I am being watched.
I could feel it again.
That crawling, spine-prickling sensation like a thousand eyes hidden in the shadows, all watching me. My breath hitched, heart thudding like war drums in my chest.
Stay calm, I told myself. It's just another one of Seraphine's filthy tricks to spy on you. Don't fall for it. You're fine, Elaris Veyne. You're fine.
But I wasn't. And I knew it.
The air was too cold. The streets too quiet. Every shadow stretched too far, like they were reaching for me.
Focus. The pendant. I needed to figure out what the hell it was. Why it spoke. Why it warned me. Why it felt alive.
I was lost in that spiral when Liora's voice yanked me back. "M-My lady… my lady, what are you thinking?"
Her voice trembled, like she was afraid I'd snap. Her wide eyes didn't quite meet mine. She still feared me. I saw it in the way her hands twitched, how she kept her distance—like I was something not quite human anymore.
"Nothing," I muttered, shaking the thoughts away.
But she stepped forward, holding something in her arms. "Th-this book... I found it just lying there. It's written in a forbidden, ancient language."
Even saying the words made her flinch. Like the book might bite her. Like I might.
Kael and I both turned toward the tome. The cover was cracked leather, inked in symbols I didn't recognize. Yet… something about it felt familiar. Wrongly familiar.
"Can you read it?" I asked Kael.
He shook his head. "No. Not even close."
"Then we throw it back where it came from," I said sharply, reaching to take it from Liora.
That's when the pendant spoke again.
"No. Keep the book."
Its voice wasn't a whisper this time. It was a command. Cold and ancient. Like it came from somewhere buried under centuries of blood and dust.
I froze.
And then—a light. Blinding, eerie silver burst from the pendant hanging at my chest. Symbols lit up around me in the same language inked into the book.
My eyes widened.
Kael and Liora gasped, both recoiling as the pendant glowed like a second moon.
Kael stepped closer, eyes narrowed. "What is that?"
I blinked. "It's… a pendant?"
He rolled his eyes. "I can see that. Why is it glowing?"
"Oh, well, if I knew that," I said dryly, "don't you think I'd be the genius who knows everything despite being locked in a tower like a cursed princess her entire life?"
Kael didn't flinch. "You knew about the illusion. You're not as helpless as you pretend."
"I told you already," I snapped, "I read it in a fairytale book. Some maid felt sorry for me and gave it to pitiful little Elaris."
He didn't believe me. I didn't care.
"I'm not throwing this book away," I added, clutching it tight. "If this pendant can make me understand the language… it means it's connected. Somehow."
We were still arguing when Liora spoke up again, this time breathless. "M-My lady… Kael…"
Her voice wasn't shaking out of fear of me this time.
"Look. Over there."
We all turned.
Nothing.
Empty street. Faded bricks. Wind curling between shadows.
"What did you see?" Kael asked.
Liora hesitated. "A boy… a little boy. He walked into that shop. Only—he didn't use the door. He walked through the wall."
A heavy silence fell.
Kael tried to wave it off, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You're exhausted. Probably just your mind playing tricks."
But I saw the fear in Liora's eyes. That wasn't imagination. That was real.
Kael suggested a break, and I didn't argue. We found a small café tucked between crooked alleys, its windows fogged and warm. We ordered something sweet for Liora—small cakes dusted with powdered sugar—and sat at a shadowed corner table.
For a while, none of us spoke.
Until Kael leaned toward me and whispered, voice low and serious.
"My lady… don't turn around. But we're being followed."
I didn't even blink.
"I know," I whispered back.
Kael's eyes flicked toward the window again. "Lady Elaris… why didn't you tell me sooner?"
His voice was low, almost scolding, laced with concern—but also a bit of annoyance, like I'd kept him out of a secret he thought he deserved.
I scoffed under my breath. "And what would you have done if I had told you sooner?" I snapped quietly. "Liora would've freaked out and drawn even more attention."
Across from us, Liora shrank slightly into her chair at the sound of her name but didn't protest. She knew I was right. Her hands were still trembling, fiddling with the edge of her dress like she could braid away her fear.
Kael sighed. "Understood, my lady. But we need to do something about this man. We can't just sit here waiting to be ambushed."
"I know," I muttered, gaze shifting toward the door.
And that's when I saw it.
The same man… again.Same dark cloak. Same blank, unreadable face. Same slow, unbothered steps. He entered the café.
I blinked.
Then he entered again.
And again.
My blood ran cold.
He wasn't leaving. He just kept coming in. Like a loop. Like a broken record stitched into the seams of reality.
This isn't right… this is—
An anomaly.
I leaned forward slightly, breath shallow, staring. There were no footsteps exiting the café. No sign of a door opening to let him out. Just the same figure, appearing again and again like a glitch in time.
And then…The pendant at my neck whispered in that same low, ancient tone:
"You are right. This is an illusion."
My stomach dropped.
I turned to Kael, my voice low but urgent.
"Kael. Look behind you," I said, trying to keep my voice level.
He turned slightly, following my gaze. His brow furrowed. "Wait—didn't that man just walk in?"
"Exactly."
Liora leaned in, whispering, "But… he never left. How can he come in again?"
My heart started pounding. I stared at the man. Same clothes. Same gait. Same expression. Over and over.
Then it came again.
"You are right. This is an illusion. Its his doing"
The voice echoed inside my mind, like cold breath on the back of my neck. The pendant around my neck gave off a faint glow only I seemed to notice. I instinctively reached for it.
"My lady?" Kael said, confused.
I looked at him, my voice low. "This market. It's not real. It's all fake. A trick."
Kael scoffed but didn't laugh. "That's insane. We've been walking around it for an hour."
"The boy Liora saw. Walking through walls. The man looping through the door. It's all connected. We're inside something twisted."
Liora paled, clutching her dress. "You think someone is... doing this?"
I nodded slowly; eyes fixed on the looping man.
"I think we're already in the palm of his hand."
We've been trapped in this illusion since last night, Liora whispered, her voice trembling like a frightened animal."The inn itself… it's not real," she added, eyes wide with panic.
Kael's jaw clenched as he nodded. "Then we have to break free. But how?"
The pendant pulsed cold against my chest, its faint whisper curling in my mind like smoke. Read the book.
I glanced at Liora. "Give me the book you found."
Her hands trembled as she passed it over, and Kael's eyes locked onto me, full of surprise and something like hope.
"Maybe… all of this is connected," I said, voice low but steady. "Why else would that book be here—inside someone's illusion? We have to try."
Kael let out a slow breath. "Alright."
Liora's grip tightened around my sleeve, but she said nothing, eyes darting nervously around the shadowy streets outside.
I opened the book, pages yellowed and smelling of dust and secrets. My eyes scanned the words, drawn to the chapter titled Veil of Shadows: The Art of Illusion Weaving.
The words crawled under my skin as I read aloud:
"Illusions of this kind are no mere trick of light or mind. They are the blood-inked pacts of despair, forged in shadows beneath dying stars. The caster tears fragments of their own soul—pieces stained with their deepest fears—and weaves these fragments into the very fabric of reality. The illusion is a parasite, feeding off the pain and confusion of its victims, folding their senses until truth is buried beneath layers of nightmare.
To achieve this dark sorcery, the caster must offer a sacrifice—something living and precious—binding its essence to the web of lies. Each sacrifice twists the caster's humanity further, warping the illusion into something ever more real and suffocating. Those trapped cannot escape until the price is paid back, either in blood or soul.
Beware: the illusion consumes the sacrifice, but the debt never dies. It waits, clawing beneath the skin of the world, hungry to claim more."
My voice trembled when I spoke. "We have to… sacrifice something."
Kael's face went pale. "A sacrifice? What kind of sick magic is this? You're saying we need to kill someone… here? Now?"
Liora's eyes filled with tears. "But who? I can't… I won't let anyone die for this nightmare."
I clenched the pendant tight, feeling its faint glow warm against my palm. "I don't have a choice. If we want out, we have to pay their price."
The room seemed to grow colder. The walls pulsed like a living thing, breathing shadows in and out. I knew the illusion was watching. Waiting.
The shadows around me thickened, twisting like smoke curling through cracks in reality. The cold whisper of the pendant faded, replaced by a silence so heavy it pressed against my skin — and then the world cracked apart.
Far away, in the heart of the Empress's fortress…
The dimly lit chamber smelled of burning incense and ancient secrets. Seraphine's cold gaze pierced the darkness as a cloaked figure stepped forward, the faint sound of boots echoing on marble.
"You understand what is at stake," Seraphine said, voice smooth as silk but sharp as a blade. "That girl must be contained. Whatever it takes."
The man bowed slightly, shadows hiding his face. "Of course, my Empress. But you must know — my methods do not always align with your orders. I work in shadows the crown cannot touch."
A slow, cruel smile curved Seraphine's lip. "As long as the outcome serves me, your independence is… tolerated. Just remember, the line between ally and enemy is thin — and I do not suffer betrayal."
The man's eyes gleamed with something unreadable. "Neither do I."