I lay adrift in the abyss, my mind thick with the remnants of unconsciousness. The darkness was absolute, pressing in on me like a second skin. Then—movement. A shift in the silence. The faintest rustle of fabric.
A sound followed, distant yet close enough to set my nerves alight. My heart pounded against my ribs. What was happening? Where was I? And then, like a flood breaking through a crumbling dam, it all rushed back. Father Gideon. The escape. The Watchers.
Panic surged through me as I jolted upright, my breath coming fast and ragged. My vision swam, struggling to adjust to the dim light. I blinked, trying to make sense of my surroundings, and what I saw made my stomach twist.
A stone chamber, its walls rough and uneven, ancient in their construction. The only source of light came from a single torch flickering in its iron sconce, its glow casting restless shadows that danced along the cold walls.
The air smelled of damp stone and something else—something metallic, sharp, and faintly sickening.
My head spun with confusion. What was this place? Were we still in the camp? And if so… why did it feel like we had stepped into a tomb?
The sound of stirring bodies pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. I turned my head, catching glimpses of movement in the dim torchlight. Tobias groaned first, his voice thick with the weight of sleep and confusion."My head… fuck. Where are we?" His words were barely more than a breath, spoken more to himself than to either of us.Beside him, Talia pushed herself upright, her expression a mirror of our own disorientation. She scanned the stone chamber, her eyes sharp despite the haze of unconsciousness still clinging to her."Is this where they do their sick rituals?" Her voice rang out, bouncing off the walls in a way that made the space feel even more suffocating.I swallowed hard, but I had no answer to give her. Maybe she was right. Maybe this was it.A beat of silence passed before Tobias let out a humorless chuckle, rubbing his temples as if trying to soothe away the nightmare we had woken into."So… we're fucked, ain't we?" His tone was flat, more resigned than fearful.I exhaled, the weight of reality pressing down on my shoulders. Any trace of defiance, of leadership, felt distant now, buried beneath the crushing certainty of our situation."Yeah," I muttered, my voice hollow. "Prolly, yeah."Talia's voice cut through the thick, suffocating silence."Rowan, we can't just give up. There has to be a way." Her tone was firm, her eyes still burning with a determination I could no longer find in myself.Something inside me snapped."What do you want me to do, Talia?!" My voice tore through the chamber, raw and unrestrained. "I don't have anything—no tricks, no plans, no fucking miracles up my sleeve!" The words poured out like venom, laced with exhaustion, with frustration, with the crushing weight of hopelessness.She flinched, not from fear, but from the sheer unfamiliarity of my outburst. I was always the calm one, the steady hand guiding us forward. But now? Now, I was just tired. Tired of pretending we had a chance. Tired of holding onto a hope that had long since turned to dust in my hands.A tense silence settled between us. I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply, forcing the fire in my chest to smolder down into embers."…Sorry." The word came out empty, a hollow offering that meant nothing in the face of what was coming. What did an apology even matter when, in a few hours, we'd likely be nothing more than sacrifices on some bloodstained altar?The heavy groan of iron hinges shattered the silence, drawing all our eyes to the doorway. As one, we turned—only to face the nightmare that had orchestrated our downfall.Father Gideon stepped into the chamber with the poise of a man who had already won. A Watcher flanked his side, as still and inhuman as ever, but my eyes locked on the third figure trailing behind them. Elias.The sight of him standing there—calm, composed—sent a fresh wave of unease through me. He wasn't bound. He wasn't struggling. He wasn't even afraid.Father Gideon spread his arms as if welcoming us into some grand revelation. "A lovely family reunion, wouldn't you agree, Rowan?" His smirk was a blade, cutting deep, as though he had never considered any outcome besides this moment.I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, but before I could speak, he continued, his voice as smooth as ever."But today, I bring good news to our dear escapees. Elias will return to your side, Rowan. After all… he no longer serves a purpose."The words hit like a gut punch. My breath caught in my throat.Return? What does he mean, return?A slow, creeping dread coiled around my spine. "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice colder than I felt.Father Gideon clasped his hands behind his back, a teacher about to impart wisdom to an unworthy pupil. "Ah, Rowan. There is so much more to this world than the slums you crawled out of. And your brother… he was meant for greatness."My heartbeat thundered in my ears."His potential for magic is extraordinary—untapped, wasted in a place like this. Under normal circumstances, he would have awakened at ten years old. A feat unheard of in this tiny, insignificant kingdom."Magic? Awakening?The words felt foreign, distant, yet familiar in some forgotten way. My father had once spoken in hushed whispers about beings who could wield power beyond imagination. Superhumans, touched by something greater.But to think Elias was supposed to be one of them?I swallowed hard, my mind racing to stitch together the implications, but the only thing I knew for certain was this—whatever Father Gideon had done to my brother, it had changed everything.Father Gideon exhaled, his expression shifting into something close to reverence, his voice laced with devotion. "So, I did the only logical thing. I offered his great potential to our divine savior—Gorath."The name slithered from his lips like a sacred hymn, dripping with fanaticism.My blood ran cold. The words didn't make sense. Offered? His potential?The realization hit like a hammer to my chest. My breath stilled. My muscles tensed. "What?" My voice came out hoarse, strangled by fury. "Offered his potential? What the fuck did you do to my brother?"Father Gideon chuckled softly, as if amused by my outburst. "Oh, Rowan, such language. It wasn't easy, you know. To extract such a gift… well, it took some finesse. I had to ensure he survived the process."His tone was light, almost conversational, as though he were describing the delicate craftsmanship of a sculpture rather than the torment of my own flesh and blood.A dull roaring filled my ears, my vision narrowing to the monster standing before me. My hands curled into fists so tight my nails bit into my palms.Then, with slow, deliberate ease, he placed his hand atop Elias's head. My brother did not flinch. He didn't even seem to register it—his expression eerily serene, his wide, glassy eyes filled with nothing but devotion.Father Gideon's lips curled into a grin, a predator savoring the moment before the kill."I'll now release your brother from my bind," he said, his voice silk-wrapped steel. "Enjoy him while you can."I stared at the lunatic before me, his words a tangled mess of madness I couldn't decipher. Then—a scream. Elias.The sound cut through me like a jagged blade, raw and desperate. My head snapped toward him just in time to see his body flung through the air like a discarded rag doll. He tumbled, limbs twisting, a flash of wide, terrified eyes before he crashed against the cold stone floor. Too far. I moved, but not fast enough. The impact stole the breath from my lungs as if I had been the one thrown.Above the chaos, Father Gideon's voice rang out, rich with sickening reverence."Now, let the great offering commence!"Then, he was gone. The chamber swallowed him whole, but his words lingered, heavy and suffocating.I forced my legs to move, rushing to my brother's side. His skin looked too pale, his breath too shallow. Panic clawed at my throat, but I pushed it down. No matter what had come between us, no matter the betrayals, he was still my brother. I wouldn't lose him. Not like this.His eyelids fluttered, and for a moment, I feared he was slipping away. But then—his lips parted, and in a voice barely more than a whisper, he said, "Sorry, big bro."Something inside me cracked. That single, fragile sentence unraveled the distance between us, breaking through the walls we had built.I met his gaze, and suddenly, none of it mattered—the pain, the rift, the choices that had led us here. He was still Elias. Still the boy I had sworn to protect."It's okay," I murmured, voice steady despite the storm inside me. "You did nothing wrong."Then, forcing a smirk, I added, "But I'm still gonna smack you once we get out of here."A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips, but the moment was short-lived. A low murmur rumbled through the chamber, growing into a tide of footsteps. I turned. Shadows filled the entrance, dozens of figures slipping into the room. Their faces were hollow, their eyes devoid of hope.The forgotten. The taken.Just like us.