The Council’s Judgment

Evelyn swallowed hard as the robed figures stepped into the room, their presence exuding an air of authority that sent a chill through her spine. Each one bore an intricate golden emblem on their chests—symbols she didn't recognize but felt eerily significant. The masked man beside her straightened, his previous urgency now hidden behind an unreadable expression.

The tallest of the figures, an older man with silver streaks in his dark hair, stepped forward. His gaze settled on Evelyn, scrutinizing her as if trying to peel back layers of her existence. "So, you are the anomaly."

Evelyn tightened her grip on the book against her chest. "Anomaly?"

A woman among them tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her sharp, calculating eyes. "She looks… familiar."

Evelyn's breath caught. The masked man, now unmasked, shifted ever so slightly, positioning himself between her and the council. "She is a guest," he said, his voice even, yet firm. "One who arrived here by mistake."

The older man narrowed his eyes. "A mistake, you say?"

His gaze moved toward the book in Evelyn's hands, and for the briefest moment, his expression faltered. Recognition? Fear? She couldn't tell, but she knew one thing—she was in danger.

"What is your name, girl?" the older man demanded.

Evelyn hesitated. The stranger's warning echoed in her mind. Do not trust anyone who recognizes you. Say nothing about where you came from.

She took a slow breath. "I…"

A sudden crackling sound filled the air, like energy stirring within the very walls of the room. One of the other council members flinched, turning to the older man. "Master Aldric, do you feel that?"

The older man—Aldric—stared at Evelyn as if she had just set something in motion. "Impossible," he murmured. "She is unbound."

The woman beside him frowned. "Yet she carries the book."

Evelyn's heartbeat pounded in her ears. What did they mean by 'unbound'? Why did they fear the book in her hands?

"She must be detained," Aldric finally said. "We will determine the extent of the damage once—"

"Absolutely not." The masked man—her only ally in this place—spoke with a sharpness that silenced the room. "She is under my protection."

Aldric's gaze darkened. "You would stake your claim on her? Do you understand what that means?"

A muscle in the stranger's jaw twitched. "I do."

The room grew impossibly still. Evelyn glanced at him, searching for answers in his stoic expression, but his gaze remained locked with Aldric's.

Finally, Aldric let out a slow breath. "Very well," he said, though his tone carried a veiled threat. "But if she disrupts the balance, the consequences will be yours to bear."

Evelyn's stomach twisted. Balance? What had she just become a part of?

The council members exchanged glances before turning to leave. As they disappeared through the doorway, Aldric paused, casting one last look over his shoulder. "Do not let history repeat itself, Lucien."

And then, they were gone.

Evelyn turned sharply to the man—Lucien. "What just happened? Who are they? And what did he mean by 'history repeating itself'?"

Lucien let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. "It means that you and I have a past, Evelyn," he murmured. "One that neither of us were supposed to remember."