The cavern walls seemed to close in around Kaelen.

The whispers hadn't stopped. If anything, they had grown clearer—no longer just murmurs on the edge of his hearing, but something more insidious, more intimate.

The voice—**his voice—**was speaking directly to him.

Kaelen. Do you remember?

He shuddered.

No. He didn’t.

But something deep inside him did.

Seris still had a firm grip on his arm, her fingers like iron. “You need to fight it,” she hissed, her silver eyes searching his. “Now.”

Kaelen clenched his teeth. “Fight what?”

She exhaled sharply, her frustration evident. “Don’t pretend you don’t feel it. It’s trying to take hold of you.”

He did feel it.

Something inside him was shifting. Awakening.

And the more he focused on it, the harder it became to tell where he ended and where it began.

His pulse pounded in his ears. He turned his gaze to Seris, trying to steady himself. “I need answers.”

Her expression hardened. “No, you need to run.”

Before he could respond, the cavern shook.

A low, resonant tremor, like the earth itself was growling in warning.

Then, a pulse of darkness rippled through the space.

Kaelen stumbled as the ground beneath his feet cracked.

Seris’ grip tightened. “It’s found us.”

Kaelen barely had time to react before a wave of shadow surged through the cavern, swallowing everything in its path.

Seris raised a hand, magic crackling between her fingers, forming a barrier of silver light just as the shadows crashed against them.

The impact sent a shockwave through the air, nearly knocking Kaelen off his feet. He braced himself, eyes narrowing as the shadows recoiled—then reformed.

Shapes began to emerge from the darkness.

Not just formless masses this time.

Figures. People.

Kaelen’s breath caught in his throat.

They were familiar.

A knight in battle-worn armor, his sword gleaming with ancient runes.
A woman draped in royal robes, her crown glinting in the dim light.
A young warrior, his face bloodstained, his eyes full of fire.

Kaelen knew them.

But not from this life.

From the fragments of memories that had begun to seep through the cracks in his mind.

From a past that he had long forgotten.

They weren’t real. They couldn’t be real.

And yet, when the knight stepped forward, his deep, commanding voice echoed through the cavern.

“Kaelen, you have returned.”

Kaelen’s fingers twitched around the hilt of his sword. “Who—” His throat felt dry. “Who are you?”

The knight inclined his head. “We are echoes.”

Seris stiffened beside him. “No,” she breathed. “This isn’t possible.”

Kaelen tore his gaze from the knight to look at her. “What’s happening?”

Seris’ voice was unsteady, something Kaelen had never heard from her before. “They’re remnants. Fragments of the past. But they shouldn’t be here.”

Kaelen turned back to the figures. “Why are you here?”

The knight—his own armor strangely similar to Kaelen’s—met his gaze.

“Because you brought us back.”

Kaelen’s breath hitched.

No. That wasn’t—

He hadn’t meant to—

Had he?

The woman in the royal robes stepped forward. Her voice was softer than the knight’s, but no less commanding. “You sealed the past away, Kaelen. You broke the cycle. But now… you have undone it.”

Kaelen felt like the air had been knocked from his lungs. “The cycle?”

The warrior, the youngest of the three, clenched his fists. His voice was raw, almost accusing. “You swore to end this. To bury it. To make sure it never came back.”

Kaelen shook his head. “I don’t—” He exhaled sharply. “I don’t remember any of this.”

The knight’s gaze darkened. “But it remembers you.”

The shadows stirred.

Kaelen felt something shift inside him again. The whispers returned, louder this time.

You are me. I am you. We are one.

He gritted his teeth, clutching his head. “No—”

Seris grabbed him, shaking him hard. “Stay with me, Kaelen.”

He forced his gaze up, meeting hers.

Her expression was urgent. “It’s trying to reclaim you.”

The echoes—these fragments of his past life—continued to watch.

Waiting.

Kaelen’s heart pounded. “What am I supposed to do?”

The knight’s expression was unreadable. “Choose.”

Kaelen’s fingers trembled. “Choose what?”

The knight stepped forward, stopping just inches from him.

“To become who you were.”

The words felt like a dagger through his chest.

He staggered back, shaking his head.

“No.” His voice was hoarse. “I’m not that person anymore.”

The warrior scoffed. “Then why did you come here? Why did you take the artifact?”

Kaelen opened his mouth—then closed it.

Because he didn’t have an answer.

Seris was watching him carefully now, as if she was afraid of what he might say.

And Kaelen…

Kaelen was afraid too.

The knight’s gaze was unwavering. “You cannot run from yourself.”

The cavern shook again.

This time, the shadows around them began to pull away.

Receding.

Kaelen exhaled shakily.

The figures—the echoes—began to fade.

But before they disappeared completely, the knight spoke one last time.

“You must decide soon.”

Then, just like that, they were gone.

The cavern fell silent.

Kaelen let out a shaky breath. His hands were still trembling.

Seris’ voice was quiet. “We need to leave. Now.”

Kaelen swallowed hard and nodded.

But as they turned toward the exit, the whisper returned.

Fainter now.

Almost… amused.

You can’t run forever, Kaelen.

A chill ran down his spine.

Because deep down, he knew—

It was right.

And the next time it came for him…

He might not be able to stop it.

To be continued...