Chapter 3: A Death Remembered
882 Words
Chapter 3: A Death Remembered
The room fell silent.
Only the rain tapping against the broken window disturbed the stillness.
Aiden stood frozen, his heart pounding so violently that he could hear every beat. Across from him, the woman who had broken into his home lowered her blade, but she did not relax. Her posture remained that of a seasoned warrior—balanced, alert, ready to strike if necessary.
Her silver hair, damp from the rain, clung to her face. A thin scar stretched across her left cheek, disappearing beneath the collar of her dark cloak. She could not have been much older than twenty-three, yet there was a weariness in her eyes that belonged to someone who had lived through too many wars.
"You..." Aiden finally managed to say. "You watched me die?"
Seraphina's gaze never left his face.
"I did."
Aiden laughed once.
It was not a laugh of amusement.
It was the helpless laugh of someone whose world had become too absurd to understand.
"Do you hear yourself?" he asked. "You're talking about something that happened a thousand years ago."
"I know."
"And you expect me to believe it?"
"No."
Her answer was immediate.
"I expect you to remember."
The words settled between them like a heavy fog.
Aiden clenched his fists.
"I don't remember anything."
"You will."
"I said I don't!"
His voice echoed through the tiny house.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Seraphina slowly sheathed her sword.
"If your memories had returned completely," she said quietly, "I wouldn't still be alive."
Aiden frowned.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
She looked away, toward the shattered window.
"Because the man you used to be never forgave betrayal."
---
Miles away, beyond the walls of Valoria, hidden beneath an abandoned cathedral swallowed by vines and time, twelve figures sat around a circular stone table.
The room was illuminated only by blue flames burning in ancient braziers.
Each person wore a mask.
No names.
No faces.
Only symbols.
A dragon.
A raven.
A wolf.
A crown.
An old man seated at the head of the table slowly opened his eyes.
"The seal has broken."
No one answered.
Everyone had already felt it.
"The Immortal King's soul has awakened."
The silence became suffocating.
Finally, the masked woman bearing the symbol of a serpent spoke.
"After a thousand years..."
"So it begins again."
Another figure slammed his fist onto the table.
"Then why are we sitting here?"
"Because panic is useless," the old man replied.
"The boy remembers nothing."
"For now."
The old man nodded.
"For now."
He looked toward the darkness beyond the chamber.
"But memories are like rivers."
"You can dam them."
"You can redirect them."
"But eventually..."
"They always find their way home."
---
Back in Valoria, Seraphina slowly walked around Aiden's small home.
She examined the books on his shelf.
His worn boots near the door.
The patched blanket folded neatly on the bed.
"So this is how you've lived," she murmured.
Aiden folded his arms.
"You make it sound disappointing."
"It is."
He frowned.
"I expected..."
She stopped herself.
"Expected what?"
She looked directly into his eyes.
"I expected a king."
Instead...
"I found a boy who apologizes too much."
Aiden blinked.
Then, despite everything, he smiled.
"A lot of people keep telling me that."
For the first time, the corner of Seraphina's lips lifted slightly.
It wasn't quite a smile.
But it was close.
"You haven't changed as much as I feared."
---
A loud knock suddenly echoed from the front door.
Both of them turned instantly.
Another knock.
"Aiden?"
It was Mira.
The old herbalist.
"I saw your window break," she called from outside. "Are you alright?"
Aiden's heart skipped.
He looked toward Seraphina.
"What do I do?"
Seraphina's expression hardened.
"Don't let her in."
"Why?"
Before she could answer—
A terrifying pressure filled the room.
Every candle went out.
The air became cold.
Very cold.
Seraphina's eyes widened.
"No..."
She whispered the word so softly Aiden barely heard it.
She reached for her sword again.
"He's here."
"Who?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she grabbed Aiden by the arm.
"We have to leave."
The pressure grew stronger.
The wooden walls creaked.
Outside, the rain suddenly stopped.
Not because the storm had ended...
But because every drop of water hung motionless in the air.
Time itself seemed to hesitate.
Then...
A calm voice spoke from beyond the front door.
"Aiden Voss."
The voice was gentle.
Almost kind.
"My name is Lucien."
"I've been searching for you..."
"...for one thousand years."
Aiden felt every hair on his body stand on end.
He had never heard that voice before.
Yet something deep within his soul trembled.
Not with recognition.
With fear.
Real fear.
The voice inside his mind spoke for the first time since Seraphina arrived.
Its tone was no longer calm.
It was urgent.
"Run."
Aiden swallowed hard.
"Who is he?"
Seraphina's face had turned pale.
She tightened her grip on her sword until her knuckles turned white.
"When you were the Immortal King..."
"...Lucien was your closest friend."
She paused.
"And the man who drove the blade through your heart."
The knock came again.
Slow.
Patient.
Almost polite.
"Aiden."
"I know you're inside."
The front door began to open on its own.
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