Woven in Shadows (agatha x rio)

The Cost of Memory

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Cost of Memory

The air inside the stone structure was suffocating, thick with an energy that seemed alive. Shadows clung to the walls, writhing as though they had minds of their own, and the faint hum of an unseen force filled the space. The interior was impossibly vast compared to the modest size of the building's exterior. A long corridor stretched ahead, lined with ancient pillars that seemed to weep darkened streaks of water down their sides. The floor was cracked marble, its surface veined with an eerie, glowing blue light that pulsed with every step they took.

Agatha, Rio, and Nessa moved cautiously, the weight of the air pressing down on them. The atmosphere was cold, the kind of chill that bit into bone and stirred an instinctive fear.

"Does it feel like the walls are...watching us?" Nessa whispered, clutching Agatha's arm.

"It feels like everything in here is watching us" Rio muttered, her gaze sweeping the shadows.

At the end of the corridor stood a grand archway, its surface carved with runes that glowed faintly in hues of violet and gold. Beyond it, a circular chamber opened up, and at its center loomed a figure unlike anything they had imagined.

It was tall easily eight feet its body draped in robes that shimmered like liquid midnight. Its face was hidden beneath a deep hood, but where its eyes should have been, there were two orbs of piercing white light. Its hands, long and skeletal, rested on a staff made of gnarled wood that twisted as though it had grown directly from the ground beneath it. The air around the figure vibrated with an ancient power, and the very sight of it sent shivers down Agatha's spine.

"Who dares disturb my domain?" the figure intoned, its voice resonating as though it came from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Agatha stepped forward, though her legs felt like lead. "We...we've come to retrieve the Mirror of Athelia."

The figure tilted its head, the light in its eyes flickering. "The mirror is no mere trinket. Do you understand the cost of what you ask for?"

"We're desperate" Rio said firmly, moving to stand beside Agatha. "We need it to protect her." She nodded toward Nessa, who shrank back under the figure's glowing gaze.

The figure hummed, a low, unsettling sound that echoed through the chamber. "The Mirror of Athelia does not grant safety it demands it. It will tether the girl's soul to the protective magic you seek, but in doing so, it will lock away her ability to be taken. She will no longer be a beacon for that which hunts her. However," it added, its tone sharp and pointed, "the mirror must be awakened with a price: a memory, taken from one who offers it willingly."

Agatha's breath caught. Her chest felt tight, her heart pounding against her ribs.

"What kind of memory?" she asked, her voice trembling.

The figure's glowing eyes bore into her. "A memory tied to your essence...one that shapes who you are. It will be chosen by the mirror itself, and it will be taken forever."

The weight of those words sank heavily in the room. For a moment, there was only silence, save for the soft hum of the glowing runes.

Agatha stepped forward, her shoulders squared despite the fear coursing through her. "Then I—"

"Stop" Rio interrupted, her voice sharp and commanding.

Agatha turned, confusion and anger flashing across her face. "Rio, no—"

"I said stop" Rio repeated, her voice low but firm. She stepped in front of Agatha, placing herself between her and the figure. "I'll do it."

"No!" Agatha snapped, her voice rising. "You don't get to make that decision for me! This is my—"

"Enough," the figure said, its voice cutting through their argument like a blade. "Once someone volunteers, the choice is sealed. There is no taking it back."

Agatha's stomach dropped, the weight of the words hitting her like a blow. She turned to Rio, fury and fear warring in her expression. "You can't—"

"I can," Rio said softly, her gaze steady. "And I will."

Before Agatha could argue further, the figure moved forward, its skeletal hand reaching out to Rio.

"Step forward, child of two realms" it commanded.

Rio obeyed, her movements steady and sure. As the figure's hand touched her head, the room darkened, the glowing runes flaring brightly before dimming entirely. The air filled with a low hum as streams of light began to swirl around Rio's head, flowing into the figure's outstretched palm.

Agatha's breath caught as she watched the streams of light—golden and vibrant, filled with glimpses of images too quick to make out—pour out of Rio and into the figure's grasp. Rio's knees buckled slightly, and Agatha moved forward instinctively, only to be stopped by an unseen force.

"Let her finish" the figure said, its tone final.

Rio's body swayed, her head tilting back as more light flowed from her, her strength visibly draining. She sank to the ground, her movements almost graceful as she lay on her back, the light still pouring from her. Her eyes fluttered closed, her breathing shallow but steady.

The figure's hands glowed brighter for a moment, then dimmed as the light disappeared entirely. It straightened, turning to Agatha and extending a long, bony finger. In its grip was the mirror a small, ornate object with a surface that shimmered like liquid silver.

"This is what you seek" it said. "When the girl's soul is threatened, place her hands upon the surface and speak the incantation engraved upon its edge. The mirror will protect her."

Agatha hesitated, her gaze flicking to Rio, who lay unmoving on the floor. "Is she—"

"She will awaken," the figure said. "But she is changed."

The room began to shift, the air swirling with vibrant colors that danced and twisted around them. The walls seemed to dissolve into light, spinning faster and faster until everything was a kaleidoscope of motion and magic. Then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped.

The three of them were outside, standing on the grass where the building had once stood. The structure was gone, as if it had never existed.

Rio lay on the ground, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Agatha dropped to her knees beside her, her hands trembling as she gently touched Rio's face. "Oh, my love, are you okay?"

Rio's eyes fluttered open, her gaze unfocused. She blinked slowly, her expression blank as she looked at Agatha.

"Who are you?" she whispered.