Élise
The key in my hand felt heavier than it actually was, as if it carried 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 or another, but I had 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 to hesitate. His dark eyes shone 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 answered slowly, his voice low, almost whispered. "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 that my life was about to change. I had made a decision a long time ago: to forget. To ignore the demons that haunted me. But now, I found myself face to face with 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 lies 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 looking for this without knowing it, Élise. And you will 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 it seemed he held the keys to my life. But deep inside, a voice screamed at me to turn away. Every fiber of my being told me this path would lead to my downfall.
Damien looked up at me, reading my thoughts as if he could see beyond my hesitations. "Take the key, Élise. Open the door. What you discover may be difficult, but there's no other way. You must understand."
His last words echoed in my mind. You must understand. They resonated within me like a simple, brutal truth. I had to know. I had to understand why I had always felt 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 walked toward a door in the corner of the basement. The door was made of aged wood, weathered by time, but something about its appearance seemed singular, as if it hadn't been opened in years, perhaps even decades. The strange little key, now warm in my hand, seemed to meld with the lock.
My fingers trembled as I inserted the key into the lock. A click rang out, heavy and definitive, like an echo from a bygone era. The door opened slowly, almost ceremoniously, revealing a dark room inside, faintly lit by a dim glow. The air was cold and damp, thick with the smell of old wood and dust.
I crossed the threshold, a shiver running down my spine. The sound of my footsteps echoed on the stone floor, each echo amplifying the tension that was building within me. The space before me was dimly lit by candles arranged around an old wooden table, on which lay various ancient objects. There were books with darkened covers, yellowed maps, black-and-white photos, and in the center, a large dusty mirror, all glass and 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 reached out a hesitant hand toward its surface, my breath held in my chest.
"Look inside," Damien whispered behind me. His voice, so calm, contrasted with the storm raging within me. "Everything you've ignored, everything you've tried to escape... you'll find it there."
I fixed my gaze on my reflection in the mirror, but it wasn't me that I saw. It was another version of myself, younger, more fragile. I was surrounded by familiar faces, members of my family, people I had forgotten. But the image was blurry, like a memory slowly fading with time. Then, gradually, the faces grew darker, more menacing. The image in the mirror distorted, becoming warped, as if it was trying to warn me, urging me to understand.
"What is this?" I murmured, my throat tightening.
"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 recoiled suddenly, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. A wave of terror washed over 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, Élise. You've already come too far to turn back."
I looked at him, desperate, but in his eyes 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, a part of the love I felt for him? The mirror was only a reflection. A reflection that it was time to confront.
Without another word, I turned my gaze back to the mirror, ready to face whatever I would see there.