Chapter 6
Lucien's words echoed in Elara's head long after she and Mira left the cafeteria.
"The truth you want will destroy you."
Elara wasn't sure if it was a threat… or a warning meant to protect her.
Classes dragged painfully slow. Every time Elara tried to focus, a whisper brushed past her ears.
"He hides the night…"
"He carries hunger…"
"He is cursed…"
By the end of the day, her head felt like it had been split open by echo after echo. Mira noticed immediately.
"Elara, you're pale," she murmured as they walked toward the courtyard. "How loud are the whispers right now?"
"Too loud," Elara whispered, pressing a hand to her forehead. "They're never like this."
They stepped outside, and the cold air hit her sharply—but instead of helping, the world tilted. The trees blurred into streaks of dark green. Students' voices warped into distant echoes.
"Elara?" Mira's voice sounded like it was underwater. "Elara! Talk to me—what's happening?"
Elara gripped the railing beside her, but her knees buckled. The ground felt like it dropped under her feet.
The whispers surged—so loud she couldn't breathe.
"He's coming…"
"Do not fall…"
"The vampire watches…"
Elara gasped.
Dark spots clouded her vision. Her legs gave out completely.
The last thing she heard before everything went black was Mira shouting her name—
—and Lucien's voice cutting sharply through the chaos:
"Move."
Darkness swallowed her.
---
She woke up slowly, to soft light and the faint smell of old paper.
Her head throbbed. She blinked until the world stopped spinning.
She wasn't in her dorm room.
She was in the school's old library—inside one of the private study rooms rarely used anymore.
And sitting beside her—too close, too still—was Lucien.
Elara jolted upright. "Why am I here?"
"Because you fainted," Lucien said, his voice low. "Your friend called for help. I was closest."
She pushed her hair back, embarrassed. "What happened to me? Why were the whispers so loud?"
Lucien hesitated. "Your ability is… changing."
"How do you know anything about my ability?"
Another long silence.
Lucien looked away, jaw tightening. "Because I've heard of it before."
Elara stared at him. "You've heard of someone who can hear whispers too?"
His answer was immediate. "No. Only one. You."
A chill slid down her spine. "Then how—"
He cut her off. "You were in danger. That's all you need to know."
She narrowed her eyes. "No. That's not enough anymore. What's happening to me? What are those whispers trying to warn me about?"
Lucien met her gaze—slowly, reluctantly. His eyes were no longer silver. A faint red shimmer flickered within them.
"Elara," he said quietly, "the whispers are reacting to something that's awakened near the school."
"Awakened?" she repeated. "What does that even mean?"
Lucien stood, pacing once—as if fighting himself.
Finally, he said, "Something old is stirring. Something that senses you."
Elara's heart dropped. "Why me?"
Lucien stopped walking. He looked at her with an expression she couldn't read—fear, regret, or something deeper.
"Because you are the only one who can hear it."
The room fell silent.
Then—soft, trembling—the whisper returned.
Right behind her.
"…Elara… he knows the truth you fear…"
Elara turned sharply. No one stood there.
Lucien's expression hardened.
"Elara," he said. "You can't go anywhere alone tonight."
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