of silver hair from Rena's face. "Hey," she whispered. "It's okay. They're gone."

Rena blinked, her gaze clearing.

And then, to Rene's absolute shock—

The baby smiled.

A small, knowing smile.

Not innocent. Not oblivious.

But as if she knew something they didn't.

Something she wasn't telling them.

Rene's heart pounded.

What had just happened?

Lucien turned, golden eyes dark with thought. "We need to leave. Now."

Rene hesitated. "You recognized them."

Lucien didn't deny it. "And that's exactly why we can't stay."

Nyra frowned. "What do you know?"

Lucien didn't answer immediately. His gaze flickered to Rena.

Then, quietly, he said—

"They were never meant to return."

"Which means something has changed."

And none of them were ready for what was coming next.

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