chapter10
975 Words
Chapter 10: The Eyes That Knew Too Much
"Have we had this conversation before?"
The question hung between them.
Silent.
Dangerous.
Heavy enough to stop the world.
For a fraction of a second, Crown Prince Lucien Ravenshade's expression cracked.
It was brief.
So brief that most people would have missed it.
But Elara wasn't most people.
Not anymore.
She saw it.
The shock.
The hesitation.
The flicker of something that looked disturbingly close to fear.
Then it vanished.
His face became unreadable once more.
"You've finally lost your mind."
His answer came too quickly.
Too smoothly.
Too rehearsed.
Elara's suspicion deepened.
"Have I?" she asked quietly.
Lucien sheathed his sword.
"You're standing in a restricted section of the palace in the middle of the night, asking strange questions and chasing secrets that could get you executed."
He crossed his arms.
"You tell me."
Normally, his response would have irritated her.
Tonight, it only made her more curious.
Because Lucien had not answered the question.
He had avoided it.
The walk back through the palace was tense.
Neither spoke.
Neither trusted the silence.
Moonlight spilled through the stained-glass windows, painting the corridors in silver and blue.
Elara's thoughts remained fixed on one thing.
Someone else remembered.
Someone else knew the original timeline.
And if that person truly existed...
Then everything had become infinitely more dangerous.
Because future knowledge was her greatest advantage.
And now she might not be the only one who possessed it.
When they reached the intersection leading to her chambers, Lucien suddenly stopped.
"So."
Elara glanced at him.
"So?"
"Are you going to explain what happened in the library?"
His tone was casual.
His eyes were not.
Elara almost laughed.
The prince was fishing for information.
Exactly as she had been doing.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"I found a book."
Lucien stared.
"A book."
"Yes."
"A book caused the palace guards to report strange sounds beneath the library?"
"Perhaps it was a loud book."
His jaw tightened.
Elara felt a small burst of satisfaction.
For once, she wasn't the only one being frustrated.
After a long pause, Lucien sighed.
"You're impossible."
"So I've been told."
The prince studied her carefully.
Then said something unexpected.
"Be careful."
Elara blinked.
"What?"
"Whatever you're investigating..." His voice lowered. "Some secrets remain hidden for a reason."
The warning sounded genuine.
And somehow, that frightened her more than any threat.
Before she could respond, Lucien turned and walked away.
Leaving her alone in the corridor.
That night, Elara dreamed again.
But this time—
The dream was different.
She stood upon a battlefield.
The sky burned crimson.
Thousands of bodies covered the ground.
Broken banners fluttered in the wind.
The scent of blood filled the air.
And above everything—
A gigantic crimson moon dominated the heavens.
Cracked.
Shattered.
Dying.
Elara looked down.
A sword rested in her hand.
Its blade glowed with silver light.
Around her stood warriors wearing ancient armor.
Some wounded.
Some dying.
All staring toward the horizon.
Waiting.
Fear gripped her chest.
Not her fear.
Someone else's.
A memory.
Then she saw him.
A lone figure standing in the distance.
Covered in shadows.
Watching.
Even from miles away, she could feel his gaze.
Ancient.
Patient.
Terrifying.
The shadowed man raised one hand.
And the battlefield exploded into darkness.
Elara woke with a gasp.
Her sheets were soaked with sweat.
The sun had not yet risen.
The room remained dark.
For several moments she simply sat there, trying to calm her racing heart.
Then she noticed something strange.
Very strange.
Something was lying on her bedside table.
A letter.
Her blood ran cold.
She knew with absolute certainty it had not been there before.
Slowly, she picked it up.
No seal.
No signature.
Nothing identifying the sender.
Only a single sentence written in elegant silver ink.
Stop searching for the First Sanctuary.
Elara's heart skipped.
Beneath it was another line.
One that chilled her even more.
This is the only warning I will give you.
She immediately stood.
The room was empty.
The door remained locked.
The windows were closed.
No signs of intrusion.
Nothing.
And yet someone had entered her chamber while she slept.
Someone skilled enough to avoid palace guards.
Someone who knew exactly what she had discovered.
Someone who was watching.
For the rest of the morning, the letter remained hidden inside her desk.
She told no one.
Not Lucien.
Not the servants.
No one.
Because trust was dangerous.
And because a terrifying possibility had begun forming in her mind.
What if the letter came from the other person?
The one who remembered the original timeline?
Later that afternoon, Elara returned to the imperial library.
Not because it was safe.
Because it wasn't.
But because danger rarely disappeared when ignored.
The library appeared ordinary.
Quiet.
Empty.
Yet something felt different.
The air itself seemed tense.
As if waiting.
Then she noticed it.
A book lying alone on a reading table.
One she had never seen before.
Ancient.
Black.
Dust-covered.
Its cover bore a familiar symbol.
A crescent moon pierced by a single silver line.
The same symbol from the hidden door.
The same symbol from the First Sanctuary.
Slowly, Elara approached.
Her pulse quickened.
She opened the book.
The pages turned by themselves.
One after another.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Until they stopped.
A single page remained open.
And written across it were six words:
The Moon Chosen has awakened.
The library suddenly became cold.
Deathly cold.
Then another sentence slowly appeared beneath the first.
As though invisible ink was revealing itself.
Elara watched in horror.
Because this message was addressed directly to her.
And now the Hunter knows where to find you.
A loud crash echoed somewhere deep within the palace.
The lights flickered.
The book slammed shut.
And far below the imperial capital...
Something ancient opened its eyes.
End of Chapter 10
- Writer
