Chapter 4: The Old Paths
It was unusually cold tonight.
Even though she was tired, Leanne couldn't sleep. Every corner of the palace whispered something strange... like the walls were breathing, as if the air itself was watching her.
The dim light from the old lamp on the table suddenly shakes, then goes out, leaving the room in a dark place.
She got up quietly, touched the wall with a shaking hand, looking for a light source.
But before she got to the door, I heard a dreadful voice coming from the hallway.
"Lean. Don't trust them...
The blood is freezing in her veins.
The voice was female, but it seemed to come from the depths of the palace, underground.
She opened the door carefully, and went out into the long hallway.
The corridor was dark, pierced by the moonlight coming from high windows. On the walls are paintings of people with hard glasses, looking like they're following them wherever I go.
She walked carefully until she reached a large painting covering almost half the wall, with a woman who looked just like her... same grey eyes, same blonde hair, even the same anxious look.
Her hand reached out and touched the woman's face in the painting, and suddenly the wall behind her burst sharply, as if the stone itself had broken.
A dark narrow passage opened in front of her.
Despite the fear, she felt something pulling her in.
An old stone staircase came down, and with each step the air was getting colder, a dreadful whispering sound waving around.
"The blood is not forgotten, and the core does not die."
At the end of the corridor, I found a door made of rusty iron, engraved with an eye-like circular symbol inside.
Her hand reached out and touched him, suddenly the symbol lit up with a blue light, slowly opening the door.
She walked into the room, finding herself in front of a giant mirror overwhelmed by an obscure light.
In the mirror, you didn't see her reflection. But she saw another scene.
A woman standing in the middle of a square full of fire, holding an enormously bright blue gem.
Behind her is an army of shadows moving like a storm, swallowing everything in its way.
I suddenly heard the mysterious man's voice behind her.
"You finally found her. The magic core.
She turned quickly, but he wasn't alone this time.
Next to him is another man in a gray coat, his eyes glowing like a little fire inside.
The second man said in a cold tone.
"We're too late. The core is starting to wake up.
Leanne took a step back, asking in a frightened voice.
Who are you And what's going on
The first man approached her slowly, and said:
"Lean. You're not who you thought you were. Your blood holds an older secret than the palace itself.
The woman in the painting... was your mother. The last of the core guards.
Lian sniffed, and tears filled her eyes.
"Mommy Oh ! But they said she died years ago...
The man smiled a mysterious smile.
"It's not done. But it disappeared when I tried to protect the nucleus from those who wanted to use it to destroy the world.
Suddenly, the earth shook under their feet, and rocks were heard over them.
The man in the gray blanket shouted:
"They felt the gate open. We have to get out now!
But before they moved, the mirror started shaking and its blue lights exploded all over the room.
From the fragments came an entity of light and shadows, half human and half smoke, speaking in a double voice.
"You have been called. And the core started to pick.
Lian screamed, but the light swallowed everything.
And at the last minute, I just heard a whisper in her ear.
"Choice begins with blood."
And then there was silence.
It follows in chapter five