Glimpses of Darkness

“Alex! Alex, wake up!”

The sharp voice pierced through the suffocating darkness, dragging him back from whatever abyss he had fallen into.

He gasped, his lungs burning, eyes snapping open to a world that felt too distant. His heart pounded, but the nightmare’s grip was still tight, lingering in the heaviness on his chest. For a moment, everything around him felt wrong—the air too thick, his limbs too heavy, as though they didn’t belong to him anymore. His mind thrashed against the fog, trying to piece together the fragments of what had just happened.

There had been a mirror. And the figure in the cloak—but beyond that, his memory was just shards. Coldness. Isolation. A voice that wasn’t his own, whispering in the recesses of his mind, as if it had taken root there.

“Alex!” Lila’s hand dug into his shoulder, the tremor in her voice unmistakable now. “Can you hear me?”

His vision swam, the lab slowly coming into focus, but everything felt distorted, like looking through warped glass. The walls stretched too far, the light too dim. His perception of reality was slipping, as if he were on the edge of falling back into that dark place.

Lila was kneeling beside him, her brows knit together, eyes scanning his face. “Alex, say something. Please.”

Her voice was a lifeline, pulling him further from the abyss. But the pounding in his head was relentless, a drumbeat in time with the erratic thudding of his heart. He blinked, trying to focus, to remember. After what felt like an eternity, Lila’s face sharpened into clarity—her wide, worried eyes, her tight grip on his arm.

“I—” His throat was raw, voice cracking like old wood. He swallowed, tasting the metallic tang of fear. “I’m here.”

Lila exhaled sharply, relief flooding her face, though her fingers remained tense, still gripping his shoulder. “Thank the gods,” she muttered, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “You scared the hell out of me, Alex. What happened?”

His mind scrambled to piece the fragments together, but it felt like trying to hold water in his hands—everything slipping away too fast to grasp. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the disjointed memories into some kind of order. That cold, smothering presence still clung to him, like damp clothes in a storm. He pushed himself up, groaning as his head throbbed with a sharp pain that made him wince.

“I... I don’t know,” Alex rasped, his voice thin. “I was investigating the lab, and...there was someone. Someone in a cloak. They did something—there was a mirror... and then nothing. Everything went black.” His voice dropped lower. “I think I was trapped in some kind of—”

Lila’s frown deepened, her gaze flicking around the lab. Everything was untouched—shelves lined neatly, workbenches still, the faint hum of magical devices filling the air with an eerie sense of normalcy.

“Alex, no one’s been down here,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “I’ve been trying to wake you for ten minutes. It was just you.”

A chill slid up his spine, cold fingers brushing his skin. He scanned the room again, but it all looked the same. No mirror. No figure in a cloak. “I felt it, Lila,” he insisted, the words tumbling out. “Something pulled me in. Dark magic. Old, dangerous.” He hesitated, searching for the right words, but everything felt inadequate. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

Lila bit her lip, her expression clouding with uncertainty. “You look like you’ve been hit by a rogue spell,” she said slowly. “Are you sure it wasn’t a leftover enchantment? Maybe the wards glitched and threw you into some kind of illusion?”

“No,” Alex said, shaking his head. His temples flared with fresh pain from the motion. “It wasn’t just an illusion. I was somewhere else. It felt real. And then I heard your voice.” His gaze met hers, and for a moment, the vulnerability in his tone made her expression soften. “You were calling me.”

Her grip on his arm tightened, her eyes widening with realization. “Okay. First, let’s get you out of here.” Her voice was firm, but there was an edge of unease creeping in now. “Then we’ll figure this out.”

Lila slid an arm under his, helping him to his feet. His legs felt unsteady, like they hadn’t fully reconnected with his body yet. His eyes drifted to the spot where the mirror should’ve been, but there was nothing. The frustration bubbled under his skin, but the exhaustion kept it at bay, smothering it like a wet blanket.

“You think I’m losing it, don’t you?” he muttered as they moved toward the door, the weight of the experience still pressing down on him.

Lila snorted, though there was a touch of warmth in her voice. “Losing it? You? Never. You’ve always been a little crazy.” Her smile faltered briefly. “Now you’ve just got a legitimate excuse.”

Alex managed a weak chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. “Good to know I’m still me, at least.”

“You look more like someone left you in the wash too long,” she teased, though her tone carried a hint of worry. “Seriously, Alex. You’ve got that wild-eyed, ‘I just fought a rogue wizard’ look about you.”

“I did just fight something.” He sighed, his eyes scanning the lab again, that creeping sense of dread gnawing at the back of his mind. “Or... experience something. I’m still not sure what.”

Lila eyed him carefully. “I believe you.” She paused, offering a small smile. “Even if I don’t always understand half of what you get yourself into.”

“How did you find me?” he asked, trying to shift the conversation away from the strange encounter.

“I came down to grab some dragon scales from storage,” she said, pressing the elevator button. “Found you on the floor, looking like you’d been knocked out cold.”

“Should we tell Marcus?” Alex’s brow furrowed as the elevator doors slid open. “He might know what happened.”

Lila chewed her lip, fingers tapping absentmindedly against her satchel. “We’ll loop him in,” she said cautiously, “but not tonight.”

“You do believe me, don’t you?” Alex pressed, his voice dropping, uncertainty edging in.

Lila’s gaze met his, steady but cautious. “I believe something scared the hell out of you.”

The words stung, but Alex could see her reasoning. He exhaled slowly, the fatigue weighing heavily on his limbs, dulling the edges of the encounter that still lingered in his mind.

“So where do we start?” he asked quietly, glancing around the lab one last time. “There’s nothing left. No mirror. No figure.”

Lila stepped closer, her eyes narrowing as she examined his face. “You look like you’ve been drained. Whatever it was took a lot out of you.” She hesitated before continuing. “Let’s get you home. Tomorrow, we’ll figure this out.”

Alex wanted to argue, but his legs felt like lead. “I hate leaving it like this.”

Lila nodded. “I know. But if you push yourself too hard, you’ll burn out.” She patted her satchel. “I’ll brew something to help you sleep. Get your strength back.”

He hesitated. The darkness in the lab, that otherworldly pull—it gnawed at him. But she was right. Charging back in now wouldn’t solve anything.

“Alright,” he relented. “But first thing tomorrow, we’re back in the lab. There’s something we missed.”

Lila smirked. “Deal. Now let’s get you out of here.”

As they exited, Magic, Inc. loomed over them, colder than before. Their footsteps echoed in the empty hallways, the usual hum of life replaced by a sterile stillness. Alex couldn’t shake the feeling that the building itself was watching.

Outside, arcane vehicles zipped by overhead, enchanted street lamps bathed the streets in a soft glow. The city felt alive, thrumming with magic, but Alex felt detached from it all.

“The infirmary’s closed at this time,” Lila said. “Do you want to crash at my place?”

“I’m good,” Alex replied, though his body protested.

She raised an eyebrow but let it go. “I’ll walk you to the station.”

“Thanks.”

They walked in silence for a while, the cool air easing Alex’s pounding head. After a few blocks, Lila broke the quiet.

“You know,” she said softly, “it’ll be okay.”

He glanced at her, catching the way the streetlight played across her features. The fierce loyalty in her eyes, that unshakable belief, eased something inside him.

“I know,” he said. “Thanks for sticking with me.”

She bumped his shoulder lightly. “Someone’s gotta keep you out of trouble.”

They laughed, just like old times. For a brief moment, it felt like the days before magic had consumed their lives. But as they neared the station, the unease crept back in, gnawing at Alex’s thoughts.

He stopped. “You think we’re in over our heads, don’t you?”

Lila studied him for a moment. “I don’t know yet,” she said, voice calm. “But I’m a scientist. I need data.”

Alex gave a dry chuckle. “Data, huh? Guess we’re short on that.”

She smiled. “We’ll get it. But for now, get some sleep. We’ll tackle this tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He glanced back as the train approached.

Lila lingered as though debating whether to say more. Instead, she gave a small wave. “See you tomorrow. Bright and early. I’ll be ready.”

“Bright and early,” Alex said with a tired grin. “Thanks, Lila. Really.”

She nodded and disappeared into the evening.

When Alex got home, the familiar scent of his magic-infused apartment greeted him, but the weight of the day dragged him down. He tossed his keys onto the counter and fell onto the bed.

But sleep didn’t come easy.

His mind replayed the darkness, the figure, the pull of that ancient magic.

When sleep finally claimed him, the dreams came.

Once again, Alex stood in the barren expanse. The air pressed down on him, heavier than before, thick with a tension that clawed at his skin. It wasn’t just a nightmare. The place felt alive—alive with something lurking just beyond the fog.

The ground beneath his feet shifted, softening like sand, pulling at his legs as if trying to swallow him whole. Every step felt wrong, like walking through a heavy current.

Whispers swirled around him, indecipherable, yet they gnawed at the edges of his mind. He tried to focus, to make sense of them, but the words twisted and slipped away.

In the distance, the figure stood—cloaked, faceless, but this time, he felt their gaze. Sharp. Burning. The weight pressed in harder. Suffocating. His chest tightened.

The figure raised a hand.

One word echoed in his mind, crystal clear.

Soon.