Chapter 18: The Cry of the Forgotten

The baby's wail tore through the alcove like a scream from another world; small, fragile, yet shattering the silence with raw, primal anguish. Elara's breath caught in her throat, every hair on her skin standing on end as the infant's cry echoed deep inside her chest. It wasn't just a cry for help. It was a cry for vengeance. For justice. For reckoning.

Kireth's sword hand trembled, the blade nearly slipping from his grasp. Serin clenched her fists so tightly that her nails drew blood, her jaw a rigid line of steel and unspoken fear.

Veylan's smile faded, replaced by a flicker of something far colder. His eyes glinted—an abyssal storm brewing behind their depths.

Elara stepped forward, her pulse pounding like thunder. The baby was swaddled in shadows that clung to her like a second skin, her pale skin marked with a scar in the shape of a fractured eclipse—the same symbol that haunted Elara's dreams.

"Elara," Veylan said, voice low and steady, "this child... she is the last piece of the puzzle. The fragment of the curse bound in human flesh."

The baby's cry stopped abruptly. Silence fell, dense and suffocating, as if the manor itself held its breath.

...…

A Haunting Revelation

Elara stared down at the infant, a wave of dread washing over her. "What... what is she?"

Veylan knelt beside the child, gently brushing a lock of dark hair from her face. "Her name is Sarai. She is the forgotten daughter of the curse. Born from the last sacrifice that bound the Obsidian Echo centuries ago. She was hidden away—sealed between worlds—so that the curse could never be undone."

Kireth's face drained of color. "We never knew…"

"No one knew," Veylan whispered, voice thick with regret. "Until now."

Serin stepped closer. "Why reveal her now? What does she want?"

Veylan's eyes met Elara's, a sharpness cutting through the shadows. "Because the curse is awakening. The fragments are stirring, and the cycle must be completed. Sarai is the key—and the lock."

Elara knelt slowly, reaching out with trembling hands. Sarai's eyes fluttered open—pools of darkness swirling with flecks of light. Elara felt a chill seep into her bones, a coldness deeper than the manor's darkest corners.

The baby's gaze locked on hers, and in that instant, Elara glimpsed centuries of pain, betrayal, and despair—memories not her own, but etched into the very marrow of the child's soul.

.....

The Manor's Breath

Outside, the manor groaned—its ancient foundations trembling beneath the weight of the curse's resurgence. The walls seemed to pulse with unseen life, the air thick with the scent of decay and forgotten memories.

A distant whisper slithered through the corridors—soft, seductive, and deadly. The voices of the forgotten—the lost souls trapped in the manor's grasp—calling out to Elara.

She could almost hear Lyra's voice intertwined within the chorus, fragile and fading.

"Protect her," Veylan murmured. "Sarai holds the future—and the past. But if she falls, the curse consumes everything."

Elara's hands tightened around the child. "Then I will protect her, no matter the cost."

.....

A Rift Opens

Suddenly, the ground beneath them shuddered violently. Cracks spiderwebbed across the marble floor, glowing with a sickly green light. From the fissures rose a dark mist, twisting and coiling like living smoke.

The air grew thick, oppressive. Shapes began to form within the mist—twisted shadows of souls lost to the curse. Their faces were contorted in agony, eyes empty voids of despair.

Kireth raised his sword, shouting, "Defend yourselves!"

The shadows lunged, filling the alcove with snarls and howls. Serin drew her daggers, slashing through the mist, but it was relentless—an endless tide of darkness seeking to drag them into oblivion.

Elara clutched Sarai tightly, feeling the child's pulse sync with the storm raging around them. The baby cooed softly—a sound both innocent and terrifyingly powerful.

Veylan stepped forward, chanting words in a language lost to time. The runes etched in the ceiling flared with brilliant light, pushing back the shadows. But the struggle was far from over.

....

Blood and Bond

As the battle raged, Elara's vision blurred. She saw flashes of the past—images of Sarai's mother, a woman of light and shadow, making the ultimate sacrifice to seal the curse.

A sudden surge of pain ripped through Elara's chest, as if the curse itself was trying to claim her. Her vision darkened, and she fell to her knees.

Kireth caught her just as the shadows swarmed closer.

"Elara!" he shouted. "Fight it!"

Through the haze, she saw Sarai's eyes glow fiercely. The child's tiny hands reached out, and a burst of radiant light erupted from her, banishing the shadows in a wave of warmth and power.

The alcove fell silent once more.

....

The Price of Power

Elara looked down at Sarai, whose fragile form now radiated an ethereal glow.

"She's not just a victim," Serin whispered. "She's the source."

Veylan nodded solemnly. "And the price of her power is steep. If she uses it, it will bind her soul to the curse forever."

Elara's heart shattered. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't," Veylan said softly. "Only sacrifice."

....

A Choice Made

Elara held Sarai close, tears streaming down her face. "I will carry that sacrifice."

Kireth stepped forward, determination burning in his eyes. "Then we stand with you. Together."

The manor around them seemed to pulse with life and death intertwined, the air thick with ancient magic and new hope.

Elara knew the path ahead was dark and treacherous. But with Sarai in her arms and allies by her side, she would face whatever horrors came next.