The Letter of the Past

A mysterious letter arrives at Liora's doorstep, written in a language she shouldn't understand but inexplicably does. The handwriting is hers, yet the ink is centuries old. The message reads: "Don't trust him, no matter what he tells you." Liora is thrown into further turmoil who is the warning meant for? Elias? Dante? Or someone else entirely?

The silence in Liora's apartment was thick, broken only by the rhythmic pounding of rain against the window. Elias stood near the shattered doorway, his stance rigid, his golden-amber eyes scanning the room as if expecting the Warden to return at any moment. Liora sat on the couch, hands clenched in her lap, her mind still reeling from what had just happened.

She had always believed that music had power, but never like this. Never had she imagined that a song could stir forces beyond her understanding, forces that seemed hell-bent on stopping her from uncovering the truth.

Elias finally turned to her. "Are you hurt?"

Liora shook her head. "Not physically. But I need to know what's going on, Elias. No more riddles. No more warnings without explanations."

He ran a hand through his damp hair, sighing. "I know. And you'll get answers. But first, we need to leave."

She frowned. "Leave? Go where?"

"Somewhere safe." He glanced toward the door, where tendrils of shadow still clung to the air, dissipating slowly. "They won't stop, Liora. The Warden isn't just a messenger. It's an enforcer. And now that it's marked you, it will return."

A chill ran down her spine. "Marked me? What does that even mean?"

Elias hesitated, then crossed the room and knelt in front of her. "It means they see you as a threat. You're remembering too much, too fast. And if you continue down this path, the cycle will shift in ways they can't predict."

Liora's hands curled into fists. "Good. Let them be afraid. I'm tired of being in the dark."

Elias let out a humorless chuckle. "Your stubbornness hasn't changed. Not in this life, or any of the others."

Her breath caught. "Any of the others?"

He exhaled and reached into his coat, pulling out something wrapped in parchment. "I was going to wait until you were ready. But I don't think we have that luxury anymore."

Liora took the object from him, peeling away the wrapping with careful fingers. Inside was an aged envelope, its paper yellowed and fragile. The wax seal bore an intricate crest one she didn't recognize but sent a strange pulse of familiarity through her.

She looked up at Elias. "What is this?"

"A letter. From you." His voice was quiet, weighted with something she couldn't quite name. "From another life."

Liora's fingers trembled slightly as she broke the seal and unfolded the letter. The handwriting was elegant, looping—so achingly familiar it made her chest tighten.

To the one who will find this…

You don't remember yet, but you will. When the time is right, the music will lead you back, as it always has. You must not trust him, no matter what he tells you.

Liora's pulse thundered in her ears. She looked up sharply. "Who is 'him'?"

Elias held her gaze, his expression unreadable. "That's what we need to find out."