The Midnight Key

The ruins felt different now.

The mist had receded, leaving only jagged stone and the echoes of something ancient. The sky above was cracked, but there was no more whispering, no more creatures crawling out of the dark.

Just silence.

A waiting silence.

Rene's hands trembled as she held Rena closer. The child was staring ahead, unblinking.

She had always been quiet, strange—not normal. But now, something in her presence felt heavier. As if the truth had settled inside her, waiting for the right moment to be spoken.

Rene wasn't ready for what she would say next.

But Rena spoke anyway.

"She is close."

Lucien's golden gaze sharpened. "Who?"

Rena lifted her small hand, pointing.

The others followed her gaze.

At first, there was nothing—just the ruins stretching toward the horizon. But then, a shape emerged.

A figure.

Moving toward them.

Slow, deliberate.

Lucien's grip on his sword tightened. Nyra shifted into a stance, her body poised to strike. Adrian and Adriel flanked Rene without a word, their silver eyes unreadable.

Rene could barely breathe.

Because as the figure stepped closer, she saw it.

A woman.

Draped in black. Her hair cascaded down her back like flowing ink, and her silver eyes—identical to Rena's—shone in the dim light.

She was beautiful. Otherworldly.

And somehow… familiar.

The woman stopped a few feet away, her expression unreadable.

Then she smiled.

"Rena," she murmured, her voice like a ghost of a memory. "You've grown."

A chill ran down Rene's spine.

Rena didn't react. She only watched.

Nyra's fingers twitched toward her blade. "Who the hell are you?"

The woman's gaze flickered to her, then back to Rena.

"I am her maker."

The words crashed over them like a tidal wave.

Rene felt like the ground had just disappeared beneath her feet.

Her breath caught. "What?"

The woman's silver eyes met hers. And for the first time, Rene realized—

She looked like them.

The sharp features. The silver light in her gaze. The eerie stillness.

She looked like family.

Rene's heartbeat thundered.

Lucien was the first to break the silence.

"You made her?" His voice was deadly calm.

The woman didn't hesitate.

"Yes."

Adrian and Adriel went stiff, their gazes darkening.

Rene swallowed hard, her grip on Rena tightening.

"You're lying."

The woman smiled again. "Am I?"

Rene's breathing was too fast. Too uneven.

If this woman had created Rena…

Then she was—

Nyra's voice was cold. "You expect us to believe you just made a child?"

The woman's expression didn't change.

"She is not merely a child."

Lucien exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Of course she isn't. Nothing about this is normal."

The woman ignored him. She was looking at Rene now. Really looking.

"You feel it, don't you?" she murmured. "The connection between us."

Rene clenched her jaw.

No.

No, she refused to believe this.

But deep down—

She couldn't deny it.

There was something in this woman's presence that felt… familiar. Not warm, not comforting—but known.

Like an echo of something lost.

Lucien took a step forward, placing himself slightly in front of Rene. His golden eyes burned.

"Enough games." His voice was sharper than steel. "Who are you?"

The woman tilted her head, as if considering.

Then she spoke.

"My name is Aeris."

Silence.

The name meant nothing to Rene.

But Lucien—

He froze.

His entire body went rigid. His golden eyes widened—just for a second. Then his expression shut down completely.

Rene saw it.

The flicker of recognition. Of fear.

Lucien knew who she was.

And if Lucien was afraid—

Then she should be too.

To be continued...

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