The morning after the night in the museum, the sunlight felt wrong—too harsh, too cold, as if it was trying to expose me, to burn away the shadows that now lived in my veins. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was following me, something that knew more about my parents than I ever would.
James insisted on walking with me, but even his warm presence couldn't dispel the unease gnawing at my mind. I clutched the crown hidden beneath my coat, its pulse faint but insistent. Every heartbeat echoed with a whisper: "Find them… or lose everything."
I returned to the hidden room beneath the museum. Mirrors lined the walls, reflecting not just my image but fragments of visions. The shadows within stirred, twisting into faces I didn't recognize… and then, for a heartbeat, they formed the faces of my parents. My heart thudded painfully.
A rustle behind me made me spin. Lucas emerged from the shadows, expression unreadable.
"You saw them," he said quietly, as if reading my thoughts. "Your parents left more than just you behind. The crown's hunger is tied to their legacy, to a secret buried generations ago."
"Where are they?" I demanded. "Are they alive? Dead? Trapped somewhere?"
Lucas shook his head. "Neither fully. They exist… between worlds. The crown took much from them, but not everything. You have to uncover what they were hiding, Laina. Their enemies are not gone, and they will not forgive the past."
I swallowed hard. "Enemies…? Who? Why? I don't even know my own bloodline!"
"Blood tells more than memory," Lucas said grimly. "The crown remembers, even when the world forgets. And the echoes of your parents' choices are reaching you now. Some truths will terrify you… some will test you. And one figure—someone closer than you realize—is already moving in the shadows to claim what is yours."
A chill ran down my spine. Someone in the shadows, waiting… for me.
Suddenly, the mirrors flickered. A figure appeared—a girl, pale, with hair the same golden hue as mine, eyes hidden beneath darkness. Her lips moved, but the words were a whisper inside my mind: "Find the locket… follow the trail… the truth is closer than you know."
The crown pulsed fiercely at that moment, as if acknowledging the warning. I reached for the locket Lucas had given me, feeling a warmth that contrasted the crown's cold pull. The locket had belonged to my mother… I could feel it. And with it came fragments of memories, flashes of my parents' lives—smiling faces, battles fought in shadow, secrets whispered under moonlight.
"They were not ordinary," I whispered, voice shaking. "The crown… it bound them to something… something terrible."
Lucas's gaze darkened. "Yes. And now, the weight falls on you. The crown's next trial will be harder. The echoes you faced last night… were only a warning. The deeper you delve into your parents' past, the closer you come to awakening what they could not contain."
I gripped the crown beneath my coat, heart pounding. Awakening…? What could possibly be worse than what I had already faced?
A sudden crash behind me. Shadows twisted violently on the walls. The pale figure from the mirror stepped out—no longer a reflection, but tangible, real.
"I am Luka," the figure said, voice low and almost mournful. "I am tied to your parents… and to the crown. You must trust me… but beware. Even I cannot control what is coming."
James's hand found mine, gripping tightly. "Who is he?"
I didn't answer. My eyes were fixed on Luka. There was something familiar about him… something connected to the pull of the crown, to my parents' past, to the secret that had been kept from me my entire life.
The crown thrummed against my chest, louder now, insistent, demanding. I realized then that my journey had truly begun. The crown, my parents' secrets, Luka, and the shadows of the past—they were all intertwined. And the choices I made from this moment forward would determine not just my fate, but the fate of everyone I loved.
A low, inhuman growl echoed from the hidden corners of the room. The shadows shifted, stretching into shapes I couldn't comprehend. Eyes glowed red. Teeth bared. And in that instant, I knew: the real test had only just begun.
I swallowed hard, gripping both the locket and the crown. Fear coursed through me, but beneath it, determination burned. I would uncover the truth of my parents. I would survive the crown's hunger. And I would face the shadows lurking behind every corner… no matter the cost.
Because nothing would ever be the same again.