Elise
The key in my hand felt heavier than it really was, as though it carried with it all the weight of secrets I had never wanted to know. I stared at it for a moment, turning it between my trembling fingers. I knew it was connected to my past in some way, but I never imagined it would return in this form, in a dusty box, buried in darkness.
"Why now? Why did you show me this?" I asked, my voice choked with anxiety.
Damien, who stood in the shadows behind me, seemed hesitant. His dark eyes gleamed with a particular intensity, almost as if he were waiting for me to make this decision on my own. "Because the past never stays hidden forever," he replied slowly, his voice low, almost a whisper. "It's time for you to understand what ties you to all of this. This key... it's the door to the truth."
I clenched my teeth. I couldn't be sure what that meant, but something in Damien's tone made me feel like my life was about to change. I had made a decision long ago: to forget. To ignore the demons that haunted me. But now, I found myself facing them, as if fate had pushed me in a direction I no longer controlled.
"I'm not ready for all of this," I whispered, gently folding the key into my palms. "I don't want to know what's behind this door."
But Damien didn't seem disturbed by my words. He stepped forward, standing in front of me. "You can't run anymore. You're here, in this gallery, with me. You've been searching for this, without even knowing it, Elise. And you'll never truly leave until you face what haunts you."
I stared at him, and despite my fear, I felt something inexplicable within me: an irresistible attraction. He spoke with such certainty, such conviction, that he seemed to hold the keys to my life. But deep inside, a voice screamed at me to turn away. Every fiber of my being told me that this path would lead to my ruin.
Damien looked up at me, scanning my thoughts as though he could see beyond my reluctance. "Take the key, Elise. Open the door. What you discover might be difficult, but there's no other way. You must understand."
His last words echoed within me. You must understand. Those words rang out like a simple, brutal truth. I had to know. I had to understand why I had always felt that something was missing in my life. Something I couldn't forget, no matter how hard I tried to move forward.
I took a deep breath, and slowly, I reached out my hand. I took the key and headed toward a door in the corner of the basement. The door was made of aged wood, worn by time, but something about its appearance seemed peculiar, as though it had never been opened in years, perhaps even decades. The strange little key, now warm in my hand, seemed to fit perfectly into the lock.
My fingers trembled as I inserted the key into the lock. A click resonated, heavy and final, like an echo from a bygone time. The door opened slowly, almost ceremoniously, revealing a dimly lit room inside, barely illuminated by a faint glow. The air was cold and damp, imbued with the scent of old wood and dust.
I stepped across the threshold, a shiver running down my spine. The sound of my footsteps echoed on the stone floor, each echo amplifying the tension in my body. The space before me was dimly lit by candles placed around an old wooden table, on which rested various antique objects. There were books with charred covers, yellowed maps, black-and-white photos, and at the center, a large dusty mirror, all made of glass and intricately carved wood.
I approached the mirror, drawn by an invisible force. I had never seen this object before, but it seemed to possess a presence. I hesitantly extended my hand toward its surface, my breath suspended in my chest.
"Look into it," murmured Damien behind me. His voice, so calm, contrasted with the storm inside me. "Everything you've ignored, everything you've tried to flee... you'll find it there."
I fixed my gaze on my reflection in the mirror, but it wasn't me I saw. It was a younger, more fragile version of myself. I was surrounded by familiar faces, family members, people I had forgotten. But the image was blurry, like a memory that was crumbling with time. Then, gradually, the faces became darker, more menacing. The reflection in the mirror distorted, as though it was trying to warn me, to push me to understand.
"What is this?" I whispered, my throat tight.
"The echoes of your past," Damien answered. "The mirror never lies. It shows the truth, even if you're not ready to accept it."
I stepped back suddenly, my heart pounding against my chest. A wave of terror overwhelmed me. I knew that tonight, I would have to face something far greater than myself. My fears, my regrets, and perhaps even truths I wasn't ready to know.
"I... I can't," I said, almost in tears. "It's too much. It's too much for me."
But Damien, without a word, stepped closer and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "You must, Elise. You're already too far gone to turn back."
I looked at him, desperate, but in his eyes, there was a light I couldn't ignore. He wasn't wrong. I had to understand, even if it meant plunging into the unknown. Wasn't darkness, after all, part of the love I felt for him? The mirror was only a reflection. A reflection that it was time to face.
Without another word, I turned my gaze back to the mirror, ready to accept what I was about to see.