Fragments of Truth

Nia and Zeke stepped out of the cavern into the cool afternoon air. The sun hung low in the sky, casting amber light across the jagged cliffs surrounding the riverbank. The echoes of the Watcher's final scream still lingered in Nia's ears.

Her legs felt heavy as they climbed over fallen rocks and patches of moss. Zeke's hand stayed firmly around hers, steadying her as they made their way toward the water's edge. The journal was tucked beneath his arm, its worn cover stained with dust and sweat.

Nia's chest still hummed with the spirals' energy—a soft, rhythmic pulse beneath her skin. It wasn't intrusive anymore. It felt… calm.

They reached the riverbank and sat on a smooth, flat stone. The water lapped gently at the shore. For the first time in what felt like days, the silence wasn't threatening. It was peaceful.

Zeke opened the journal, flipping through the pages. Faded ink lined the paper diagrams, sketches of the spiral, and notations in a language Nia couldn't quite decipher.

"It's incomplete," Zeke said.

Nia leaned closer. "What do you mean?"

He tapped one of the symbols near the bottom of the page. "These markings, Dr. Ibekwe mentioned them before. He thought they were part of an older language, something the spirals themselves were connected to."

Nia's brow furrowed. "An older language?"

Zeke nodded. "The spirals are ancient, but they weren't the beginning. The Watchers mentioned something older—something buried beneath the spirals' power."

Nia frowned. "If the spirals weren't the source of power, then what was?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Zeke's eyes darkened. "The Watchers weren't just trying to guard the spirals. They were trying to control whatever lies beneath them."

Nia's breath hitched. "And if we've awakened it…"

Zeke's jaw tightened. "Then we've only scratched the surface."

A chill settled over them despite the warm sun. Nia glanced down at her hands. A faint golden glow flickered along her fingertips before fading.

"We have a connection to the spirals now," she said. "What if we can use it to reach deeper—to find whatever's beneath it?"

Zeke hesitated. "If the Watchers were afraid of it, maybe there's a reason."

"Or maybe," Nia said, "they were afraid of us finding it."

Zeke closed the journal and tucked it beneath his arm. "It's a dangerous path, Nia."

"I know." Her eyes softened. "But we've come this far."

A breeze stirred through the trees, rustling the tall grass along the riverbank. Zeke's hand brushed against hers, his touch grounding her.

"You really think we're meant to uncover all of this?" he asked.

Nia's gaze drifted toward the horizon, where the river wound toward distant cliffs. "I think destiny brought us this far for a reason."

Zeke smiled faintly. "Destiny, huh?"

Nia shrugged. "It's as good an explanation as any."

He chuckled under his breath, then leaned closer. "If we do this… we do it together."

Nia turned toward him, her dark eyes catching the fading light. "Together," she agreed.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled. The stone at their feet groaned as a deep vibration surged through the earth.

Nia shot to her feet. "What was that?"

Zeke scanned the river. Ripples spread outward across the surface, distorting the reflection of the cliffs and sky.

A low rumble followed—a sound too steady to be thunder. Then the riverbank itself began to crack.

"Move!" Zeke grabbed her hand and pulled her back as the ground beneath their feet split apart. Water gushed through the widening crevice, swallowing the stone where they'd been sitting.

They stumbled toward higher ground as the river surged unnaturally fast. Beneath the roaring water, Nia glimpsed something dark—a shape shifting below the surface.

Her pulse hammered. "Zeke—do you see that?"

His eyes narrowed. "Yeah. And it's getting closer."

A black tendril of smoke curled up from the river, twisting through the air before dissolving. The spirals beneath Nia's skin pulsed hard. A wave of nausea swept through her.

"It's connected to the spirals," she said.

"Or to whatever's beneath them," Zeke added grimly.

Suddenly, the air chilled. The river's current slowed unnaturally, water rising in a thick column at the center of the crevice. From within the swirling water, a figure appeared.

This one wasn't like the Watcher they'd fought before. Its form was slender, draped in black and gold. A long veil covered its face, but beneath it, two glowing eyes burning amber, locked onto Nia.

A soft voice, laced with venom, slipped through the air.

"You have opened the gate."

Nia's mouth went dry. "Who are you?"

The figure's head tilted. "The beginning."

The spirals beneath Nia's skin burned suddenly, and she stumbled. Zeke caught her, but his gaze remained fixed on the figure.

"You carry the spirals' mark," the figure said. "And yet, you do not understand the price."

"The Watchers are gone," Zeke said. "You have no claim over us."

A soft, chilling laugh echoed through the air. "The Watchers were children guarding a gate they were too afraid to open." The figure's veil lifted slightly, revealing the edge of a pale mouth. "But you… you were foolish enough to open it."

The spirals beneath Nia's skin pulsed hard. She clenched her fists. "If you wanted the spirals back, you wouldn't have shown yourself. So what do you really want?"

The figure's burning eyes narrowed. "To test you."

The water exploded outward, and the figure moved—too fast to track. Zeke yanked Nia backward as a black tendril of smoke slashed through the space between them.

Nia spun toward the river and raised her hand. The spirals' energy surged to the surface, golden light pouring from her fingertips.

The figure's hand shot out, catching the light mid-air. Their mouth curved into a smile. "Yes… you are worthy."

Nia's pulse raced. The figure dissolved into shadow, the dark smoke sliding back into the depths of the river.

The water stilled. The tremors in the earth faded.

Zeke's breathing was ragged. "That wasn't a Watcher."

Nia wiped sweat from her brow. "No." Her voice hardened. "That was something worse."

Zeke exhaled sharply. "What now?"

Nia turned toward the river, her jaw tightening. "We find out what's beneath the spirals."

"And if it's worse than the Watchers?"

Nia's gaze sharpened. "Then we finish what we started."