3: The Obscura

Lili's eyes tried to absorb light bit by bit, but there was barely any light where she was.

She turned around frantically. "My parents, i saw my parents, we have to go back for them".

"Those weren't your parents, those were Hollowkins, empty humanoid entities with no mind of their own"

"So wait... Are you telling me my parents have been those creatures all this time?"

"Your parents never existed dear...you never went to school...you've never actually lived"

"What do you mean? That doesn't make any sense".

Ezra replied slowly "I will explain more once we get to our destination".

Lili couldn't fathom what she was hearing, it wasn't even making any sense. She had no proper way to actually reason at this point.

"Give me your hand" She heard Ezra say beside her and she gave it to her.

Ezra took her hand and led her through what seemed like an old alleyway.

Lili could perceive the smell of old and moist wood.

"Where are we?" She asked as they approached a beam of light that came from ahead.

Ezra said nothing but led her into what seemed like forest. The trees were taller than any she had ever seen. The unfamiliarity of the environment sent a chill down her spine.

"Whoa, these trees are huge and so tall, what are they? where are we going?". She asked out of curiosity.

"These are Hyperion trees, the tallest trees in the world". Ezra replied.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To a place where you can learn about yourself...come". Ezra said as she led Lili to a more secluded part of the forest. Lili looked around and noticed some garden gnomes, they looked old and had the small touch of history. Lili was stunned by the scenery Under the moonlight.

"Don't ever expect the sun in this world!". Ezra said suddenly.

"What? What do you mean? No sun? How's that possible?".

"I'd expect that after witnessing all that, questions like that wouldn't be asked, anything is possible in this world." Ezra said as she hid behind her wide hood.

They got to what seemed like a dead end. A wall with vines and leaves growing out of it.

"What this is a dead end?!, great job Ezra I'd assume you knew where we were going". Lili said as she dropped to the ground in exhaust.

"Remember friend that in this world...things aren't always as they seem. Take the Hollowkins as a first warning". Ezra said as she pushed some of the leaves and vines away and revealed a plain wall.

Lili watched as Ezra swiped her hand left and right in slow motion and after sometime a deep hand print appeared.

She watched as Ezra fit her hand into the print and steadily the wall opened up and She let out a gasp as she was stunned by what she saw.

It seemed like a balance, the walls were high up and it had very exquisite details.

"And now we go in," Ezra said as she stretched her hand for Lili to hold on to.

Lili looked at Ezra still in obvious awe and took her hand. Immediately they got in and the wall slammed shut with force which made Lili shake.

As they walked through a really long corridor, Lili couldn't stop gazing at the decor which seemed like artifacts. The walls were high up, with vintage Chandeliers dangling from the ceilings. Gargoyles sat on each pillar that stood,

"Wow, what is this place? It looks like a castle, oh my God!"

"Welcome to Valdris Citadel, The coven of the Obscura!".

"Wow that sounds, So regal and... Mysterious, what's The obscura?"

"The obscura is a secret society of knowledge keepers, forgotten Knowledge, but we teach them to people like you, who wake up to reality".

"What knowledge y'all must be hiding and I still don't understand how I'm not real".

A brief silence followed, as Ezra hesitated to say a word. "That is not for me to teach you, this is a complex world and I do not have the proper words to explain".

Ezra led Lili gracefully through the highrise halls. The decors were unbelievably rich, with statues of what seemed like celestial beings—some with wings of obsidian feathers, others with multiple eyes or shimmering skin that reflected flickers of moonlight. Each figure stood poised with power, carved as if mid-motion, their expressions a haunting mix of sorrow and wisdom.

Lili trailed her fingers along the cold marble walls as they walked, trying to keep her breath steady. Everything around her defied logic—yet felt eerily familiar, like a memory she had forgotten long ago.

“Who are these statues?” she whispered, almost afraid to disturb the silence.

“Former guides. Luminaries of the Obscura. Each of them once walked the same path you are about to begin,” Ezra replied without turning.

“They look… otherworldly.”

“That’s because they are.”

They reached a pair of enormous arched doors, carved with runes and veiled symbols that glowed faintly with indigo light. Ezra paused before them and glanced back at Lili. “From this point on, your questions will only multiply. The truth—your truth—does not sit neatly on a shelf. It waits in shadow, in silence, in the pages of forgotten things.”

Lili furrowed her brow. “So you’re saying I’ve been living in a lie… all my life? That none of it was real? My friends? My room? My favorite songs? My dreams of becoming a writer?”

Ezra turned slowly, her gaze softening for the first time. “Your mind created a life to cope with a truth it could not yet bear. A dream so vivid, it convinced even you. But now the dream has begun to dissolve. You’ve awakened—and that awakening is irreversible.”

Lili’s chest tightened. “Then who am I?”

Ezra smiled faintly and pressed her palm against the ancient door.

“That… is what you’re here to find out.”

With a low groan, the doors parted, unveiling a grand chamber bathed in sapphire hues. Glowing scrolls floated midair like suspended thoughts. At the center, a circular pool reflected not water, but swirling constellations. A massive telescope pointed toward the skyless ceiling, its glass lens flickering with strange lights.

And there, seated in a crescent-shaped arc, were figures cloaked in midnight robes—only their eyes visible beneath intricate masks of silver and bone.

“Step forward, Lili McGuire,” one of them said, his voice echoing unnaturally. “You have crossed the threshold.”

Lili blinked. “You know my name?”

“Of course,” another voice chimed in—this one feminine, lilting and ancient. “Names have power here. You carry more than a name, child—you carry a legacy.”

Ezra stood beside her, unmoving. “You must go on from here alone. This is your reckoning.”

Lili turned to her. “Wait—you’re not coming with me?”

Ezra shook her head. “You’ve reached the Veil of Knowing. Only you can choose to lift it. What lies beyond is yours alone.”

Lili hesitated, her heart pounding like a drum. The figures watched silently, and the star pool shimmered with anticipation.

Swallowing hard, she stepped forward into the center of the chamber. The moment her foot touched the circle surrounding the pool, a pulse of energy rippled outward, lifting the floating scrolls and casting patterns of light across the walls.

A voice—not from the council, but from within—whispered through her thoughts.

> You are not who you thought you were. You are a Seer of the Obscura. A memory keeper. A weaver of realities. And now… you must remember.

Lili gasped as the pool’s surface flared, and images flashed within it—her “parents,” the Hollowkins, her room fading into ash, and behind it all… a woman with her face. Old

er. Wiser. Crying.

“What… what is this?” she whispered, trembling.

“Your truth,” the council replied in unison.