My day had been completely wasted wandering the maze that is Virelia.
I searched every corner of the city trying to find the woman who gave me this strange pendant, hoping—desperately—to ask her what she meant when she handed it to me. But she was nowhere. Like she never existed at all.
Frustrated and restless, I slipped out of the room we had booked at a secluded inn on the city's outskirts. It was already past midnight. The moonlight spilled through the large window in outside my room, bathing everything in a soft silver glow.
Virelia looked... breathtaking. From up here, the stone towers glittered with scattered lanterns and charm lights. The wind was quiet. Almost peaceful.
I was just admiring it all when a movement near the tree line caught my eye.
A figure in black. Still as a statue.
Something faintly glowing in his hand.
I leaned closer. Squinted. And then—Kael.
Of course.
He was holding a communication crystal. And he was speaking to someone. His voice was low, but his posture? Cold. Focused. Strategic.
I didn't need to hear the words. I already knew who was on the other end. The Emperor. Maybe the Empress too.
Reporting everything I'd done today, no doubt. Every move, every failed lead, every thought I might've said out loud.
stepped back into my room, mind buzzing but body exhausted. All that walking, searching, questioning… for nothing.
I laid down, eyes on the ceiling, trying to will myself to sleep. But sleep didn't come.
Instead, something else did.
A voice.
Faint. Whispering. Close—too close.
"Leave the inn."
I sat up instantly, heart pounding in my chest. What the hell was that?
"Who's there?" I called out, eyes scanning the room. But nothing replied.
No footsteps. No shadows. No one.
Just silence.
A cold unease crept into my spine. Something felt wrong. Very wrong.
I didn't question it any further. I rushed out of the room, dragging Liora behind me.
The hallway was eerily silent, the wooden floor creaking under our hurried steps. That's when we ran into Kael—leaning casually against the wall like he wasn't giving me spy energy 24/7.
He straightened up when he saw us, eyes narrowing. "What happened?" he asked, already suspicious.
"I'll explain later," I snapped, brushing past him. To my surprise, he didn't argue. Maybe it was the urgency in my voice—or the look in my eyes.
He followed. Silent. Alert.
The second we stepped outside… everything changed.
The inn was gone.
Not like "gone dark" or "closed for the night"—gone. No building. No structure. Just empty road and dense trees. Like it had never existed at all.
An illusion. We had been sleeping inside a lie.
Both Kael and Liora were as shocked as I was. We stayed silent for a moment before Kael finally said, "Thank God, you noticed it sooner, my lady. Otherwise..."
I looked at him, surprised. "Otherwise, what?"
He replied, "We might have gone crazy. This inn was just an illusion." Then he turned to me and asked, "But how did you notice it?"
I was taken aback. I couldn't tell him the truth—he was a spy for the royal family—so I had to feed him a lie." I read it in a book when I was a kid," I said casually. "It said that if you ever see an anomaly in a place, you should run, because it might be an illusion."
It wasn't a complete lie—I had read that in a book. But I hadn't seen any anomaly here. So, it was half-truth, half-lie.
Kael nodded slowly. "Alright... but now we'll have to spend the night outside. We won't find another inn at this hour."
I gave him a small nod in agreement.
We spent the night out in the open, right where the inn had once stood. Liora was fast asleep, completely unaware, her breathing calm and even. I, on the other hand, couldn't close my eyes.Kael stayed on guard, his gaze sharp as he kept watch for monsters—creatures that roamed only after dark, drawn to even the faintest trace of magic.
The next morning, we wandered through the quiet streets of Virelia once more. I needed to find a magic travel kit—one with all the essentials: a self-deploying tent, warding spells, and protective enchantments to keep the night's horrors at bay. Something that would mask our presence, something that would keep the monsters away.
As we walked, weaving between alleyways and strange shops, I heard it again.The voice.Faint, almost like a whisper in the wind. He is watching.
I froze.
But this time... I noticed something. The sound—it wasn't just in my head. It was coming from my pendant.
My fingers brushed over the cold metal."Who are you?" I whispered, barely audible.No answer.Just silence.But the feeling lingered. That spine-prickling sensation that made every hair on my body stand on edge.I was being watched.And deep down... I knew.This pendant wasn't just strange.It was dangerous.