CHAPTER SEVEN – THE LANGUAGE OF THE SHADOWS

The night air hung thick with whispers. Selene stood before the ancient archway, its symbols still pulsing faintly from her touch. The light that had erupted moments ago was gone, but the sensation it left behind lingered—a quiet hum beneath her skin, like something stirring in her veins.

Asrael watched her carefully. His golden eyes, sharp and calculating, flickered between her and the now-dormant stone.

"You did something back there," he finally said. "Spoke something. Ancient."

Selene swallowed, flexing her fingers. They still tingled, like the remnants of static clinging to her skin. "I didn't mean to. The words just…came to me. Like they were waiting."

He exhaled sharply, glancing around the clearing. "That's what worries me. Magic tied to instinct is the most dangerous kind. It means you're not just using it—you're connected to it."

Selene met his gaze, something inside her tightening. "Connected how?"

Asrael hesitated. Then, stepping closer, he lifted a hand, tracing one of the faded symbols on the arch. "There was a time when only a handful of beings could speak the old tongue. Not learned, not taught. Born into it. And those who carried it…were never meant to exist in this world."

Her breath hitched. "Then what does that make me?"

He looked at her for a long look before responding. "An error. or a foretelling. I'm not really sure which 

🔥 REVERBERATION OF THE PAST 🔥

Between them, the words weighed heavily. Selene tried to steady herself by clenching her fists, but something happened as soon as her curled inward . The atmosphere around her changed. The wind stilled. And in the silence, she heard it—the voices.

Faint, whispering.

She turned sharply, scanning the darkness. "Do you hear that?"

Asrael frowned. "Hear what?"

"The voices." They were growing louder, insistent, pressing into her mind like fingers digging into her skull. She squeezed her eyes shut, but it didn't help. "They're speaking…they're saying—"

The words ripped from her throat before she could stop them. A string of syllables in a language she didn't know yet somehow understood. The moment they left her lips, the world trembled.

The archway glowed once more, but this time it was bright and intense rather than dim. Ghostly figures shadows of the past formed as energy rushed from the earth.

The visions sharpened, and Selene gasped. Before time wore it down a temple stood lofty figures draped in silver robes, hands lifted in prayer. And in the center—

A woman. Looked familiar.

Her face was obscured, blurred by time, but Selene felt it in her chest, in her bones. This woman—she was connected to her.

"Selene." Asrael's voice cut through the vision, sharp with urgency. "Stop."

She barely heard him. Her feet moved forward on their own, drawn toward the glowing arch. The woman in the vision turned, and though Selene couldn't see her eyes, she felt them.

"You are not ready." The voice, which was a command rather than a murmur, reverberated in her head.

She staggered backwards as a force struck her chest. The light went off. The voices ceased

Once again, night was quiet.

🔥 REVALATIONS AND QUESTIONS 🔥

Selene sat up, gasping for air. Asrael was kneeling next to her, his face unreadable. "That was memory. Old memory."

Selene pressed a hand to her temple, her skull throbbing. "She knew me. I could feel it."

He nodded, glancing at the now-dormant archway. "Then she's part of whatever this is. And if she's warning you…we need to take that seriously."

She let out a shaky breath. "I don't even know where to start."

Asrael hesitated, then smirked slightly. "That's where I come in."

Selene arched a brow. "And why's that?"

"Because I've been running from Heaven's executioners long enough to know one thing—when something old stirs, something worse always follows. And I'd rather not be caught off guard when that happens."

She almost laughed. Almost. "So you're saying I should just trust you?"

His smirk deepened. "I'm saying you don't have much choice."

Despite everything—the visions, the fear, the uncertainty—Selene found herself almost comforted by that. Almost.

Because deep down, she knew this was only the beginning.