Nina Wren stood at the edge of the world.
Or at least, that's what it felt like as the cold wind howled around her, whipping her long brown hair across her face. She pulled her trench coat tighter around her small frame, her gaze fixed on the crumbling ruins before her. Nestled deep in the Scottish Highlands, the ancient stone structure seemed to grow out of the earth itself, its age-worn stones blanketed in moss. Time had forgotten this place. Most people had, too.
But not Nina.
She'd first heard of the ruins from a passing mention in an obscure 16th-century text while researching her doctorate. At the time, it had seemed like a dead end—just another old relic tucked away in a forgotten corner of history. But now, standing here in person, she knew better. Something about this place hummed with life, a vibrancy that defied its desolate appearance.
She closed her eyes and listened.
The wind whistled through the ancient stones, but beneath it, something else stirred—a soft, almost imperceptible whisper. Most people wouldn't hear it. Most people couldn't.
But Nina wasn't most people.
Since she was a child, Nina had always heard echoes. Not the normal echoes that bounced off walls in a canyon or an empty room. No, these were different. They were the voices of the past, fragments of conversations and memories long since forgotten, but somehow imprinted in time. It was a gift—or a curse, depending on the day.
And right now, her gift was buzzing in her ears, more insistent than ever.
She crouched down, running her fingers over the rough stones of the ruins, her heart racing. Something was here. Something important. She could feel it in her bones, a pull as if the past itself was reaching out to her. Her breath quickened as the whisper became clearer.
"Find me…"
Nina jerked back, her eyes wide. The voice had been clear, as if someone had spoken right next to her. She looked around, but there was no one. Just the wind and the silence of the Highlands.
"Find me…" the voice repeated, more urgent this time.
Her fingers brushed against something cold and metallic. Buried beneath the stone, she found the edge of a strange, ancient artifact. It was unlike anything she had seen before—an intricately carved disk, about the size of her palm, etched with symbols she didn't recognize.
The moment her hand closed around it, the world tilted. A flood of images rushed into her mind: dark corridors, hooded figures, flames flickering in the night. And then, a voice—deeper this time, filled with power and malice.
"Beware the Order."
Nina gasped, pulling her hand away. The artifact dropped to the ground with a metallic thud, but the images lingered in her mind. She knew what she had just seen wasn't a simple hallucination. It was an echo, a fragment of something terrible that had happened long ago.
Shaken, she stood up, looking down at the artifact with a mix of fear and fascination. What was this thing? And what had happened here?
Before she could contemplate further, the sound of footsteps crunching on the gravel path reached her ears. She spun around, her heart hammering in her chest.
A tall figure emerged from the mist—a man, dressed in a black coat, his face shadowed beneath the brim of a wide-brimmed hat. He moved with purpose, his gaze locked on her, and as he approached, he spoke in a low, controlled voice.
"You shouldn't be here."
Nina's breath caught in her throat. Whoever this man was, he didn't look like the friendly type.
"I was just—" she began, but the man cut her off with a sharp motion.
"I know what you're looking for. And trust me, you don't want to find it."
Nina stared at him, her pulse quickening. "Who are you?" she demanded, taking a step back.
He didn't answer. Instead, his eyes flicked to the artifact at her feet, his expression darkening.
"Walk away now," he said, his voice cold. "Before it's too late."
Nina glanced down at the artifact, then back at the stranger. Everything in her told her to listen, to heed his warning and leave this place behind. But something stronger held her there—a need for answers, a need to understand the mystery that had haunted her since she was a child.
She wasn't going anywhere.
With a deep breath, she squared her shoulders, meeting the man's gaze head-on.
"I'm not leaving," she said, her voice steady. "Not until I find out the truth."
The man's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing. "Then you've just made a very dangerous mistake."
Before Nina could respond, the wind picked up again, swirling around them with a fierce intensity. The world seemed to grow darker, the shadows stretching longer, and in the distance, the faint echo of a woman's scream pierced the air.
Nina's heart pounded in her chest, but she didn't waver. She had spent her life chasing echoes. Now, she was finally ready to face them head-on.
Whatever the cost.