Chapter 11: Whispers in the Dark

The night was unusually still when Kai stepped out of the Orion Archives. The moon hung high, casting silver beams that painted the city streets in a ghostly glow. But Kai's mind was too restless to admire the beauty of the night.

Elysia... Songkeeper... Bound by fate...

The words spun in his head like a haunting melody. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching him.

As he walked toward his apartment, he felt a sudden chill in the air. His footsteps echoed loudly in the empty streets, and then

A soft melody, faint but clear, danced through the wind.

Kai froze. His heart pounded. It was the same song he heard when he first touched the Celestial Echo. The same song from his visions.

"Who's there?" Kai called out, scanning the shadows.

No answer. Only the sound of the mysterious melody, growing stronger.

Gripping his bag that held the Echoes of Elysia book, Kai followed the sound. His feet moved on their own, as if drawn by an unseen force. The melody guided him through winding alleys until he reached an old abandoned garden, overgrown and wild.

In the center stood a stone fountain, long dried up and cracked by time. But carved on its base were symbols the same ones etched into the Celestial Echo.

Kai stepped closer, reaching out to trace the markings.

As soon as his fingers touched the stone, the melody stopped.

Silence.

Then, a soft whisper broke the quiet.

"Kai…"

His breath caught in his throat. The voice was close, as if someone stood right behind him. Slowly, he turned

But there was no one there.

Still, the whisper lingered in the air, like an echo of the past.

"Find me… before the darkness does."

A sharp wind swept through the garden, carrying the whisper away, but Kai stood frozen.

He now knew the truth

He wasn't alone in this journey. And something dark was also searching… for her.

And he had to reach her first.