(Chapter 4)
They did not leave immediately.
That was the first mistake.
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After the fire burned down to ash, the pack lingered at the clearing longer than necessary—as if staying might force meaning out of what had happened. As if answers might rise from the gray remains if they waited long enough.
They didn't.
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The forest had already moved on.
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Birds returned first.
Cautiously.
One call. Then another.
Testing the air.
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It sounded wrong.
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Not because the notes themselves were off, but because they felt disconnected—like echoes of something that had once belonged here but no longer did.
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Ilya stood at the edge of the clearing, watching the others.
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They were talking again.
Arguing, some of them.
Not openly.
Not loudly.
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But the tension was there.
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It had been building for days now—since The Silence began, since the Call faded into nothing, since instinct stopped guiding them and left behind only uncertainty.
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Now, with the bodies—
With that thing—
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The fracture had deepened.
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"They're losing cohesion," she said quietly.
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Soren, standing a few steps behind her, didn't pretend not to understand.
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"I can see that."
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"No," Ilya said.
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He frowned slightly.
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"You're looking at behavior," she continued.
"I'm talking about something else."
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Soren stepped closer.
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"Explain."
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Ilya hesitated.
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The rhythm in her chest shifted.
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Searching.
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"They're not just confused," she said finally.
"They're… separating."
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"Separating how?"
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She struggled for the words.
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"It's like…" she paused, then shook her head slightly. "Like something that used to hold them together is pulling apart."
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Soren crossed his arms.
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"That would be the Call."
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"No."
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His expression tightened.
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"You keep saying that."
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"Because it's true."
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"Then what is it?"
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Ilya didn't answer right away.
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Because she wasn't sure.
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Not completely.
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But she could feel it.
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"It's deeper," she said.
"Older."
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Soren exhaled slowly.
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"That's not an explanation."
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"It's the only one I have."
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He studied her for a long moment.
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Then, reluctantly:
"Fine."
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He turned back toward the pack.
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"We're leaving," he called.
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That got their attention.
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"Where?" someone asked.
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"East," Soren replied.
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A ripple of unease moved through them.
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"Toward the boundary?" another said.
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"Yes."
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"That's close to vampire territory."
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"I'm aware."
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"That's a bad idea."
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"It's the only one we have."
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Silence followed.
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No one liked it.
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But no one offered a better option.
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"Why there?" someone finally asked.
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Soren glanced at Ilya.
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Then back at the pack.
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"Because whatever this is," he said, "it's not just happening to us."
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That much, at least, felt true.
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They moved within the hour.
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The forest thinned as they traveled east.
Trees grew farther apart, the underbrush less dense, the ground harder beneath their feet.
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It felt… different.
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Not unfamiliar.
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But not entirely theirs.
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Ilya noticed it immediately.
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The rhythm in her chest reacted.
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Not stronger.
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Sharper.
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Like something narrowing its focus.
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"You feel that?" she asked.
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Soren glanced at her.
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"No."
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She frowned.
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"It's changing."
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"What is?"
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"The… signal."
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He stopped walking.
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"The what?"
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She hesitated.
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Then:
"That thing in my chest."
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"That's not a signal," Soren said.
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"I think it is."
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He stared at her.
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"For what?"
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Ilya looked ahead.
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The trees shifted slightly in the wind.
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Or maybe—
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Not the wind.
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"I don't know yet," she said.
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"That's not reassuring."
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"No."
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They kept moving.
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By the time the sun reached its highest point—hidden behind a dull gray sky—they reached the boundary.
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There was no visible line.
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No marker.
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Nothing to separate one territory from another.
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And yet—
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Everyone felt it.
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The wolves slowed.
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Some stopped entirely.
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The air had changed.
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Subtly.
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But unmistakably.
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"This is far enough," one of them said.
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"No," Soren replied.
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"We don't cross."
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"We might have to."
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That did not go over well.
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"You want us to walk into their territory?" another demanded.
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"I want answers."
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"And you think they'll just give them to us?"
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"No."
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"Then what—"
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"Quiet."
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The word cut through the tension.
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Not shouted.
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But sharp enough to stop them.
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Ilya had spoken.
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And she wasn't looking at them.
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She was looking ahead.
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Into the trees.
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"They're already here," she said.
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The pack stilled.
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"What?" someone whispered.
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Soren's posture shifted.
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"Where?"
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Ilya didn't point.
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"They're watching."
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A low growl rippled through the group.
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"Show yourselves!" one of the wolves snapped.
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Silence answered.
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Then—
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Movement.
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Subtle.
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Precise.
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Figures stepped from between the trees.
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Not many.
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Three.
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That was all it took.
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They moved differently than wolves.
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Smoother.
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Quieter.
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Each step deliberate, controlled.
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Predatory.
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Vampires.
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The pack tensed immediately.
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Claws extended.
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Muscles coiled.
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Old instincts trying to reassert themselves.
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But even now—
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Even in this moment—
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Something was off.
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The reaction lacked unity.
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Lacked force.
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The vampires noticed.
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Of course they did.
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Their leader stepped forward.
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Selene.
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Her gaze moved over the wolves briefly—assessing, measuring—
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Then stopped on Ilya.
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And stayed there.
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"Interesting," she said.
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Soren stepped in front of the pack.
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"You're far from your territory," he said.
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Selene's lips curved slightly.
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"So are you."
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A pause.
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Then:
"You're losing it," she added.
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The words hit harder than expected.
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A few wolves shifted uneasily.
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Soren didn't react.
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"And you're fading," he replied.
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Selene's expression didn't change.
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But something in her eyes sharpened.
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"So you've noticed."
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"We've noticed enough."
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"Not everything."
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"Then tell us."
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Selene tilted her head slightly.
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"You think this is a conversation where we exchange information freely?"
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"No," Soren said.
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"Then why are you here?"
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He hesitated.
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Just for a moment.
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Then:
"Because something is happening to both of us."
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Selene studied him.
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Then nodded once.
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"Yes."
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That was more than expected.
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"And?" Soren pressed.
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"And we don't understand it yet," she said.
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"Neither do we."
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Another pause.
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Then—
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Ilya stepped forward.
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Soren reached out to stop her—
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Too late.
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"You've seen it," she said.
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Selene's gaze shifted back to her.
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"Yes."
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The answer came too quickly.
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Soren noticed.
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"So you know what it is?" he demanded.
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"No."
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"Then what—"
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"It's not just one thing," Selene said, cutting him off.
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Silence fell.
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"What does that mean?" Ilya asked.
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Selene held her gaze.
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"It means," she said slowly, "that whatever is happening…"
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She paused.
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"…isn't coming from outside."
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The words settled heavily.
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Soren frowned.
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"Explain."
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Selene shook her head slightly.
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"Not here."
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That did not sit well.
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"Then where?" Soren asked.
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Selene's eyes flicked briefly to the trees.
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Then back.
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"Somewhere neither of us belongs," she said.
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The rhythm in Ilya's chest surged.
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She inhaled sharply.
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"What?" Soren asked.
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She didn't answer.
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Because she understood.
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Not fully.
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But enough.
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"There is a place," she said slowly.
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All eyes turned to her.
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"A place where this started."
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Soren's expression hardened.
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"You don't know that."
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"I do."
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"How?"
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She pressed a hand to her chest.
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"It's there."
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Selene watched her carefully.
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"Yes," she said.
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Soren looked between them.
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"You've both lost your minds."
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"Possibly," Selene said.
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"But that doesn't make us wrong."
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Silence stretched again.
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Then—
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A sound.
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Not from the wolves.
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Not from the vampires.
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From the forest.
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Low.
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Familiar.
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Wrong.
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Everyone turned.
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The trees shifted.
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Something moved.
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Slowly.
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Deliberately.
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Stepping into view.
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The same thing.
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Or something like it.
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Not quite identical.
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But close enough.
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Its form flickered at the edges.
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Unstable.
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Incomplete.
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"You're early," it said.
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The words landed in every mind at once.
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Selene stiffened.
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"You've seen this before," Soren said sharply.
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"Yes," she replied.
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The thing's attention shifted between them.
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"Still divided," it observed.
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No one responded.
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"Still incomplete."
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Ilya stepped forward again.
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"You said we were fragments," she said.
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"Yes."
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"Of what?"
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The thing tilted its head.
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As if considering how to answer.
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Then:
"Of yourselves."
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That was not helpful.
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Soren's patience snapped.
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"That means nothing."
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"It means everything," the thing replied.
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Selene stepped forward now.
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"What do you want?" she asked.
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The thing looked at her.
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Then smiled again—that same unsettling recognition.
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"What I was," it said.
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Silence.
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"And what is that?" Selene pressed.
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The thing's form shifted slightly.
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For a moment—
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Just a moment—
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It looked solid.
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Defined.
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Whole.
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Then it flickered again.
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"Complete," it said.
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The rhythm in Ilya's chest aligned perfectly.
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And this time—
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It didn't fade.
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It held.
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Steady.
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Clear.
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Like something locking into place.
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Her breath caught.
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"I know where it is," she whispered.
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Soren turned to her.
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"What?"
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She didn't look at him.
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Didn't look at anyone.
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Because she could see it now.
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Not with her eyes.
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But with something deeper.
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A place.
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Buried.
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Forgotten.
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Waiting.
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"We have to go there," she said.
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The thing's smile widened.
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"Yes," it said.
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And for the first time—
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There was something like hunger in its voice.
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Real.
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Sharp.
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Alive.
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"Before I do."