Chapter Three: The Search for Answers

Aria's heart pounded as she stood in the dimly lit church, staring at the cloaked man.

"You already know."

The words echoed in her mind, unsettling and absolute.

She swallowed hard, tightening her fists. "I don't know you."

The man took a step forward, his movements eerily smooth, his boots making no sound against the stone floor.

"But you know what I am."

Aria's breath caught.

He wasn't human.

She had sensed it the moment she saw him—just like she sensed the creatures that lurked in the shadows.

Her fingers itched to reach for the dagger at her thigh, but she didn't move. Not yet.

She needed answers, not another fight.

"Then tell me," she said, forcing steel into her voice. "What are you?"

The man tilted his head, watching her the way a predator watches its prey.

"A messenger."

Aria stiffened. "For who?"

A slow, amused smile spread across his lips. "You ask the wrong question."

Her patience snapped. "Then what's the right one?"

The man took another step, and for the first time, she noticed something wrong about the way his cloak moved—like the fabric itself wasn't entirely solid, shifting between shadow and substance.

"The question you should ask is…" He paused, eyes gleaming in the dim candlelight.

"Who are you?"

Aria's chest tightened.

A trick.

A distraction.

She didn't fall for it.

"I know who I am," she said sharply. "But I don't know why things keep happening to me. I don't know why I see them. Why they won't leave me alone. And I don't know why you're here."

The man smiled again. "You're looking for a teacher."

Aria flinched.

How did he know?

Her silence was enough of an answer.

The man exhaled slowly, almost as if he found her reaction amusing. "You're right to seek guidance. But be careful what you search for, Seer."

She bristled at the name.

"Why?"

His gaze darkened. "Because if you dig too deep, you may not like what you find."

A chill spread through her limbs, but she didn't let it show.

"You didn't answer my question," she said.

He smirked. "No, I didn't."

The tension stretched between them, thick and heavy.

Aria clenched her jaw. She wouldn't get anything more from him.

And yet…

She had the distinct feeling that he had given her just enough to push her in the right direction.

A warning.

A clue.

And perhaps… a test.

She took a slow breath. "If you won't help me, I'll find someone who will."

The man chuckled, stepping back toward the shadows. "I never said I wouldn't help you."

Before she could respond, he vanished.

Gone.

Like the creatures that haunted her.

Aria let out a shaky breath, her fingers twitching at her sides.

This was getting worse.

She needed answers.

And she needed them now.

The next morning, Aria left the village.

She had no plan, no map, no clear destination—only a feeling in her gut that she had to leave.

If she stayed, things would only get worse.

The whispers had already grown louder. The way the townspeople looked at her was different now—less with fear, and more with expectation.

As if they were waiting for something to happen.

She couldn't risk it.

She walked for miles, the dirt road stretching endlessly ahead. The trees grew thicker as she left the familiarity of the village behind, the morning sun barely cutting through the heavy fog that clung to the earth.

She knew there were others like her out there.

There had to be.

Someone who could teach her.

Someone who could tell her why she was like this.

But as she walked deeper into the unknown, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she wasn't just looking for a teacher.

She was looking for herself.

And she wasn't sure if she'd like what she found.

Aria's legs ached from walking, but she didn't stop. She couldn't.

The trees around her grew taller, their branches twisting like skeletal fingers against the overcast sky. The air was heavy, damp with the scent of moss and decay. She hadn't seen another soul in hours—not a traveler, not a village, not even a bird in the trees.

It was as if the world had emptied, leaving only her and the silence.

She exhaled, forcing herself to focus.

She had left the village to find someone—anyone—who could explain what was happening to her. Someone who knew about the creatures. Someone who understood why they followed her.

She had no name. No direction.

Just the pull in her chest, an unshakable instinct leading her forward.

The path narrowed, winding between jagged cliffs. The farther she walked, the colder it became, the wind biting through her cloak.

She had just begun to consider stopping when she saw it—a figure standing in the middle of the path.

Aria froze.

The figure stood tall, unmoving, their face hidden beneath the hood of a tattered robe. They held a wooden staff, its tip carved into the shape of an eye.

A watcher.

She knew, even before they spoke.

"You have come far, Seer."

Aria's breath hitched.

The voice was ancient—not old, not frail, but heavy with the weight of centuries.

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to stand tall. "Who are you?"

The figure didn't answer.

Instead, they turned, walking deeper into the forest.

A silent invitation.

Aria hesitated.

But only for a moment.

She followed.

The journey was long, the silence between them thick. Aria didn't ask where they were going—she wasn't sure the stranger would answer.

Finally, they reached a clearing.

A ruin stood at its center—crumbled stone pillars, a shattered archway, and what remained of a once-great temple, its foundation cracked by time.

The stranger stepped forward, stopping before an altar covered in faded runes. They turned to face her.

"You seek knowledge."

Aria nodded.

"You wish to understand what you are."

"Yes."

The hooded figure lifted their staff, tapping the altar. "Then understand this—your power is not yours alone."

Aria stiffened. "What do you mean?"

The figure let out a slow breath. "Your blood remembers. Your ancestors called upon the Sight, and in return, they became its servants."

Aria's pulse quickened.

"Servants?"

The stranger tilted their head. "The Sight is not a gift, child. It is a contract. And you are bound to it, just as they were."

A chill ran through her.

This wasn't what she had expected.

"I never agreed to anything."

The figure chuckled. "Neither did they."

Aria's stomach twisted.

She had hoped to learn why she was this way, to understand what made her different.

But this…

This was something else.

A fate she had never chosen.

"How do I stop it?" she whispered.

The stranger stilled.

For the first time, Aria felt something shift—hesitation.

"You do not," they said.

Aria's hands clenched. "There has to be a way."

The figure sighed, turning back to the altar. "There is only one way to break a contract."

She waited, her heart thundering.

"You must find the one who forged it."

Aria's breath caught.

Her ancestor.

The one who had first called upon the Sight.

She had to find them—or what remained of them.

Her blood.

Her past.

And maybe, just maybe, the key to breaking the curse.

Aria swallowed hard.

She had her answer.

But she also had a new question.

Who had done this?

And why?

As she turned to leave, the hooded figure spoke one last time.

"Be careful what you seek, Seer. Some answers should remain buried."

Aria didn't look back.

She had no choice.

She had to dig.

Even if she didn't like what she found