Bound by Secrets

Chapter 10: The Dream's Echo and the Preparation

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when Ben woke again, the lingering chill of the shared dream still clinging to his skin. His head pounded, and the images of the catacombs, of Ethan's hollow face, were burned into his mind. He rubbed his eyes, hoping to shake off the lingering sense of dread, but it wouldn't fade.

Tom was already awake, sitting at the edge of the couch with a contemplative look on his face. Sam, still nestled under the blanket, looked like she hadn't slept well at all. Her usually bright and energetic demeanor had been replaced by quiet unease.

Ben sat up, the blanket falling to the floor. "You guys... we all had the same dream, didn't we?"

Tom nodded, his jaw tight. "Yeah, we did. The catacombs... Ethan. It was too real to just be a coincidence."

Sam groaned softly, sitting up and stretching. "It was horrible. He looked... dead. Or like he wasn't fully there. And those whispers..."

Ben shuddered. "The key is silence. That's what they said. But what does it mean?"

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, trying to process the intensity of the dream. Ben couldn't help but feel that it was more than just a dream—it was a message, a warning of some kind.

Tom stood up, pacing across the room. "This can't be ignored. It's connected to Ethan's disappearance, somehow. Whatever's in those catacombs... it's calling to us. Maybe it's trying to show us something."

Ben glanced at the grimoire, which sat on the coffee table, its presence looming large even in the dim morning light. "Do you think the grimoire has something to do with it?"

Tom shrugged, his expression grim. "It's possible. If this magic is tied to the catacombs, it might be showing us what we need to find."

Sam rubbed her temples, clearly trying to shake off the remnants of the dream. "It's like it's leading us there. But why? And why now?"

Before Ben could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway. Hilda appeared in the doorway, her sharp eyes scanning the three of them. "I thought I heard voices. You kids are up early."

Ben looked at her, trying to figure out how to explain the dream. "Aunt Hilda... we had a strange dream. All of us."

Hilda raised an eyebrow, walking closer. "A shared dream?" She glanced between them, clearly intrigued. "That's not something that happens often. What was it about?"

Ben hesitated, still piecing the dream together in his mind. "We were in a catacomb. There were shadows everywhere, and... we saw Ethan. But he wasn't himself. It was like he was trapped there."

"The whispers," Sam added quickly. "They said, 'The key is silence.'"

Hilda's expression darkened slightly, and she sat down across from them, her posture tense. "That's old magic. Very old. Shared dreams are a way of communicating across realms, and if you all saw the same thing, it means something—someone—is reaching out to you."

Ben's heart skipped a beat. "Do you think it's Ethan?"

Hilda was quiet for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't know. But it's clear that whatever happened to Ethan is connected to those catacombs. And if the magic in your dream is calling to you, it means you're already involved—whether you like it or not."

Tom crossed his arms, his voice steady. "So we need to go there. To the catacombs. It's the only way to figure this out."

Sam looked less enthusiastic. "We're not just going to walk into a haunted catacomb, right?"