Everything She Carried

Too quiet.

Not the kind that promised peace—

The kind that let pain echo louder than words.

Mira stood at the edge of the room, staring out the window like the sky might have answers.

Rain tapped softly against the glass—a rhythm slower than her heartbeat.

Lucien was asleep in the next room.

Elias had gone to get supplies.

Jonas and Dave were laughing somewhere down the hall.

But Mira?

She couldn't move.

Not really.

She'd saved lives.

Opened gates.

Survived death itself.

But none of it brought back what she lost.

Her fingers touched the pendant—the one the Shaman gave Elias.

It pulsed faintly.

Not with magic, but with memory.

And suddenly… she was eight again.

Barefoot in the dirt.

Crying, because her mother left and never came back.

Crying, because someone once said she had a gift—

But all she ever wanted was a family that stayed.

She whispered to the window:

"I got everything I wanted…

But it still doesn't feel like enough."

Lucien appeared behind her—silent.

Leaning against the wall. Watching.

Mira didn't turn.

"I dream about her sometimes," she said quietly.

"She's always there. Laughing. Holding my hand.

Telling me I'm safe."

Lucien said nothing.

"She tells me she's proud. That I'm strong.

But every time I wake up…

She's gone again.

And I can't even remember the sound of her voice."

She turned then. Her eyes—glass.

"Do you think people like us…

ever get to be happy?"

Lucien stepped forward.

Placed her hand over Mira's.

"I think we're not supposed to be happy all the time," she said softly.

"But maybe… maybe we're allowed to want it."

Tears slipped down Mira's cheeks.

"I'm tired of being a weapon."

"I know."

"I'm tired of saving people who never save me."

Lucien pulled her in.

Held her tight. Real.

"You're not alone."

Mira didn't cry loudly.

Just quietly—

Like someone who had cried too many times already.

Outside, the rain kept falling.

And deep within the Cipher…

The night was still.

No monsters. No books whispering in the dark. Just the faint hum of an old ceiling fan… and the weight of things unsaid.

Lucien sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, staring at an empty bottle on the table like it held some kind of answer. Her voice came out small. Fractured.

"I'll never have a boyfriend. A husband. A kid. A life.

Not with all this bullshit chasing me around.

My mom's gone. She'll never see me smile again. And my dad? God knows where the hell he is."

She wiped her face quickly, like it didn't matter.

Mira let out a breathy laugh—more pain than humor.

"Bitch… you crying?"

Lucien blinked. "You're laughing?"

"Sorry," Mira said softly. "It's just… you're worried about the wrong shit, love."

She slid closer, eyes glassy but warm.

"We all got dealt a messed-up hand. Doesn't mean we stop living. So what if we're cursed, half-broken, haunted by books and beasts?"

Then she smiled—sad, but real.

"At least you didn't fall in love with a damn Banished soul or a shapeshifter or whatever the hell I'm into."

Lucien laughed—this time through her tears.

"You're an idiot."

"Yeah," Mira whispered, leaning her head against hers. "But I'm your idiot."

And for a moment… it was okay not to be okay.

They were all awake now.

After Elias returned, the group was gathered around, groggy and trying to piece together their next move. Mira's bag shifted. Jonas cracked a dumb joke about it.

Then the book—the Shaman Book—opened by itself.

The same one Lucien received long ago.

A single page fluttered loose, falling gently to the floor. It held a map, sketched in ink older than time, pointing to something buried in darkness.

Mira stared at it. "Well, the Shaman's back. I guess nothing's gonna be easy from here on out."

The sun was barely up, but they were already crammed into Dave's beat-up SUV like a puzzle made of caffeine and regret.

Jonas had claimed shotgun, citing "vibes management." Lucien lounged in the back, her boots in Mira's lap, flipping through the now-reactivated Shaman Book like it owed her rent. Krane sat beside her, silent as always. Elias drove.

Mira squinted at the ancient map. "This is the spot. Book says the path only opens to those 'touched by the forgotten flame.' Whatever the hell that means."

Lucien muttered, "Means we're probably gonna die."

The book twitched in her hands. One page curled upward, forming a smile-shaped crease.

Then it whispered:

"Oh, look who came crawling back. Miss I-Don't-Need-a-Cursed-Book."

Lucien slammed it shut. "You wanna get tossed out the window, you petty relic?"

Everyone looked at her.

She stared out the window. "Mind your business."

They reached a rural town that didn't show up on any GPS. Beyond it: overgrowth, and a trail swallowed by time.

Krane finally spoke. "We're on foot from here."

Elias groaned. "Good. I didn't wanna feel my legs anyway."

They moved in single file down the trail. The air grew colder the farther they went—like walking into the lungs of something ancient.

Eventually, they reached a clearing.

Stone steps led downward, half-buried in ivy. At the base: a cracked stone archway carved into the earth. Glyphs above it flickered faintly, glowing like embers.

Mira whispered, "This is it."

Krane checked his sidearm. "We go in. Stay sharp."

Elias pointed at Jonas. "No touching anything. No levers. No 'what does this button do.'"

Jonas held up his hands. "I'm the picture of restraint."

Lucien rolled her eyes. "You're the painting of disaster."

They descended.

Not knowing what waited below.

But knowing—they were being watched.

They had arrived.

But far away, nestled in the shadows of a jagged cliff, a group of pale, silent figures were already watching.

One of them leaned forward. "They just five, boss. We can take 'em."

The boss didn't blink.

"You sure dreaming. Do you see that lady over there?"

They all turned to look.

"She's Lucien. Apprentice of the Shaman Queen herself. Stronger than all of us put together."

One scoffed. "No way she's stronger than you."

Another shook his head. "She don't even need to lift a damn finger. Every spell she casts—it's like she is the spell."

Right then, Lucien stopped walking.

And turned her head—locking eyes on them from two miles away.

The boss stiffened. "See? She just clocked us."

"Mira," Lucien said calmly.

"On it," Mira replied, cracking her knuckles.

Her eyes glowed. "Learned this one from the Soul King."

Then—flash step. She vanished.

Reappeared behind the watchers.

"So… we spying on people now?" she said, laughing casually.

They nearly jumped out of their skin.

Back on the trail, Elias, Dave, Jonas, and Krane stared wide-eyed.

Jonas muttered, "Damn. I should've been a mage too."

But the boss?

He wasn't moving. Not from bravery. From strategy.

Mira… she's different.

Not just a student.

She warped here like wind bending through walls.

She could break my barrier without even blinking.

If I move wrong—I die.

He stayed still. Guard up. Eyes locked.

Mira tilted her head. "Relax. We're just passing through."

She eyed the group. "But spying? Not cool. Maybe rethink the 'ambush the magic crew' plan."

The air around her shimmered—like vapor off steel on a hot day.

Lucien called from the trail, voice sharp. "Mira, don't kill anyone… yet."

Jonas added, "Unless they got snacks. Then maybe shake 'em down."

Mira sighed. "Y'all never let me have fun."

She flicked her fingers.

The shadows behind the group twisted—shifting like liquid ink.

The mountain trembled.

A reminder: she could end them all right now.

The boss raised his hands slowly. "No beef. Just… curious travelers."

Elias called out, "Curious people usually ask questions. Not stalk from cliffs."

Krane didn't speak. He just stared—like a blade waiting to be drawn.

Lucien walked up, side by side with Mira.

"Let's go," she said. "They'll think twice next time."

They turned.

The group didn't breathe until the girls were gone.

"…We're so screwed," one of them whispered.