Chapter 5: Whispers in the Dark

The walk home from the library was heavy with silence. Even Jace, who was rarely at a loss for words, said nothing. The weight of Mr. Hawthorne's warning sat on Kai's chest like a stone. Each step felt heavier, each shadow darker.

The machine in his backpack seemed to hum faintly now — not audibly, but in his mind. It was as if it had become a part of him, pulsing with secrets it refused to share.

By the time they reached Kai's front porch, the sun had dipped below the horizon, and the first stars blinked to life in the darkening sky. Jace hesitated.

"You sure you're okay, man?" he asked quietly.

Kai nodded, though he didn't feel okay. "Yeah. Just… need to figure this out."

Jace glanced over his shoulder nervously. "If you need me, you call, okay? I've got your back."

Kai managed a small smile. "I know."

As Jace walked off into the night, Kai slipped inside and locked the door behind him. The house was quiet. His mom was working late again, and the house always felt a little emptier when she wasn't there. He made his way to his room, dropped his bag on the desk, and sat down with a long sigh.

For a moment, he just stared at it. The leather straps of the bag, the faint outline of the device inside. His fingers trembled slightly as he unzipped it and carefully lifted the strange machine onto his desk.

It looked almost ancient, and yet impossibly advanced. The runes along its surface glowed faintly, pulsing with a soft, steady rhythm.

He hesitated — then touched it.

The moment his fingers made contact, his vision blurred. The room seemed to dissolve around him, and he was plunged into darkness.

And then… the whispers began.

They weren't words, not exactly. More like echoes of thoughts, fragments of voices layered on top of each other. He couldn't make sense of them — but he could feel their weight. Ancient. Powerful. Dangerous.

"Chosen…"

The word was clear. Loud, as if spoken directly into his ear. He jerked back, his heart hammering in his chest, and the world snapped back into focus. His room was exactly as it had been — but now, he was sweating, his pulse racing.

He looked down at the machine. Its glow had intensified.

What did it mean?

He needed help. But Mr. Hawthorne had said the path was his alone.

Unless…

He grabbed his phone and called the only other person he trusted.

Jace answered on the second ring. "Dude, I was about to text you. Something weird just happened."

Kai sat up straighter. "What?"

"I was halfway home, and I swear, Kai — I saw someone. Following me. Hooded. Didn't get a good look, but they disappeared as soon as I turned around."

Kai's heart sank. "They know."

Jace's voice lowered. "What do we do?"

Kai looked back at the machine. He didn't have all the answers yet, but one thing was clear: hiding wasn't going to work.

"We need to find out what this thing really is," Kai said. "Not just pieces of information — the full truth."

There was a pause on the line. Then Jace said, "The library's closed. Hawthorne won't talk."

"I know," Kai said. "But there's another place."

The archives.

The town archives were in the basement of the old courthouse. A place most people had forgotten even existed. Only accessible with a key — and Kai just happened to know where one was. His mom used to work there when he was a kid, cataloging old files. He remembered watching her tuck the spare key behind a loose brick in the courthouse garden.

"I'll meet you at the courthouse," Jace said, as if reading his mind.

Kai grabbed his hoodie, carefully wrapped the machine in a cloth, and slipped it into his backpack. He left a quick note for his mom — "Gone to Jace's, back soon" — and stepped out into the night.

The streets were quiet. Too quiet.

Kai couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. He quickened his pace, every rustle of leaves making his heart pound faster. When he finally reached the courthouse steps, Jace was already there, pacing nervously.

"Took you long enough," Jace whispered.

They moved quickly to the garden. Kai found the loose brick easily enough, prying it away to reveal the rusted key.

"Let's go."

The courthouse creaked as they entered, dust motes swirling in the beam of Kai's flashlight. The air was cold, heavy with the weight of forgotten things.

The stairwell to the basement groaned beneath their feet, each step echoing ominously. At the bottom, the metal door to the archives stood closed, but the key turned easily in the lock.

Inside, rows of old cabinets and shelves stretched out into the darkness. Faded files, maps, and yellowed newspapers lined every surface.

"Where do we even start?" Jace asked.

Kai took a deep breath. "Look for anything about artifacts… or ancient machines. Maybe even strange events from the town's past."

They split up, each moving to separate rows.

Minutes passed. The only sound was the rustle of paper and the creak of wood.

And then —

"Kai," Jace called softly. "You need to see this."

Kai hurried over. Jace had found a leather-bound journal, its pages filled with meticulous handwriting. The name on the first page read:

Elias Greystone.

Kai's blood ran cold.

"That's my grandfather's name," he whispered.

Jace's eyes widened. "Dude… I think this thing has been in your family for a long time."

Kai flipped through the pages. They spoke of ancient artifacts, secret societies, and the terrible price of wielding forbidden power. His grandfather had once held the machine — and had hidden it away to protect the world.

But at the end of the journal, there was a final, hurried note:

"They are coming. If you find this, it's already too late. Protect the key. Trust no one."

Before Kai could process what that meant, a soft noise echoed from upstairs.

The door.

Someone else was here.

Kai and Jace froze, eyes wide. Footsteps creaked on the floorboards above them.

And then… the stairs groaned.

Someone was coming down.