Chapter 91: Whispers in darkness
Alessia’s breath fogged against the mirror as though the glass itself resisted her reflection.
Her hands trembled when her gaze lifted yet it was not the woman she knew staring back.
The reflection shimmered, then shifted. She saw herself... but not quite herself.
She was standing outside, not in her nightgown but draped in power.
A crimson cloak swept over her shoulders, and a black book rested against her palm as if it had been born from her blood.
The city bowed at her feet, streets lit with fire and reverence.
Two columns of light like soldiers carved from eternity stood at her sides.
Her voice, though she hadn’t spoken, rolled over the city like thunder.
Every word was law. Every breath was worship.
Her heart pounded. Why am I outside when I am still here? Why do I feel her power coursing through me?
A tremor of fear and awe spread through her as she whispered, "I need to go downstairs... I need to meet her my replica, i really don’t understand what’s going on and I can’t find any familia faces not even my husband or any familiar guards. I just need to see this replica right now and let be certain about what’s happening ".
But the moment her fingers reached for the door, she jolted awake.
The room was still.... Too still.
Her breath quickened when she noticed the bed. She wasn’t alone, the room was dark but a faint light reflected on the window. She gaze from the window back to the bed, and turn to look at what’s next to her.
She saw an unrecognised figure lay beside her, draped in shadow, the air colder where it breathed. A wrinkled hand, dry as parchment, slid across her thigh.
Her blood froze.
"What is it, my queen?" The voice was old, gravelly, almost a whisper from a tomb. Slowly, its head turned toward her skin stretched too thin across a skull, hollow eyes glittering with something not alive.
Alessia screamed. She seized the nearest pillow and struck, over and over, desperate to drive the nightmare back into the dark.
The figure crumbled, folding into mist.
Her eyes snapped open again.
And this time, it was Luca.
Bandages still wrapped his chest, his face pale but alive, his eyes full of startled concern.
"Alessia," he rasped, reaching for her wrists before she could strike again. "It’s me."
Her chest heaved, the pillow slipping from her trembling grip. Then, with a sob, she hurled herself into his arms, clinging to him as though he were the last reality left.
********
The morning sun crept across the hills of Garam as Donato adjusted the strap of his bag.
His body still bore the weight of wounds, but his eyes carried something stronger, unyielding purpose.
"Princess Elowen," he said, his voice low, steady. "We shall go to River Sile. My father told me... when the black book escapes from the hands of the unworthy, it seeks refuge there. If it is not, then I will lay this mission to rest."
Princess Elowen’s lips curved in a faint, determined smile. "Then we will go together."
Jackson’s mother pressed parcels of food into their hands. Breads, dried meat, bottled water, things to last the long trek.
Her gaze lingered on Donato with a mother’s weight. "You carry more than a mission, boy. You carry the thread of your family."
Donato bowed his head, humbled. Then he clasped Jackson’s hand, eyes fierce. "I will return Or my blood will."
The path stretched out, lonely and lined with dry leaves.
Minutes later after they had bide Jackson and his family off
The crunch of their footsteps was the only song until another set joined theirs hurried, stumbling.
"Wait for me..." a tiny voice called.
They turned.
And saw Jackson, he was racing toward them, sweat dampening his brow, determination in his stride.
His voice cracked but carried resolve. "I won’t let you go without me. If fate is dragging you into hell, I will be there too."
Princess Elowen’s lips curved into the smallest of smiles. "Then so be it. Three against the dark."
Donato asked, "not a good idea, I’ll like you to go back to your parent at once "....
Jackson smiled cute, he blush on his cheeks, "I had their blessing before coming, and it will be an adventure to tell my mates in school "....
Luca sigh and they continued toward River Sile unaware that shadows trailed them like wolves.....
********
Seraphina and the Atlan Master, far across the sea, beneath vaulted stone and flickering torches, Seraphina knelt before the Atlan Master once more.
His beard caught the glow of candlelight as he traced a dagger across the map sprawled before him.
"You have failed to break Luca," he murmured, voice laced with disdain. "But the wheel turns, Seraphina. We no longer need to break him. We cut out the core, like I said earlier."
"Alessia," Seraphina hissed, her tongue curling with venom at the name.
The master’s eyes gleamed. "Yes.... She is the key, She is the curse.
Luca’s shield is not his empire, not his guns, not even his blood. It is her. Break her... and the empire rots."
Seraphina’s nails dug into her palms until blood welled. "Then tell me how."
The master leaned closer, his whisper colder than winter. "We make her believe she is not herself. We make her dream of power until she fears her own reflection. Then we strike, not with steel, but with the mind. Illusions, Shadows. A touch that feels like love but drains like poison. She will unravel from within."
Seraphina’s lips curved into a smile sharp as glass. "And when she falls?"
The master’s laughter filled the chamber like a dirge. "When she falls, Luca will burn the world... and in that fire, we shall crown ourselves kings."
*********
Alessia’s frantic sobs softened into tremors as she buried her face against Luca’s chest.
His arms wrapped around her, bandaged yet strong, his touch steady even as her heart raced like a storm.
"What is it, my love?" he asked gently, brushing her hair back with trembling fingers.
"I—I had a nightmare," she whispered, her voice breaking.
His dark eyes softened with tenderness, though a shadow lingered there. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Shh... calma, amore. Don’t frighten yourself more. Whatever it was, it is gone now. I am here."
Her grip tightened around him, desperate, as though if she let go the nightmare might return.
"I won’t ask what it was," Luca murmured against her hair. "Not until dawn. No need to give it power in the dark."
His hand slid up her back, soothing, grounding. "Rest, my queen. Let me hold you until morning. You are safe in my arms."
He kissed her again, softer, reverent.
Then he drew her into his chest, tucking her beneath his chin, his warmth wrapping around her like a shield.
"Close your eyes, amore. Just listen to my heartbeat. It’s still here because of you. It will always be here for you."
And as sleep slowly reclaimed her, she heard his final promise, whispered like a vow etched into her soul:
"I’m here for you. Always.....
Alessia knew the very moment Luca’s exhaustion claimed him, his breaths slowed, his body heavy, his warmth anchoring her against his chest.
His arm curled protectively around her, his heartbeat steady against her cheek - Safety.
That was what it felt like with him, Pure safety wrapped in the strength of a man the world feared.
But her mind refused rest.
The wrinkled woman’s face lingered in the shadows of her thoughts, slipping in and out like a ghost mocking her sanity.
Alessia blinked against the darkness, her eyes wide open while sleep played cruel tricks on her.
Every time she tried to close them, she saw the woman again.. smiling toothless, whispering, pulling her deeper into a void she could not escape.
"My woman..." Luca’s voice broke through her racing mind, rough and deep, thick with sleep.
His arm tightened around her waist as if sensing her fear even in his dreams. "Should I turn on the light if you are still scared?"
Her lips parted, but she forced a steady tone. "No, sleep, sweetheart. I’m fine."
But it was a lie.
Her body begged for rest, but her spirit stayed awake, restless. And then.....
The sound shattered the silence.
Her name, from outside the room’s door.
Not whispered, not spoken, but dragged. Pulled out of the dark like a curse.
"A-l-e-s-s-i-aaaaa..."
The voice stretched, eerie, echoing from just beyond the door.
Her breath froze.
Luca’s eyes snapped open, his body instantly alert.
He sat up, his hand reaching instinctively toward the drawer where his gun rested.
Alessia’s heart hammered, but a twisted relief coiled through her chest, she wasn’t imagining it this time. It was real.
Luca rose from the bed, but her fingers clung desperately to his thigh, trembling.
"Please," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Don’t go... don’t open the door."
His face frown , eyes dark and unyielding.
But for a fleeting second, his hand brushed hers, a silent promise that no darkness could ever steal her while he still breathed.
And still, the voice called her name again...