12.Fragments of the Forgotten

Darkness surrounded Adrian as he stood before his reflection—an older, colder version of himself. The twilight realm around him pulsed with an eerie energy, whispering forgotten secrets that sent shivers down his spine.

"You've come back," his reflection murmured, eyes gleaming with an unreadable emotion.

Adrian's heart pounded. "What do you mean? Who are you?"

His reflection smirked. "You already know. You just don't remember."

The words stirred something deep within him—a gnawing ache of familiarity. Images flashed through his mind: battles fought in a time long past, whispers of power, a throne shrouded in shadow. But they vanished before he could grasp them.

"Why are you showing me this?" Adrian demanded, his voice echoing in the emptiness.

The reflection tilted his head. "Because you are not yet whole. You are merely a shadow of what you were meant to be."

Before Adrian could respond, the ground beneath him trembled. A blinding light erupted between them, splitting the space apart. Adrian felt himself being yanked backward, his body flung through the void.

Adrian gasped as he jolted awake, his body drenched in sweat. His vision swam, the twilight realm replaced by the stone walls of the dungeon. The flickering torches cast long shadows, and the heavy air carried the scent of damp earth.

"Adrian?" Lila's voice pulled him back to reality. He turned to see her kneeling beside him, worry etched into her sharp features.

"You were out cold for a while," Maya added, arms crossed. "What happened?"

Adrian sat up, running a shaky hand through his hair. He hesitated. How could he explain what he saw? That he had spoken to himself—his past self?

"I… saw something," he finally admitted. "Memories. Or maybe just fragments."

Seraphina, who had been standing guard, stepped closer. "Did the abyss reveal them to you?"

Adrian exhaled. "I don't know. But something is missing. Something important."

Lila studied him, her crimson eyes searching for answers he couldn't yet provide. "Then we keep moving. Maybe we'll find the answers deeper inside."

He nodded, standing on unsteady legs. The moment he did, a familiar pulse of energy filled the chamber—the same presence from the abyss's challenge.

A deep, resonant voice echoed around them. "You are not yet worthy."

The torches dimmed, the air thickening with unseen force. Adrian felt an invisible weight press against him, like chains binding his soul.

Maya tensed. "What do you mean, 'not yet worthy'? Who decides that?"

The voice rumbled like distant thunder. "Only when you remember your truth shall you claim your right."

Lila's grip on her daggers tightened. "And how do we do that?"

Silence followed, stretching unbearably long. Then, a single phrase was spoken—one that sent a chill down Adrian's spine.

"The past will find you."

Before they could react, the chamber walls trembled. The ground beneath them cracked, and shadows surged forward, taking shape.

Adrian's breath hitched. The figures forming in the darkness were not monsters or illusions.

They were people.

People from his past.

Seraphina's eyes widened. "This… this is impossible."

Maya clenched her fists. "They look… familiar."

Adrian's heart pounded as he locked eyes with one of the figures—a woman with silver hair and piercing blue eyes, her gaze filled with sorrow and longing.

He knew her.

But from where?

The past was no longer waiting to be remembered.

It was coming for them.