The Midnight Key

The ruins stood silent. But it was the kind of silence that felt wrong.

Rene's heart pounded as she stared down at Rena. The baby looked back at her with those unreadable silver eyes—calm, knowing, ancient.

Lucien was the first to move. His blade lowered, but his stance remained tense. "We don't have time to waste."

Nyra ran a hand through her hair, her frustration barely concealed. "We just fought off things that weren't supposed to exist, and you want to keep going?"

Lucien shot her a sharp look. "If they sent the Hollow Ones, they're testing us. Seeing if we're strong enough to stop. If we wait, we give them the answer they want."

Rene's grip on Rena tightened. He was right.

Adrian and Adriel exchanged a silent glance. Then Adrian stepped forward. "We move."

Adriel nodded. "Before the real threat arrives."

Kieran stretched, completely unfazed by the near-death encounter. "So dramatic." He grinned. "But I do love a good chase."

Rene ignored him and adjusted her hold on Rena. "Then let's go."

The ruins stretched before them, jagged and broken, yet something about them felt alive.

And watching.

---

They walked in silence for a long time. The deeper they went, the thicker the air became—like walking through something unseen. Something old.

Rene kept her gaze forward, but her mind wandered. Rena had erased those creatures like it was nothing. That power… it wasn't normal.

And the Hollow Ones had called her the key.

She looked down at her baby sister, peaceful and content in her arms. What are you, Rena?

The thought chilled her.

Lucien suddenly stopped.

The others halted behind him, tense.

"What is it?" Rene asked.

Lucien didn't answer. Instead, he knelt, brushing away dust and debris from the stone beneath them.

Symbols.

Ancient, etched deep into the rock. They pulsed faintly, barely visible under centuries of wear.

Rene's stomach twisted. They were the same as the ones from her vision.

Nyra frowned. "Great. More creepy symbols. What do they mean?"

Lucien ran his fingers over them. "A warning."

Adriel spoke softly. "Or a grave marker."

Kieran whistled. "I like the sound of that."

Nyra shot him a glare. "You would."

But Rene wasn't listening anymore.

Because the moment Lucien touched the symbols, something shifted.

Not in the ruins.

In the air.

Like something was remembering them.

And then—

A whisper.

Soft. Distant.

But clear.

"You were never meant to come back."

Rene's blood turned to ice.

Rena stirred. Her tiny hand curled into Rene's cloak. "She's here."

Everyone tensed.

Lucien stood sharply. His golden eyes glowed. "Who?"

Rena blinked slowly, tilting her head.

Then she whispered:

"Selene."

A wind howled through the ruins.

And the shadows shifted—

Moving.

Watching.

Waiting.

To Be Continued…