Chapter 13: Chapter 12, The Chamber beneath the Lies 🩸

Dunira lay on the cold ground. The world around her was dark… silent… almost weightless. A shallow layer of water rippled beneath her as if the earth itself was holding its breath.

She suddenly snapped her eyes open and sat up with a gasp.

Wind stirred softly around her, brushing her skin, and the water beneath began to shimmer.

She looked down — expecting her own reflection.

But instead, a woman stared back.

The same woman who haunted her dreams.

The one with the dagger… the one who made the oath.

“You? ” Dunira whispered, her voice trembling.

The woman didn’t answer.

She simply reached out — her hand extending toward the surface of the water.

Dunira hesitated… then slowly raised her own hand, mirroring the motion.

Their fingers met.

In an instant, a blinding light burst into Dunira’s eyes—

---

“Dunira... Dunira, wake up, darling.”

She gasped again, this time for real — jolting upright in her bed.

Navalyn was beside her, gently pressing a hand to her forehead.

“Hmm... your temperature’s normal. Get ready now, alright?”

Dunira nodded wordlessly.

Navalyn left the room.

Quietly, Dunira reached beneath her bed, pushing aside a wooden panel — and pulled out the book.

"The Forgotten Noctherian City."

Her fingers lingered on the cover.

Why do this lady keep returning to me?

She looked toward the window, where the early light had just begun to touch the glass —

like the world was trying to wake with her.

But she wasn't ready to rise.

Not yet.

---

Flashback – back to Kaerlic's home

“They were Noctherians,” Dunira said quietly.

Kaelric nodded. “Yeah… but they were wiped out. Or at least, that’s what we were told. Their numbers fell… then vanished with time.”

“Or maybe that’s just the story we were made to believe,” she added.

Kaelric’s eyes narrowed. “One truth after another... all rewritten.”

He handed her the book. “You keep this.”

As he began to tidy up the space, he took another book and locked it back inside the hidden locker.

“Take it with you. I’ll cover things here.”

Then he stepped closer, placing a hand on Dunira’s shoulder.

“But don’t you dare do anything alone. Got it?”

Dunira nodded silently.

As he turned away, the candlelight flickered — casting fleeting shadows across the titles on the shelves.

Books held secrets. But people?

People buried them deeper.

---

Back to Present – Valathir

Vespara sat alone in her office, opening a drawer with slow precision.

From within, she pulled out a small orb — glowing faintly.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

She whispered a spell, and the orb lit up, revealing a faint, blurred face.

“They’re sharper than we thought,” Vespara spoke into it.

“They’ve started suspecting us. What should we do next?”

She paused, gaze narrowing — as if even the silence was watching her now.

---

Mean while at Valethir Assembly Hall

Students gathered — chatter, whispers, laughter.

Kaelric stood apart from the crowd, arms crossed, gaze distant.

Minsa stole a glance at him.

“I didn’t know Kaelric would change this much,” she said.

Drake scoffed beside her. “Who’s Kaelric? I don’t know that version of him.”

He looked away, clearly irritated, and began to walk.

That’s when he noticed Sansa walking into the hall.

Drake moved toward her with a smirk.

“All alone? Where’s your bestieeee?”

Sansa frowned. “Why?”

“Oh look at you. Got some nerve now, huh? First Dunira, now Kaelric, and now you...”

He stepped closer, voice sharper.

“You think you're something now?”

“what's your prob..—” Sansa began.

But another voice cut through the air.

“Looking for me?”

Dunira stood behind him, calm but unshaken.

Drake turned slowly. “Ah... long time, Dunira. Where’ve you been? Still searching for your sister — what was her name? Uh.. Lira, right? Any news?”

“This isn’t your business,” she said firmly.

“Yeah? I just want to know how long you plan to use Kaelric. 1st Pretending to be his friend, then ignoring him, now manipulating him. He might hate me for saying this, but let me tell you—”

He pointed a finger in her face.

“Stay. In. Your. Limits.”

Kaelric suddenly appeared silently beside them. Drake stepped back, lowering his hand — but never looked at him.

“See you next time, girls. Ba-byeee.”

He left without another word.

Kaelric turned to Dunira.

“Did he say something to you?”

Sansa tried to answer, but Dunira cut in.

“He just... saw me after a long time. That’s all.”

Kaelric leaned in slightly. “How are you feeling, though?”

Dunira was about to reply when Sansa suddenly added,

“Waaait a second... weren’t you two together last night?”

Both blurted out at once, “Nooo!”

Sansa blinked. “What? But Kaelric, didn’t you say—?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Wait... were you both actually together or not?”

There was a pause. Then both said, trying not to look suspicious,

“Yeahhh... we were.”

Sansa’s expression turned into pure confusion.

“Okay, now I’m totally lost.”

“Uh… I did regain consciousness,” Dunira explained quickly. “Then I went back home.”

She leaned in closer and whispered, “But… we found something. At Kaelric’s place.”

Sansa raised a brow. “Something?”

“A book,” Dunira said. “Locked. Inside a hidden compartment.”

“In a locker?” Sansa asked.

Kaelric nodded. “Yeah… and it wasn’t just locked. It was sealed with some kind of magic.”

Dunira looked at him, arching an eyebrow.

Kaelric shrugged. “What? I’m just saying…”

“The real point is,” Dunira said, her voice dropping, “we found out who those red-eyed guys are.”

Sansa stared. “Who?”

“They’re Noctherians,” Dunira replied. “The book had descriptions of their powers. It said whenever they use their shadow abilities… their eyes start turning blood red.”

“Yeah,” Kaelric added. “Just like how when I use my powers, the veins around my eyes glow orange.”

Sansa’s voice shot up. “Wait—Noctherians?! Are you serious?!”

A few nearby students turned and stared at the sudden outburst.

“Sorry,” Sansa muttered, lowering her voice to a whisper. “But… how is that even possible?”

“That’s exactly what we’re trying to figure out,” Dunira said.

“…Let’s not talk here,” she added, glancing around. “We’ll discuss it properly after school.”

Kaelric and Sansa both nodded.

_

Some truths are too raw to be spoken in public.

And some wounds — still bleeding — wear silence like a shield.

---

In Military Training Class

The students sat quietly. Vespara stood before them, her gaze sharp, her tone sharper.

“We all possess a gift. Unique to our clans, yes. But what if I told you… that most of you are barely using even five percent of your potential?”

She paced slowly, voice deep with calm authority.

“Our powers are like portals,” Vespara began, her voice calm but carrying weight. “They don’t open just because you want them to. They open when you’re ready — when something inside you stops doubting and starts trusting.”

She let the silence settle.

Then her eyes locked on Dunira.

“The greatest power in this world isn’t strength, or even talent.

It’s patience. And belief.

Patience to grow without proof. Belief to keep going even when nothing makes sense.

Because if you don’t believe in the fire within you...

No magic ever will.”

The bell rang.

Students stood up and began to leave.

“Dunira. Stay,” Vespara said.

Sansa paused too, but—

“Not you, Sansa. You can go, child.”

Kaelric, standing a short distance away, watched… shared a glance with dunira then Sansa and kaelric both left the class

---

Later…

Dunira followed Vespara through the dense trees behind Valethir.

Leaves whispered with the wind, and roots curled underfoot like veins in the earth.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

No reply.

Vespara parted a thick curtain of leaves — revealing a dead end. But instead of stopping, she stepped through it.

Dunira froze.

What...?

She reached forward — and passed through the illusion.

What opened before her stole her breath.

A vast, hidden chamber stretched out, dimly lit. Warriors moved within — sharpening weapons, practicing spells, preparing for something that had no name.

“Where are you taking me?” Dunira whispered, unsure whether to be curious or afraid.

“If you won’t answer me, I’m leaving,” she said, turning away.

But then —

“Stop, Dunira.”

She froze.

That voice didn’t belong to Vespara.

She turned slowly.

Commander Sirevan stood beside Vespara, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

She looked confused

“…Officer?”

Next chapter drops Saturday ✨