The Lost Crown.

chapter 13 - Whispers of the past.

Chapter 13: Whispers of the Past

Ishaani stood at the edge of the palace courtyard, her heart pounding in her chest. The grand stone walls of the palace, once familiar to her in an unexplainable way, now loomed over her with a suffocating weight. The night sky, cloaked in darkness, seemed to reflect the turmoil she felt inside. The moonlight cast eerie shadows across the courtyard, and in the silence, whispers from the past seemed to swirl around her.

After weeks of searching and evading the dark forces that sought to silence her, Ishaani had finally arrived at the place she had long felt drawn to. The palace. Her palace. The truth that had been buried deep within her subconscious now began to resurface, piecing together memories she had once thought were nightmares or mere figments of imagination.

The air was thick with anticipation, the kind that suffocated her lungs as if the truth was too much to breathe in all at once.

"Ishaani," came Arnav's voice from behind her. She didn’t turn immediately, but she could sense his concern, the way he hesitated, as though he knew something had shifted between them since they arrived at this forsaken palace.

"I never thought I'd come back here," Ishaani murmured, her voice barely audible above the wind.

Arnav walked to her side, his eyes scanning the sprawling ruins of the palace. "So, this is it? The place from your memories?"

She nodded, her fingers tracing the cold, cracked stones of the wall. "It feels...familiar, yet so distant. Like a dream I've tried to forget."

"Maybe it’s time to stop running from it," Arnav said gently. His tone was soft, but his words hit her hard. He had always been the anchor in her storm, grounding her even when she felt the world was spinning out of control. But this time, the storm inside her was not one that could be calmed by anyone but herself.

Suddenly, a distant sound echoed through the halls, causing Ishaani to stiffen. It was faint, but unmistakable — footsteps. Someone else was here.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered, her hand instinctively reaching for the small dagger she always kept hidden beneath her cloak.

Arnav’s gaze sharpened as he placed a hand on her arm, signaling her to remain quiet. They moved together, their steps silent as they followed the sound deeper into the palace. The corridors grew darker as they ventured further, their path illuminated only by the slivers of moonlight peeking through the cracks in the ceiling.

As they approached the grand hall, the whispers returned, louder this time. They were indistinct, a cacophony of voices echoing through the air, but one voice stood out among the rest, sending chills down Ishaani’s spine.

“Ishaani…”

The voice was soft, melodic, yet filled with an overwhelming sadness. It echoed off the stone walls, calling her name again and again. She stopped in her tracks, her heart racing. She knew that voice.

"No..." Ishaani breathed, her voice trembling. "It can't be."

Arnav glanced at her, concern etched across his face. "What is it? Who—"

Before he could finish, a figure emerged from the shadows at the far end of the hall. Cloaked in darkness, it moved with an unnatural grace, its features obscured. But as it stepped into the light, Ishaani’s breath caught in her throat.

It was a woman. Her face pale, her eyes hollow, yet filled with a haunting familiarity. Ishaani’s heart pounded as recognition dawned upon her.

"Mother..." she whispered, the word barely escaping her lips.

The woman, her mother, stood before her, but something was wrong. This was not the warm, loving woman from her fragmented memories. This was a ghost of the past, a shadow of the person she had once known.

"Ishaani..." her mother’s voice echoed once more, but this time, there was a plea in her tone. "Find it... before it's too late..."

"Find what?" Ishaani cried out, taking a step forward, but her mother began to fade, her figure dissolving into the darkness.

Arnav grabbed Ishaani's arm, holding her back. "Ishaani, it's not real. She's not really here."

But Ishaani couldn’t move, her eyes locked on the spot where her mother had stood. "She was trying to tell me something, Arnav. I could feel it. There's something here, something I need to find."

Arnav frowned, his gaze darting around the room. "We need to be careful. Whoever — or whatever — that was, it’s not safe here."

But Ishaani wasn’t listening. Her mind was racing, the pieces of the puzzle she had been chasing for so long finally starting to come together. The crown. The lost crown. It wasn’t just a symbol of power — it was the key to everything. And it was hidden here, in the palace. Somewhere in the very place where her past had been buried.

"I have to find it," she whispered, more to herself than to Arnav. "I have to find the crown."

As the words left her lips, the whispers in the hall grew louder, almost deafening. The shadows seemed to shift and move around them, as if the palace itself was alive, responding to her determination.

Arnav grabbed her hand, pulling her back toward the exit. "We can't do this alone. We need a plan, Ishaani. We need help."

But as they turned to leave, the grand doors at the end of the hall slammed shut with a thunderous crash. The temperature in the room dropped, and the air became thick with an oppressive energy.

Ishaani’s heart raced as she realized there was no turning back now.

The past had come for her, and the only way out was to confront it.