The mansion felt different when Kira returned. The air inside seemed heavier, as if the shadows they had just fought had left a mark. But the silver-haired man, now known as Rael, moved through the halls with purpose.
“You need to see what’s below,” he said, leading her toward a staircase hidden behind an old tapestry. The air grew colder as they descended, and the walls shifted from polished stone to rough, ancient rock.
“Below?” Kira asked, her voice echoing in the dark corridor. “What’s down there?”
Rael glanced over his shoulder, his expression grim. “The Vault. It’s where the protectors stored the artifacts and knowledge they were sworn to guard. And it’s where you’ll find your next trial.”
Kira’s pulse quickened. “Another trial? I barely survived the first one!”
“That wasn’t a trial,” Rael said flatly. “That was a warning.”
They reached the bottom of the stairs, and a massive iron door loomed before them. Its surface was covered in strange symbols that glowed faintly as Kira approached. Rael gestured to the locket around her neck.
“The Vault will only open for an Asher,” he explained. “Touch your locket to the door.”
Kira hesitated, then pressed the locket against the cold metal. A surge of warmth spread through her hand, and the symbols flared with light. With a low rumble, the door began to creak open.
Inside, the Vault was like nothing she’d ever seen. Rows of shelves stretched into the shadows, filled with books, weapons, and objects that hummed with energy. At the center of the room stood a pedestal, and on it rested a shard of glass, gleaming faintly in the dim light.
Kira felt an inexplicable pull toward the shard, her footsteps carrying her forward before she realized what she was doing.
Rael’s voice stopped her. “Wait.”
She turned to see him staring at the shard, his expression unreadable. “That’s the Veil Shard,” he said. “It’s a fragment of the Mirror of Souls, an artifact that allows its wielder to see beyond the barriers of reality. Your mother used it to uncover truths no one else could. But its power comes at a cost.”
“What kind of cost?” Kira asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“The shard reveals truth, but it doesn’t protect you from it,” Rael said. “Whatever you see in the shard, you’ll have to face—whether you’re ready or not.”
Kira’s gaze returned to the shard. She didn’t feel ready, not after everything she’d just been through. But she couldn’t turn back now.
She reached out and touched the shard.
The world around her dissolved.
---
Kira found herself standing in a field of silver grass, under a sky that seemed to shift between night and day. In the distance, she saw a figure standing at the edge of a lake. The figure turned, and Kira’s breath caught in her throat.
It was her mother.
“Kira,” her mother said, her voice as warm and familiar as Kira had always imagined. “You’ve grown so much.”
“Mom?” Kira’s voice broke. She took a step forward, but her mother raised a hand to stop her.
“There’s so much I want to tell you,” her mother said, her expression bittersweet. “But you’re not ready to hear it all yet. You’ve unlocked the first piece of your power, but there’s still more to uncover. And more to fight.”
“I don’t understand,” Kira said, her eyes filling with tears. “Why did you leave me? Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
Her mother’s expression softened. “I didn’t leave you, Kira. I sacrificed myself to protect you. The day you were born, the enemies of our line came for us. They knew what you would become, and they feared you. I sent you away to keep you safe.”
Kira’s heart ached. “But I was alone! I had no one!”
“You were never alone,” her mother said, stepping closer. “The locket has always been your connection to me. And now, you’re stronger than I ever could have imagined. But Kira, there’s one truth you must accept.”
Her mother reached out and touched Kira’s forehead. Images flooded Kira’s mind—battles fought by her ancestors, the creation of the locket, and a dark, looming figure that seemed to grow larger with each memory.
“The shadow you fought tonight was just a servant,” her mother said. “The true enemy is still out there. They will come for you, Kira, and when they do, you must be ready.”
The vision began to fade, and Kira reached out desperately. “Wait! Don’t go! I still have so many questions!”
Her mother’s voice echoed as the world dissolved around her. “Trust yourself, Kira. You are stronger than you know.”
---
Kira gasped as she returned to the Vault, her hand still on the shard. Rael was at her side, his expression concerned.
“What did you see?” he asked.
“My mother,” Kira said, her voice trembling. “She… she told me the real enemy is still out there.”
Rael’s face darkened. “Then we have less time than I thought.”
Kira looked at the shard, its glow fading now that she had released it. “She said I need to be ready. That they’re coming for me.”
Rael nodded. “They are. And now that you’ve activated the shard, they’ll know where to find you. We need to train, Kira—harder and faster than before. Because the next time they come, it won’t be shadows you’re facing.”
Kira clenched her fists, her fear melting into determination. She wasn’t just fighting for herself anymore. She was fighting for her mother, her ancestors, and the legacy she now carried.
“Then let’s get started,” she said.
As she followed Rael out of the Vault, Kira couldn’t help but glance back at the shard. It had given her a glimpse of the truth, but she knew there was so much more to uncover.
And she was ready to face it all.
YOU ARE READING
WHO AM I?
FantasíaThe story "Who Am I?" follows Kira, a sixteen-year-old orphan who has no memory of her past and only a faded locket as a clue. Always feeling different, she's haunted by questions about her identity. One night, drawn by a mysterious rhythm in the ra...
