Throne of Shadows

Chapter 2: The Awakening

The night air felt heavy with an unsettling tension as Serena stood frozen, her heart hammering in her chest. Elias’s voice, soft but filled with terror, echoed in the room.

"Mom... Kael... something’s wrong. The voices... they're getting louder. I can't make them stop."

She glanced toward her son, her breath froze in her throat. His face appeared pale, as though the weight of his words had drained all of his color, and he stood in the doorway, his normally brilliant eyes shadowed with terror. As Serena's protective instincts took over, she hurried over to him and automatically brushed his unkempt hair back.

"Elias," she muttered, her voice shaking. "What voices? What are you hearing?"

Kael’s expression shifted. He moved closer, his body language alert. "Serena, he’s hearing something... something from the past. It’s the curse. I told you. We need to find out what’s happening before it takes control of him."

Serena glanced over at Kael, a mixture of frustration and concern twisting her insides. She was already stretched thin. The idea of Elias struggling with whatever this was—whatever Kael’s cursed past had to do with it—was too much to bear.

"Elias," she said, kneeling down in front of him. "Look at me." She lifted his chin, making sure his eyes locked with hers. "Tell me exactly what you're hearing. Try to focus, okay? I need you to focus."

Elias swallowed hard, his breath shaky. He seemed uncertain about how to explain what was ripping at him from within, as he paused for a moment. "It's like whispers, but they're not that real. They kept uttering things that I don't understand, as if they were inside my skull. His voice grew more terrified as he tightened his fists at his sides. "They keep calling me. They won’t stop. It’s like they're trying to pull me somewhere."

Serena’s heart twisted. She glanced to Kael, her eyes begging for clarification, for anything that would help her make sense of what was happening. Kael's eyes darkened and his jaw tightened with something Serena couldn't quite identify: a sense of shame or the inability to express what he knew Elias was going through.

Kael remarked, "You need to listen to him," in a quiet but determined tone. "The voices are calling him because of his bloodline. It’s not just any curse—it’s tied to the prophecy, to you. Elias’s powers are awakening, but they’re connected to something much older than either of us. Something that has been waiting for him... for both of you."

Serena stood up, her hands shaking. "You’re telling me this is... fate? This is something you couldn’t prevent? Something that’s been waiting for Elias?"

Kael nodded, his eyes softening with regret. "Yes. I didn’t know how to stop it, Serena. If I had stayed, the consequences might have been worse. The curse is tied to Elias’s heritage—and to yours. You’re both part of something bigger than either of us. That’s why I left, to keep you both safe."

"But you didn’t!" Serena’s voice broke, the fury bubbling to the surface. "You left us! And now you’re back, telling me this is some sort of destiny? That it’s all in the stars, Kael? I can’t—"

"Elias needs to be trained," Kael interrupted, his tone firm, even desperate. "He needs to understand his powers before they control him. And you need to help him, Serena. You were never meant to be apart from this. It’s all connected."

Serena’s head spun. She wanted to scream, to throw Kael out, to pretend none of this was real, but she couldn’t. The terror in Elias’s eyes stopped her. Even though she was more afraid of the idea than anything else, she couldn't leave him to deal with this alone.

Elias remarked in a shaky voice, "Mom, I don't want this." "I no longer want to listen to them. I have no idea what's going on with me.”

In an attempt to protect her kid from whatever was approaching, Serena drew him into her arms and held him close. She whispered, "I’m here, Elias," in a calming yet terrified voice. "I will not allow you to suffer any harm. I promise."

Kael stepped forward again, his eyes softening as he looked at them both. "I didn’t come back to hurt you. I came back to help you. To protect you. Serena, you're not alone in this. I never ceased keeping an eye on you, even though I know I left. Never stopped regretting leaving."

Serena shook her head, pulling away from Elias to face Kael. "It’s not enough, Kael. You can't simply return and assume that nothing has changed. You abandoned him, not just me. I'll defend him because he's my son, even if it means avoiding you."

Kael gulped hard, his eyes displaying deep emotion. "I understand," he said quietly."I'm not going to beg for forgiveness. But you must have faith in me for this. I understand your fear, but Elias's powers are developing. This situation will worsen if we don't resolve it quickly. He’ll be taken over by whatever’s inside him."

Serena's throat tightened with breath. "What are you saying? That we won’t be able to stop it? That Elias will lose himself?"

Kael said, "I'm saying that we don't have much time," in a tense tone. I don't know what would happen if Elias's powers were fully engaged, but the prophecy has already started. If we're not careful, he might develop into something lethal that we can't control."

A thick quiet, laden with an unsaid fear, descended upon the room. Elias looked up at her, his eyes wide with fear.

"Mom, what do we do?"

Serena felt her stomach tighten, but as she looked between Elias and Kael, something inside her hardened. She had no choice. She couldn’t leave her son to face this alone. Not again.

"We fight this together," she said, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her chest. "We find a way to control it. And whatever this curse is, we’ll end it. We’ll figure this out."

Kael nodded, his face filled with a grim determination. "We have to, Serena. There’s no other way."

The cold weight of what lay ahead hung in the air like a storm cloud, but Serena held her ground. Her son needed her. And she would stop at nothing to keep him safe, even if it meant facing the reality of her own ancestry, her own history, and the curse that had molded her existence without her knowledge.

As the words left her mouth, the ground beneath them shook, sending a jolt through the floor. Elias gasped, his hand clutching Serena’s arm, his eyes wide with panic. "Mom... I can feel it... I can feel the pull again. It’s getting worse."