Chapter 1.1

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**1. The Breath Against Her Neck**

The alley walls pressed in around Lila, the cold brick scraping her back. Elias's body shielded her, his grip tight on her wrist. His breath warmed her ear as he whispered, "Don't move."

The figures lurked at the alley's entrance—three silhouettes with faces like smudged charcoal, their voices a chorus of whispers:

"She remembers too much."

"Elias, you *promised*."

"The town will take her anyway."

Lila's pulse hammered. "What are they?"

Elias's free hand slid to her waist, pulling her closer. "When I say Run, you run. Don't look back."

She opened her mouth to argue—

Then the streetlamp above them shattered.

Glass rained down. The shadows lunged.

Elias shoved her behind him—and the world 'rippled'.

His eyes flashed 'silver'.

The shadows 'screamed'.

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**2. The Safehouse**

Lila didn't remember running. One moment, she was in the alley. The next, she was stumbling into a dimly lit loft above an abandoned tailor's shop.

Elias locked the door behind them, his shoulders heaving. Moonlight cut through the dusty windows, painting his sharp features in shades of blue.

"What were those things?" Lila demanded.

"The Hollow Ones," he said, stripping off his coat. "The town's… caretakers."

She stared. Beneath his rolled-up sleeves, his forearms were marked with strange symbols—scars that glowed faintly, then faded.

Magic.

Real, terrifying magic.

Elias caught her staring. "You used to know what these meant."

"I don't remember—"

"You will." He stepped closer, his voice dropping. "The journal only shows you pieces. But I can show you everything."

Her breath hitched. "How?"

His thumb brushed her lower lip. "A kiss."

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**3. The Memory**

Lila should've pulled away.

She didn't.

Elias's mouth crashed into hers, cold and sweet like winterberries. The moment their lips touched—

—She was seventeen again, standing in the clocktower, Elias cupping her face.

"Promise you won't forget me this time."

"I promise," she whispered.

Then the bell chimed, and the Hollow Ones dragged her away—

Lila gasped, wrenching back. The memory vanished like smoke.

Elias's eyes burned. "See? The town *took* you from me. But you fought. You always fight."

Her knees buckled. He caught her, his hands warm now, alive.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why do they want me to forget?"

His voice was raw. "Because you're the only one who ever *remembered* me."

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**4. The Locket's Secret**

Elias led her to a rusted trunk in the corner. Inside lay piles of photographs—all of Lila, at different ages, in different eras.

1912. 1954. 1988.

"This isn't possible," she breathed.

"Time doesn't work here like it should." He lifted the locket from her throat. "This isn't just a warning. It's an *anchor*—the only thing that kept your soul from vanishing."

He pressed it into her palm. The metal pulsed, warm as a heartbeat.

"You've died in this town before," he said softly. "But you always come back. And I always find you."

A tear slid down her cheek. "That's why you 'collect' the others. You're trying to *save* them."

His silence was answer enough.

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**5. The Warning**

A knock rattled the door.

Not a shadow—a *human* hand.

Lila froze.

"Lila?" A woman's voice. "It's me—Clara. Your *sister*."

Elias went rigid. "Don't answer."

"But—"

"You don't *have* a sister."

The doorknob twisted.

"Lila," Clara crooned. "Let me in. I've missed you."

The voice *changed*, warping into something guttural, *hungry*.

Elias yanked Lila against his chest. "Close your eyes."

The door burst open.

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To Be Continued…

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