Dusk Glow

Chapter IX: Lurking in the Gloom

As Edwynn leads Darla deeper into the dark corridors of the Kullen mansion, the air grows colder, and the walls seem to press in around them, lined with ancient portraits of pale, stern figures whose eyes follow their every step. Darla wraps her arms around herself, trying to hold back the shiver that runs through her.

Edwynn glances at her, his expression tense. "The Rift... it's not what you think, Darla. It's not some magical force or curse. It's a tear in our world—something that happened long ago. It's a boundary, a hidden space between what is seen and what isn't. Those of us who are... different—like the fangsters and the wulfens—we've always known about it, even if most of us try to forget."

Darla frowns, struggling to keep up with his words. "So... it's like a place? A space that only you guys can access?"

Edwynn nods, his footsteps echoing through the dim hallway as they descend a winding staircase. "Exactly. The Rift was once a passage, a way for our kinds to... coexist, to hide. It's how we kept our existence secret from regular sims for so long. But over time, it became unstable. The Council and The Elders of both sides—fangsters and wulfens—agreed to seal it off, to keep its power contained and maintain peace. It's been hidden ever since."

Darla hugs her arms tighter, her mind spinning with the new information. "So, what does that have to do with me? Why did my mom... disappear because of it?"

Edwynn hesitates, his expression pained. "Your mother... she got too close to the truth. She started looking into the Rift, learning things that weren't meant for regular sims. I don't know everything she discovered, but it scared the leading heads—on both sides. They wanted to keep the Rift's existence buried. And when she wouldn't back down..."

His voice trails off, and Darla swallows hard, trying to process his words. The idea that her mother's disappearance wasn't some random tragedy—that it had a purpose, that there were people behind it—makes her blood run cold.

Edwynn continues, his voice barely more than a whisper. "They forced her out. Made her disappear. And I think... I think she might have found a way back to the Rift before she vanished. That's why Alaric is so obsessed with you, Darla. He thinks you know something—something your mother left behind that could lead him to it."

Darla stops in her tracks, her mind reeling.
"I don't know anything about a hidden place, Edwynn. I just... I just want my mom back. I want my life to make sense again."

Edwynn turns to her, his expression softening with something like regret. "I know. And I'm sorry that you've been dragged into this. But you're not alone. I won't let him—"

Before he can finish, a sharp, echoing laugh cuts through the air, reverberating off the stone walls. Edwynn tenses, his head snapping toward the sound, and Darla feels a chill run down her spine.

Alaric's voice slithers through the darkness, cold and mocking. "Ah, brother, how touching. You think you can keep her safe with your noble little speeches? How quaint."

Darla's heart pounds in her chest as she scans the shadows, but she can't see him. The darkness seems to shift around them, swallowing the light of the candles. Edwynn steps in front of her, his stance defensive, his eyes narrowed.

"Show yourself, Alaric," Edwynn growls, his voice hard and unyielding. "I'm done playing your games."

Alaric's laughter echoes again, closer this time. "Oh, but I'm not quite done yet, dear brother. You see, I have a proposition for you. A chance to do what you should have done from the start—to step aside and let me have what I'm after. Or... we can see just how far you're willing to go to protect your little friend."

Darla's breath catches as Alaric finally steps into view, emerging from the shadows with his usual infuriating smile. But there's a darkness in his eyes now, a dangerous edge that wasn't there before. He moves with the confidence of someone who knows he holds all the cards.