CHAPTER SEVEN: “The Silence in Graveton”

Back in Graveton, nine days had passed since Jayden's departure — nine days of unanswered calls, sleepless nights, and the slow unraveling of hope.

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A Family Left in the Dark

The Adelwin household was quieter than ever.

Jayden's foster father, Mr. Adelwin, stared out the living room window for hours, barely moving.

His mother clutched his photo every night, murmuring prayers that cracked at the edges with desperation.

"Something's wrong," she whispered. "I can feel it."

And she wasn't wrong.

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The Leah Effect

His younger sister, Leah, had changed.

At first, it was small: sleep-talking, strange drawings, a sudden fear of mirrors.

Then it worsened — whispers in her sleep, glowing eyes in the dark, her voice echoing when she spoke.

> "He's not alone," she murmured once over breakfast, eyes glazed.

"They've marked him. But I'm marked too."

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A Sign in the Night

On the ninth night, Graveton's skies turned red for exactly eleven seconds.

Everyone felt it — a pressure, like the town itself had been inhaled and held.

Leah collapsed. When she woke up, she had blood on her palms and a name on her lips:

> "Noctis Hollow."

Her mother sobbed. Her father called the police again.

But there were no records. No Crimson Hotel. No town named Noctis Hollow on any map.

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A Stranger at the Door

Around midnight, a knock echoed through the house.

Mr. Adelwin opened the door, but no one was there — only an envelope on the step.

Inside was a photo: Jayden, standing at a black spring, a faint glow in his eyes.

On the back:

> "You think he's missing. He's not.

He's becoming."

And beneath it, scrawled in red ink:

> "Protect the girl."

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The Family Prepares

Mrs. Adelwin packed a bag.

Leah began writing in a language she didn't know.

And in the attic, Mr. Adelwin unlocked an old chest — the one he swore he'd never open again.

> "If they're coming for her," he muttered, "they'll find more than fear waiting."

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Meanwhile — in Noctis Hollow…

Jayden stood before the Council.

The Brand of the Hollow burned across his back like wildfire.

He was theirs now — at least, that's what they thought.

But deep in his pocket, he still held the broken fang insignia.

And deep in his soul, he felt Leah calling.

The bond was more than blood.

It was war on the horizon.