A Deal with the Shadows

Evelyn stood in the candlelit room, her resolve hardening like tempered steel. Lucien had just confessed the truth—that they had loved each other once, that the council had erased her from history, and that her return threatened the very fabric of their world. But if they thought she would simply disappear again, they were sorely mistaken.

"Then we fight," Evelyn said, lifting her chin. "We find a way to stop them before they erase me again."

Lucien studied her, his expression unreadable. "It won't be easy. The council controls time itself. They could make it so that you never existed at all."

"Then we need allies," she said firmly. "Someone who opposes them. Someone with enough power to counter theirs."

Lucien hesitated, his fingers tightening around the edge of the desk. "There's only one person who might be willing to go against them."

Evelyn narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

Lucien exhaled heavily, pushing away from the desk and moving toward a locked drawer. He retrieved a small key from his coat pocket and slid it into the lock, opening the drawer with a quiet click. From within, he pulled out an ancient-looking scroll, bound with a crimson ribbon.

"The Shadow Broker," he said, unrolling the parchment. "A being who exists outside of time. They deal in secrets, power, and forbidden knowledge. But their price is steep."

Evelyn stepped closer, reading the strange, shifting script on the scroll. "You've dealt with them before."

Lucien's jaw tensed. "Once. And I paid a price I'm still repaying."

A cold shiver ran through her. "What kind of price?"

Lucien met her gaze, his expression dark. "A piece of my soul."

Evelyn sucked in a breath, her fingers gripping the edge of the scroll. "And you're willing to do it again?"

He hesitated, then nodded. "If it means protecting you, then yes."

A lump formed in her throat. No one had ever fought for her like this before. Not in this way. The weight of his sacrifice pressed against her chest, but she knew that this battle wasn't just his to fight.

"Then we do this together," she said. "I won't let you carry this burden alone."

Lucien's lips parted slightly, surprise flickering across his face before something softer settled in his gaze. He gave a small nod. "Then we leave at dawn. The Shadow Broker only grants an audience under the first light of the sun."

Evelyn clenched her fists, feeling the fire of determination burn within her. If the council had stolen her past, she would reclaim it. If they tried to erase her again, she would carve her name into history herself.

No more running. No more being erased.

She was here to stay.