The days that followed the collapse of the rift were surprisingly calm. Maya spent her time regaining her sense of normalcy, attending classes, and leaning on Dante for support. Aiden remained distant, rarely speaking to either of them. His absence weighed heavily on Maya, though Dante tried to distract her with his quiet charm and steadfast companionship.
But something wasn’t right.
---
It began with small, unexplainable events.
Maya returned to her apartment one evening to find her bookshelf disheveled. Books that she’d neatly arranged were now scattered across the floor, their pages open as if someone—or something—had rifled through them in a hurry.
She frowned, kneeling to pick up a book. The words on the page seemed… wrong. Letters bled together, forming incomprehensible shapes that twisted in her mind the longer she stared.
“What the hell?” she murmured, snapping the book shut.
Her phone buzzed, breaking her focus. It was Dante.
**Dante:** *Hey, just checking in. How’re you holding up?*
**Maya:** *Fine, I think? Something weird just happened. Are you free to come over?*
**Dante:** *On my way.*
---
Dante arrived minutes later, his usual calm presence putting her slightly at ease. He listened as Maya recounted the strange occurrence, flipping through the book she had mentioned.
“It looks fine to me,” he said, handing it back.
Maya opened it again, her breath catching when the words appeared normal this time. “I swear it wasn’t like this before.”
Dante studied her, concern etching his features. “You’ve been through a lot, Maya. Maybe it’s just stress.”
“Maybe,” she said, though doubt lingered in her mind.
---
That night, she dreamed of the rift.
In her dream, she stood in the underground chamber again, but it wasn’t as she remembered. The walls were lined with mirrors, each reflecting distorted versions of herself.
One mirror caught her attention. Her reflection smiled back at her, but the expression was wrong—too wide, too sharp. The reflection pressed its hand against the glass, and Maya felt a cold touch on her shoulder.
She woke with a gasp, her heart pounding.
The next morning, dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her thoughts were plagued by a sense of dread she couldn’t shake.
---
At school, she found Dante waiting for her by the studio door. He smiled when he saw her, but his expression quickly turned to worry.
“You didn’t sleep, did you?” he asked.
Maya shook her head, offering a weak smile. “Bad dreams.”
Dante’s hand brushed hers—a small, comforting gesture. “You need to take care of yourself.”
Before she could respond, Aiden appeared, his presence as jarring as a thunderclap. He looked disheveled, his hair unkempt and his eyes hollow.
“Aiden,” Maya began, but he cut her off.
“We need to talk,” he said, his voice urgent. “Something’s happening.”
---
The three of them found a quiet corner of the library. Aiden wasted no time.
“The rift isn’t gone,” he said bluntly.
Maya and Dante exchanged a look.
“What do you mean?” Maya asked.
Aiden leaned forward, his voice low. “I’ve been seeing things. Shadows moving in the corners of my vision. Strange noises at night. And it’s not just me—my father’s notes mentioned this. Destroying the rift was only a temporary solution. The entity… it’s still here.”
Dante frowned. “How is that possible? We sealed it.”
Aiden shook his head. “We disrupted it, but we didn’t destroy it. The rift was only a gateway. The entity still exists, and it’s regaining strength.”
Maya’s stomach twisted. “What do we do?”
Aiden hesitated, his gaze dropping to the table. “I don’t know. But we need to figure it out—fast. If it comes back, it’ll be stronger than before.”
---
Later that evening, Maya and Dante returned to her apartment to dig through Aiden’s father’s notes. They sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by papers and diagrams that made little sense to them.
“I don’t even know what we’re looking for,” Maya admitted, rubbing her temples.
“Anything that might give us a clue,” Dante said. He picked up a page filled with symbols, his brow furrowing. “This looks familiar. Didn’t Aiden use these when he created the siphon?”
Maya leaned closer, her shoulder brushing his. “Yeah, but these symbols are different. Look—this one is inverted.”
The realization hit her like a bolt of lightning. “Dante, this isn’t a containment spell—it’s a summoning spell.”
Dante’s eyes widened. “You think someone’s trying to bring the entity back?”
Maya’s hands trembled as she held the paper. “Or worse… maybe it’s calling to them.”
---
The air in the room grew colder, and Maya felt a chill crawl up her spine. The shadows in the corners seemed to deepen, and for a moment, she thought she saw them move.
Dante noticed her unease and placed a reassuring hand on hers. “We’ll figure this out, Maya. Together.”
But as the light flickered overhead and a faint hum filled the room, Maya knew they were running out of time.
YOU ARE READING
Beneath the Shattered Sky
RomansaIn the heart of a bustling city, Maya finds herself caught between two worlds-one filled with passion, secrets, and betrayal, and another yearning for freedom and clarity. When she meets Aiden, the charming but mysterious boy from her design school...
