Chapter 18: The Keeper’s Game

Evelyn found herself standing in an unfamiliar place, a vast, endless void where the air was thick and suffocating. The sky above her stir like a storm, heavy with dark, shifting clouds. There was no light, no stars, just an unnatural red glow that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.

A voice whispered her name. "Evelyn…"

The sound sent a chill down her spine. It wasn't Ronan's voice. Not exactly. It was layered, distorted, carrying something darker beneath it. She turned around quickly, her heart pounding.

Ronan stood a few feet away, his figure blending with the shadows. But there was something wrong. His face hovering, shifting between the man she knew and something monstrous, something ancient.

"Ronan?" she called out, stepping closer. He smiled, but it wasn't the warm, teasing smirk she remembered. It was hollow. Cold.

"You're not real," she whispered, shaking her head. "This is just a dream."

He moved his head more closer, watching her carefully. "Are you sure?"

The world around them trembled, and suddenly, Evelyn felt herself being pulled forward, drawn toward him against her will. The shadows wrapped around her ankles, climbing up her legs like living vines.

"Ronan, stop!" she shouted, struggling against the force.

His face flared again, his eyes turning black, his skin stretching as if something inside him was trying to break free.

"You already belong to me, Evelyn."

The voice wasn't his anymore. It was deeper, ancient, laced with something dangerous. The shadows surged toward her, wrapping around her throat….

And then, she woke up.

Evelyn gasped, jerking upright in bed, her lungs burning as if she had been drowning.

Her hands flew to her throat. It wasn't real. It wasn't real…She forced herself to breathe, but her entire body was trembling, the dream had felt different. Too vivid. Too real.

And that voice…

It wasn't Ronan's.

For a moment, she could still see his face, the way it had flared, the way something monstrous had peered through his skin like a mask. But she shook her head violently, refusing to accept what her mind was trying to tell her.

"It was just a nightmare." Nothing more.

But deep down, something told her that wasn't true.

 Her Mother's Warning

Evelyn rushed out of her room, searching for her mother. She found her in the sitting room, her hands hovering over a bowl of water, murmuring something under her breath. The moment Evelyn entered, the water rippled violently as if disturbed by an unseen force.

Her mother's gaze snapped to her. "You saw something," she said immediately.

Evelyn hesitated. "It was just a dream."

Her mother's expression hardened. "Tell me everything."

Evelyn exhaled, recounting the nightmare, the shifting shadows, the voice, the suffocating darkness. When she finished, her mother's face was furious.

"That wasn't a dream, Evelyn," she said. "That was a warning."

Evelyn grabbed her fists. I don't believe that. Ronan wouldn't…

"He's not Ronan anymore," her mother interrupted, her voice sharp. You refuse to see it, but I won't let you be blind to the truth.

Evelyn swallowed hard. Then tell me, Mother. What am I missing?

Her mother's eyes darkened. "The Keep is using Ronan's body to get to you. And if you don't wake up to that fact soon, he will destroy you."

A shiver ran through Evelyn, but she shook her head stubbornly.

"No," she said firmly. "Ronan is still in there. I know it. I felt it."

Her mother sighed. You don't have time to hold on to feelings, Evelyn. You must prepare. I will teach you how to harness your powers, how to protect yourself. If you don't, you will lose everything.

Evelyn's chest hurts, but she nodded.

She didn't believe Ronan was completely gone, but she would train. Because if there was even the smallest chance of saving him…

She would take it.

 Damien's Confrontation

Damien moved through the forest, his body tense with anger. He had seen what was happening to Ronan. And he wasn't going to let it continue. He found him standing near the edge of the clearing, staring up at the blood red moon.

"You need to stop this," Damien said, stepping forward.

Ronan didn't turn. "Stop what?"

"Whatever the hell you're doing to Evelyn," Damien responded.

Ronan finally looked at him, a slow smirk playing on his lips. "You always were protective of her."

Damien was ready to throw a punch. "I know what's inside you, Ronan. I saw it. I felt it. You're not yourself anymore."

Ronan's expression didn't change. "And if I told you that I've never felt more myself?"

Damien took a slow step forward. I don't believe that. The Ronan I knew would never hurt Evelyn. He would rather die first.

Ronan's smirk delayed for a brief moment but then, something in the air shifted.The shadows around them moved.

And Damien saw it.

His brother's face changed just for a second. His features distorted, revealing something lurking beneath his skin.

Something ancient…Something strong.

Damien's breath fastened.

"The Keep," he whispered.

Ronan's lips curled. "Ah. You're quicker than I thought."

The shadows lashed out faster than Damien could react.

 Evelyn Sees the Truth

Evelyn had followed Damien into the woods. She had sensed something wrong, a strange energy pulling her toward the clearing.And what she saw stopped her heart.

Ronan stood there, his face moved between himself and something horrific. His eyes black, his body surrounded by creepy shadows.

Damien was pinned against a tree, struggling against an invisible force.

And then….

Evelyn's mother appeared.

She raised her hand, and a bright light exploded from her palm, slicing through the shadows.

Ronan snapped, staggering backward as the darkness retreated. For just a second, his expression was pained as if the real Ronan was fighting against something inside him.

And then, he turned. His eyes locked onto Evelyn.

Her heart stopped, because she saw it…The thing inside of him.

The truth.

The shadows twisted, and before she could even blink, Ronan disappeared into the night. But the damage was done.

Evelyn had seen, and for the first time… she knew her mother had been right.

Ronan was gone.

And what stood in his place was something else, something that wanted her dead.

Her fingers curled into fists.

She would train, she would prepare because if she had to fight the Keep to bring Ronan back…

She wouldn't hesitate.

Even if it meant destroying him in the process.

 ….Continue….