The Midnight Key

The night air was sharp and cold as they left the ruined chamber behind.

No one spoke.

Rene held Rena close, feeling the baby's warmth against her chest, but she couldn't shake the weight in her gut.

Those figures—those ancient things—hadn't attacked.

But they had come for a reason.

Lucien led the way, his movements tense but controlled. Nyra followed beside him, occasionally glancing at him like she wanted to demand answers but knew now wasn't the time.

Adrian and Adriel flanked Rene protectively. Their usual cold expressions remained unreadable, but she could feel the frost curling at their fingertips, a quiet, restrained warning to anything that might try to approach.

They walked in silence for a long time.

Then, finally—

"What were they?" Rene asked.

Lucien didn't stop walking. "Not something you fight head-on."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one that matters."

Frustration sparked in her chest, but before she could argue, Adriel spoke.

"They knew Rena," he said simply.

Adrian nodded. "And they weren't surprised to see her."

Nyra exhaled. "So, what? She's some kind of lost piece in their game?"

Lucien's golden eyes flickered. "No," he murmured.

Then he glanced at Rena—at the baby in Rene's arms, who was still wide awake, still listening.

"She's the whole board."

A chill crawled up Rene's spine.

She didn't know what terrified her more—

The fact that Lucien had said it.

Or the fact that Rena, small and quiet in her arms, smiled.

---

They reached the abandoned safe house just before dawn.

It was a temporary place—hidden deep in the forest, far from the ruins. It wasn't much, just stone walls and old wooden beams, but it was enough to rest.

Adrian and Adriel immediately scouted the perimeter, their silver light barely flickering as they moved.

Nyra set her sword down, running a tired hand through her hair. "Alright," she said. "We need a plan."

Lucien sat down on an old wooden chair and leaned back, arms crossed. "We need answers first."

Nyra scowled. "No kidding. But in case you haven't noticed, the ones with the answers seem to like speaking in riddles."

Lucien's expression darkened.

Before he could reply, Rene sat down beside them, adjusting Rena in her arms.

"We need to talk about what just happened," she said.

Nyra sighed. "Which part? The cryptic shadow people? The fact that Rena basically spoke them into silence?"

Lucien's gaze sharpened. "That's exactly it."

Rene hesitated. She looked down at her baby sister.

Rena wasn't asleep.

Her silver eyes were watching them—calm, unreadable.

Lucien's voice was quiet when he spoke.

"She's waking up."

Adrian and Adriel stepped inside just in time to hear it.

Adrian frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lucien's gaze didn't leave Rena.

"She's remembering."

Rene's grip on the baby tightened.

"She's just a child."

Lucien's golden eyes met hers.

"She won't be for much longer."

Silence.

No one spoke.

Then—

Rena blinked.

And in a voice far too steady for a child—far too certain—she whispered:

"Selene will know what to do."

The room froze.

Lucien shot to his feet.

Nyra paled.

Rene's heart stopped.

Because Rena hadn't just said a name.

She had remembered it.

And that changed everything.

---