Chapter 12: The Earth’s Warning

The air was heavy, thick with the scent of rain and something else—something metallic, like blood. The sky above was a swirling mass of dark clouds, the faint rumble of thunder echoing in the distance. I stood on the rooftop, my gaze fixed on the horizon, the city below a sea of flickering lights. The storm was coming, and with it, something far worse.

I felt it before I heard it—a shift in the air, a faint hum of energy that made my skin prickle. The Earth's Voice. It had been silent for days, but now it was back, its presence a weight in the back of my mind. I closed my eyes, trying to focus, but the voice was faint, its words distorted, like a whisper carried on the wind.

"Aurelia."

I opened my eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. The voice was clearer now, its tone urgent, almost desperate. "You need to listen."

I didn't respond, my gaze sweeping over the city as I tried to make sense of what I was hearing. The Earth's Voice had never been this insistent, this… afraid. Something was wrong. Something was coming.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The voice didn't respond right away, its presence fading for a moment before returning, stronger this time. "They're coming. The ancient ones. They're waking up."

I felt a chill run down my spine. The ancient ones. The beings Lucian had warned me about. The ones that could destroy everything.

"How much time do we have?" I asked, my voice steady despite the fear gnawing at the edges of my mind.

The voice hesitated, its tone uncertain. "Not much. Days. Maybe hours. You need to be ready."

I didn't respond, my mind racing as I tried to process what I was hearing. Days. Hours. It wasn't enough time. We weren't ready. I wasn't ready.

"What do I need to do?" I asked, my voice low and urgent.

The voice didn't respond right away, its presence fading again before returning, weaker this time. "Find the key. The artifact. It's the only way to stop them."

I frowned, my brow furrowing as I tried to make sense of what it was saying. The artifact. The one we had found in the hidden city. The one The Veil had stolen.

"Where is it?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The voice didn't respond, its presence fading completely, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I stood there for a moment, the weight of its words pressing down on me like a physical force. The ancient ones were waking up. The artifact was the key. And we were running out of time.

I turned away, my gaze sweeping over the rooftop as I tried to steady my breathing. The storm was coming, and with it, something far worse. We needed to be ready. We needed to find the artifact. But first, we needed to survive the night.

I felt a surge of determination, hot and sharp, burning in my chest. We weren't ready. But we didn't have a choice. We had to fight. We had to win.

I turned and headed for the door, my steps quick and purposeful. Lucian was waiting for me inside, his expression grim as he saw the look on my face.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice low and urgent.

I didn't respond right away, my gaze sweeping over the room as I tried to find the words. When I finally spoke, my voice was steady, despite the fear gnawing at the edges of my mind. "The Earth's Voice. It spoke to me."

Lucian's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing as he studied me. "What did it say?"

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. "The ancient ones. They're waking up. We don't have much time."

Lucian didn't respond right away, his gaze sweeping over the room as if he were seeing something I couldn't. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, almost reluctant. "How much time?"

I shook my head, my hands curling into fists at my sides. "Days. Maybe hours. We need to find the artifact."

Lucian nodded, his expression grim. "Agreed. But we need to be careful. The Veil will be watching."

I didn't respond, my mind racing as I tried to think of a way to get the artifact without alerting The Veil. It wouldn't be easy. They would be expecting us. But we didn't have a choice. We had to try.

I turned to Lucian, my voice low and urgent. "We need a plan."

He nodded, his gaze sweeping over the room as he considered our options. "We'll need to move quickly. Hit them hard and fast. Get in, get the artifact, and get out."

I didn't respond, my mind racing as I tried to think of a way to do that without getting caught. The Veil would be waiting for us. They would be ready. But we didn't have a choice. We had to try.

I felt a surge of frustration, hot and sharp, burning in my chest. "This is impossible."

Lucian didn't respond, his expression grim as he moved closer to me. "We don't have a choice. We have to try."

I didn't respond, my gaze sweeping over the room as I tried to steady my breathing. The storm was coming, and with it, something far worse. We needed to be ready. We needed to find the artifact. But first, we needed to survive the night.

I turned to Lucian, my voice low and urgent. "Let's go."

He nodded, his expression grim as he headed for the door. I followed close behind, my hand reaching for the knife I kept hidden in my coat. The storm was coming, and with it, something far worse. We needed to be ready. We needed to fight.

We stepped out into the night, the air thick with the scent of rain and something else—something metallic, like blood. The city was quiet, the streets empty, the only sound the faint rumble of thunder in the distance. But I could feel it—the weight of something vast and terrible pressing down on me, like a storm gathering on the horizon.

The ancient ones were waking up. The artifact was the key. And we were running out of time.