CHAPTER 20

Chapter Twenty

The Man with Silver Eyes

Rain lashed the lake's surface as Amelia sat by the fire Kaia and Edward had built. Her clothes clung to her like second skin, and her dark hair hung heavy over her shoulders, still soaked from the dive.

She hadn't spoken since she surfaced.

Kaia pressed a cup of warm tea into her hands. "You're freezing."

Amelia stared into the flames. "She stayed behind."

Edward's breath caught. "Elvira?"

Amelia nodded slowly, her voice flat. "She's alive. She's... been alive. All these years, trapped in the lake with the Memory. And now..." Her eyes lifted to meet her father's. "She saved me again. But she can't hold it forever."

Edward dropped to one knee beside her. "Tell us everything."

So she did.

The locks. The Memory. The eerie Keepers watching her from the mist. The vision of a man who looked like Edward—but wasn't.

When she described the crooked smile and silver eyes, Edward paled.

"That can't be," he muttered. "He was supposed to be dead."

Kaia looked between them. "Who are you talking about?"

Edward ran a hand through his hair. "His name was Lucien. He was a Keeper once. My half-brother."

Amelia blinked. "You never told me you had a brother."

"There's a lot I never told you," Edward admitted grimly. "Lucien was... brilliant. Obsessed with the lake. Said it held more than knowledge—said it was a god. When Elvira was chosen to protect it, not him, he lost control."

Kaia leaned forward. "What happened?"

"He tried to take the Memory for himself," Edward whispered. "He wanted to merge with it. Said he could become the voice of the lake."

"And?" Amelia asked.

"I stopped him. Or I thought I did. He fell into the Mirror Lake during the storm that took Elvira. We never found the body."

Amelia looked up, her eyes distant. "He's alive. The Memory showed him to me."

Edward's jaw tightened. "Then this is worse than I thought."

Kaia stood. "What does he want now?"

Amelia clenched her fists. "He wants the Memory. He wants to tear open the lake and unleash it. If he succeeds, it won't just affect us. It'll flood every mind it touches—every person—until no one knows what's real or reflection."

A silence fell.

Then thunder rumbled above the trees.

And a voice echoed from the woods.

"Well said, niece."

They spun.

Standing at the tree line was a man dressed in a soaked black coat, hair slicked back from the rain. His skin was pale, too perfect. But his eyes—silver and glowing faintly—were unmistakable.

Lucien smiled, teeth sharp and too white.

"I must say, Elvira's daughter... you're exactly what I hoped you'd be."

Edward stepped in front of Amelia, shielding her. "Stay back, Lucien."

But Lucien just laughed softly.

"No need for dramatics, brother. I only came to talk." He turned his gaze on Amelia. "You opened the gate, didn't you? I felt it. That scream through the water—pure, beautiful agony."

Kaia drew her dagger. "If you come any closer—"

"Oh, relax," Lucien said lazily. "I'm not here to fight. Yet."

Amelia's voice was cold. "What do you want?"

Lucien's smile never faded. "I want you to understand. The lake is not your enemy. It's your inheritance. And when it breaks free—when I break you free—you'll finally see the truth."

He turned, disappearing into the mist with a whisper.

"See you soon, Amelia."

Silence.

Then the wind picked up, blowing out the fire.

The fire hissed and died, leaving the three of them standing in thick silence, broken only by the soft patter of rain on leaves.

Kaia stepped forward, still holding her dagger. "He was watching us. The whole time."

Amelia's heart pounded, but not from fear. From something colder—deeper. "He knew everything I saw in the Memory. He's connected to it somehow."

Edward remained still, eyes locked on the trees. "No. Not connected. Obsessed. Lucien has always wanted to be the Memory—become the voice inside every thought."

Amelia turned toward him. "Why didn't you ever tell me about him?"

Edward's jaw tightened. "Because I hoped he was gone. Because I didn't want you to grow up in fear." He looked down. "And because I thought Elvira died trying to stop him."

Amelia swallowed, her throat dry. "She didn't. She's still fighting down there. Still holding it in."

Kaia looked between them. "Then what do we do? He said he'd be back."

"No." Amelia stood up slowly, brushing wet hair out of her face. "He said I'd be back. He wants me to come to him."

Kaia narrowed her eyes. "That's a trap."

"I know," Amelia said. "But I don't have a choice."

Edward stepped in front of her. "You do. We'll find another way. You're not doing this alone."

Amelia looked at him, the flickering light from the dying fire dancing in her eyes. "I saw what's coming. If he opens the lake fully... people won't know what's real anymore. Their own thoughts will betray them. Their memories will twist."

Her voice trembled.

"I have to stop him."

Edward exhaled, pain shadowing his features. "You sound just like your mother."

A sharp gust of wind cut through the trees, and for a moment, Amelia swore she heard her mother's voice riding on it—soft, desperate.

Don't trust him.

She spun, but there was nothing. Only the wind, and Kaia's hand on her shoulder.

Edward stepped closer. "If Lucien is trying to break open the seal, he'll need a tether—something to anchor him to the surface while he channels the lake's core."

Amelia blinked. "A tether?"

Kaia's eyes widened. "Like a person."

All three fell silent.

Then Amelia whispered, "He's going to use me."

⸻

Elsewhere, in the Deepwood Ruins...

Lucien walked through a corridor of broken mirrors, his reflection shifting with every step—sometimes older, sometimes younger, sometimes not human at all.

He approached a dais where a cracked bowl rested—inside it, a swirl of water that glowed faintly with the same silver as his eyes.

He dipped a finger in.

"She's awakening," he murmured. "And once she understands her true power... there won't be a lock in the world that can hold me back."

His reflection in the water smiled wider than his real face.

"Soon, niece. Very soon."he said