Fates Entwined

Chapter 2: Shadows of the Past

Risha leaned against the cold office wall, her fingers drumming on her coffee cup. Miri's plan to casually eavesdrop felt juvenile, but then again, Miri had always been the impulsive one. That's what made them work as a team: one reckless, the other cautious.

"Rish, you okay?" Miri's voice broke through her thoughts as she slid into the seat beside her, dropping a plate of half-eaten cookies onto the table. "You've been staring at that cup like it insulted your outfit."

Risha gave a weak smile. "Just thinking."

Miri grinned, popping a cookie into her mouth. "Dangerous habit."

Risha ignored her, but her mind drifted elsewhere.

The memory came unbidden: an ancient courtyard bathed in golden light, the hum of an eternal breeze weaving through marble pillars. Their world—the Land of the Immortals—had been a haven of beauty, where time moved like a lazy river, and souls intertwined with the fabric of existence.

Risha was barely thirteen in mortal years when she saw her first mortal soul. It shimmered, fragile yet brilliant, tethered to their plane by the thinnest of threads.

"You see that?" Miri's voice was soft but carried weight.

"I do."

Risha's father's booming voice interrupted the moment. "Miri, Risha! Come here!" Miri's father patted Miri and told her to go ahead. 

Miri and Risha exchanged looks, sprinting to where Risha's father stood. He wasn't alone. A tall, imposing figure loomed beside him. His cloak, dark as night, rippled despite the absence of wind. It was Lord Val, the Keeper of Balance, but there was something wrong.

"Girls," Val began, his voice deep and laced with authority, "you are destined to protect mortal souls. To guide them, even when it means risking your immortality. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lord Val" they chimed in unison.

But something about the way Veynos looked at them that day unsettled Risha. His eyes lingered on her for a fraction too long, as though sizing her up for something beyond her comprehension.

"Earth to Risha!" Miri snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"Sorry," Risha muttered.

"You've been zoning out a lot lately. Spill it," Miri pressed.

"Do you ever think about him?" Risha asked quietly.

"Him?"

"Val."

The name hung in the air, heavier than the room's recycled air.

"Why are you thinking about him?" Miri's face darkened.

Risha hesitated. "I don't know. It's just... he gave me this look, back then. Like he knew something I didn't."

Miri shrugged. "He's creepy, sure, but we've got bigger problems. Like figuring out which human to save next."

Before Risha could respond, the lights in the office flickered. A chill swept through the room, unnatural and biting.

"What the—" Miri started, but a sudden gust of wind silenced her. Papers flew off desks, and the room fell into an eerie stillness.

The air shimmered, and a figure materialized in the center of the room. Clad in a dark, flowing robe, his face obscured by a hood, the figure exuded menace.

"Val" Risha whispered, her heart sinking.

The figure chuckled. "Not quite, little one." He pulled back his hood to reveal a younger face, sharp and angular, with eyes that burned like molten gold.

"Eron," Miri spat, her posture defensive.

"You remember me, kids?" he sneered, his gaze flicking between the two.

"What are you doing here?" Risha demanded, her voice steadier than she felt.

Eron smirked. "The question is not what I'm doing here, but what you are. Fallen immortals playing house with humans? Pathetic."

"Get to the point," Miri snapped.

Eron's expression darkened. "The balance is tipping, and you two are meddling where you shouldn't. The Council is watching. And so am I."

"Is that a threat?" Risha asked, her voice laced with defiance.

Eron leaned closer, his voice a chilling whisper. "It's a promise."

Later that evening, Risha and Miri sat in silence on the balcony of Risha's apartment. The city buzzed below them, oblivious to the celestial drama unfolding above.

"Eron doesn't make empty threats," Miri finally said.

"I know."

"So what do we do?"

Risha stared out at the horizon, determination hardening her features. "We find my second and third and your last human. Then we go back to home."