The black car—shattered and old but still alive—turned the corner, tires hissing on the wet road. Its license plate looked normal enough, just numbers and letters. Nothing magical. Nothing cursed.
But then again, nothing in this city ever looked like what it really was.
A woman on the sidewalk froze as the car passed. Her eyes widened—first in fear, then confusion—before she blinked it all away and hurried off like she'd seen nothing.
Zara leaned forward from the back seat, brow furrowed. "Wait. People see me now?"
Kael glanced at her from the driver's seat. His tone was calm, but there was a heaviness under it. "Some do. Some don't. Depends on what they remember… or what they've forgotten."
She didn't like the sound of that. Not one bit.
"I remember you," she said softly.
He smiled—small, warm. "Good."
The rain had stopped, but the streets still gleamed under the city lights. Every step they took from here on felt like walking on the edge of a secret. Zara's boots echoed against the pavement, quiet and rhythmic, like an old lullaby trying to remember itself.
Everything looked normal at first glance—closed cafés, flickering street lamps, steam rising from the gutters—but if you squinted just right, if you felt just enough, you'd notice the magic bleeding through.
Little sparks at the corners of signs. Streetlights flickering in a pattern that wasn't random. Shadows stretching a second too long after their source had gone.
She swallowed. "Where do we even start?"
Kael didn't hesitate. He pulled something from his coat pocket—a weird compass-like gadget with metal parts that didn't belong in this world. The needle inside spun once, then locked in a direction.
"This'll lead us to the strongest rift," he said. "The others are weaker. If we patch the big one, the rest will collapse."
Zara leaned in, her breath fogging the glass. The needle pointed down an alley flanked by shuttered shops and dim lanterns swaying in the wind.
"Of course it's the creepy alley," she muttered.
Kael just nodded. "Let's go."
They slipped into the alley, senses sharpened. The air was different here—like it had been holding its breath for years and only now dared to exhale.
Zara could feel it: the pressure, the tension in the bricks, like the city was bracing itself for something big. Her fingers brushed the relic hidden in her jacket pocket. It vibrated slightly—almost like it was waking up.
Kael stopped in front of a brick wall. Ordinary at first glance. But something shimmered behind the cracks.
"Here," he said quietly.
Zara stepped closer. Her eyes widened.
Between the bricks, the mortar pulsed with soft light. Faint, like moonlight through a foggy window. But in it—shadows danced. Faces, moments, scenes from somewhere else. And not just anywhere.
She saw her room. Her desk. Her window lit by silver light. A memory, maybe. Or something more dangerous.
"I hate this already," she whispered, but her hand was already reaching for the relic.
Kael moved behind her, fingers sketching quick runes in the air. A protective spell. His specialty.
"You ready?" he asked.
"Nope," she answered honestly. "Let's do it anyway."
She pressed the relic to the wall. It glowed—just a little. Then a lot.
The light surged through her palm, into her bones, through the wall. The shadows twitched. Then screamed.
It wasn't a scream of pain.
It was recognition.
Zara froze.
"Zara!" Kael's voice cut through. "Stay focused! Don't let them in!"
Her vision blurred, and suddenly it wasn't just a wall anymore. It was a door. And beyond it—a swirling dark place that wasn't now, and wasn't here. Something ancient stared back at her. Not with eyes. With memory.
She gasped. Her body trembled.
"I—I am the key," she whispered.
The relic pulsed. The light expanded—wave after wave until the shadows cracked and pulled away. Threads of gold knit the wall back together like it had never been touched.
And then—silence.
Zara dropped to her knees.
Kael caught her before she hit the ground, one hand on her shoulder.
"You did it," he whispered.
Zara panted. "Barely. That one… felt different."
Kael nodded slowly. "They're getting stronger."
She looked at him. "Or I'm getting deeper."
That's when the air shifted again.
A soft step. Grass bending under boots.
Zara turned her head.
And saw Leo.
Leo stood at the edge of the alley, his presence silent but intense. The shadows didn't dare touch him—they recoiled, curling around his boots like scared animals before vanishing into the cracks.
He stepped forward, hands in his coat pockets, head tilted slightly like he'd been watching the whole time.
"Took you long enough," he said, voice low, rough around the edges but somehow comforting.
Zara blinked. "Leo?"
"Hey, trouble," he smirked, but there was a flicker of concern in his eyes. "You okay?"
Kael tensed. "What are you doing here?"
Leo didn't even glance at him. His gaze stayed locked on Zara.
"I followed the screams," he replied coolly. "Didn't think you'd dive into a rift alone."
Zara pulled herself up, with Kael's hand still on her arm. "We didn't exactly have time to text you an invite."
"Next time, maybe try," Leo said, stepping closer. "You're walking through forgotten magic. The kind that remembers pain."
She raised a brow. "You mean they remember me?"
Leo's smirk faded.
"No," he said seriously. "They remember what you carry."
Silence fell. Even Kael didn't say anything.
Zara frowned. "What does that mean?"
Leo reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of parchment—aged, with a strange golden ink that shimmered slightly when it caught the light.
He handed it to her.
She opened it slowly. A symbol was drawn in the center: a circle with five jagged lines slashing through it like lightning bolts. Around it, ancient script—one she didn't recognize but somehow… understood.
Whispers of the first breach. Trapped in bone, sealed by memory. Waiting.
Her throat tightened. "This was inside me?"
Leo nodded. "That symbol… it's not just ink. It's a seal. One of five. You're carrying the second."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "There's a first?"
"There's a curse," Leo replied. "And it's waking up."
Zara folded the parchment again with shaking hands. "I don't remember any of this. How could I forget something so huge?"
Leo's voice softened. "Because they made you forget, Zara. You were never supposed to remember."
She looked at him. "Who's they?"
"The Architects," he said darkly. "The ones who built this world to break."
Kael stepped forward. "Okay, enough. We sealed the biggest rift in this area. We need to rest, regroup—figure out what the next step is."
But Leo shook his head. "No time."
He pointed behind him.
"They're already spreading. You sealed one rift… but another's opened. Stronger. Deeper. Somewhere the light doesn't reach."
Zara swallowed hard. "Where?"
Leo look at her eyes.
"The Forgotten Quarter," he said. "And you're not gonna like what's waiting there."
The wind shifted, pulling at Zara's hair as Leo spoke those last words. The Forgotten Quarter. It wasn't a place she'd ever heard of, but just hearing the name sent a chill through her spine. Something about it felt… wrong.
"Sounds like a place you don't want to visit," Zara muttered, staring at the piece of parchment in her hand.
Leo's eyes glinted. "Exactly."
Kael stood straighter, the tension in his shoulders clear. "So, what makes it so dangerous? And why is it our next stop?"
Leo let out a breath, his expression hardening. "The Forgotten Quarter doesn't just sit on the edges of the city. It's like the scar of a wound that was never meant to heal. A rift that cuts deep into what's not supposed to be remembered. The magic there is twisted, dark. It feeds on whatever forgotten things are buried in your mind. And it's been waking up for a while now."
Zara shivered. "You make it sound like the place is alive."
"It's worse than that," Leo said softly. "It remembers."
She clenched her fists. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing there. What am I supposed to fix?"
"You'll know when you get there," Leo said, looking up at the city skyline that felt just a little too close for comfort. "But it won't be easy."
Zara felt a weight settle on her chest. She wasn't sure if it was the remnants of the relic's power, or the looming darkness of what lay ahead. All she knew was that something inside her knew she was supposed to go. That this was where the answers she sought were hidden.
But did she want to find them?
"I don't have a choice, do I?" she asked, almost to herself.
Leo gave her a look that was all too understanding. "No. You never did."
Kael sighed, his voice calm, almost resigned. "So, what now? We're just supposed to walk into the heart of the chaos and pray we don't die?"
"That's one way to look at it," Leo said, a flicker of amusement in his voice. "But honestly, it's more about keeping your head on straight and not letting the city eat you alive. Like it tried to do to Zara earlier."
Zara felt a pang of discomfort. She didn't remember much from earlier—just the feeling of the relic pushing against her, the shadows closing in—but she could still feel it. That hunger.
"I'm still here," she said, more to reassure herself than anyone else. "I can handle it."
Leo met her gaze, his expression softening just slightly. "I know you can."
"Let's just get this over with," Kael grumbled, his voice holding a quiet frustration, as though he were done waiting for answers. "Lead the way, Leo. The sooner we finish, the better."
Leo turned on his heel, walking toward the mouth of the alley, his steps steady, confident. "Follow me," he said without looking back. "It's time to face what's been forgotten."
⸻
They moved in silence, Zara's mind whirling. The city around them felt like it was holding its breath, as if the whole world was waiting for them to make the wrong move. Every shadow seemed deeper, the sounds of the night louder, more oppressive.
Leo led them through streets that didn't quite look right. Buildings were crooked, windows flickered with strange, purple glows. It wasn't quite the city Zara knew. But it wasn't a dream, either.
"This place…" Zara whispered, glancing around. "It feels off."
"It's supposed to," Leo replied, his voice carrying a weight of knowing. "It's not meant to be found. But we're here now. And we have to do something about it."
"Something about what?" she asked, walking faster to catch up with him. "What's going to happen if we don't fix it?"
Leo didn't answer immediately. He led them to a narrow street that was hidden between two run-down buildings. Zara could barely see the entrance—it was a door almost swallowed by the shadows, like it had never really been there to begin with.
"This," Leo said, stopping in front of the door. "Is where it begins."
Zara felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. The air in front of her felt… thick. There was a wrongness to it that made her want to turn around and run. But Leo had already opened the door, and Kael was right behind him.
Zara hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest. It wasn't just the door—it was everything that led up to it. The weight of the choice. The curse on her. The secrets that everyone was too scared to tell her.
Her fingers brushed the relic in her jacket again. It pulsed once, steady and calm. Almost like a heartbeat.
"Zara," Leo's voice was low, grounding her. "You're not alone in this."
She looked up to see him standing in the doorway, waiting for her to step inside.
"You're right," she said softly. "I'm not."
Taking a deep breath, Zara walked forward. And as she crossed the threshold into the Forgotten Quarter, she knew one thing: whatever happened here would change everything.
The door creaked shut behind them, sealing them inside a place that felt less like part of the city and more like an echo of something long forgotten. The walls of the corridor stretched ahead, narrow and low, with a thick layer of dust clinging to the stone floor. Zara could almost feel the weight of time pressing down on her.
"I'm not sure I like the quiet," Kael muttered, his eyes scanning the darkness.
Leo walked ahead, his steps sure and measured. "The quiet is the least of our worries."
Zara followed, trying to ignore the cold creeping up her spine. The Forgotten Quarter wasn't just abandoned—it was forgotten in every sense. The buildings were in ruins, their windows shattered, doors hanging off their hinges like forgotten memories. A strange, heavy mist clung to the air, swirling around their feet as if it had a mind of its own.
She didn't need to ask why they were here. The answer was already inside her, clawing at her mind. She was part of something bigger now—something that had been set in motion long before her arrival.
"You should be careful," Leo's voice cut through her thoughts. "The deeper we go, the more… aware things become. This place—this rift—it feeds off what you leave behind."
"Like memories?" Zara asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Exactly," Leo said, his eyes glinting in the low light. "And it doesn't just feed on forgotten memories. It awakens them. Anything you've ever pushed away, buried deep, it will surface here."
Zara's heart skipped a beat. She could feel it already—those buried memories pressing at the edges of her mind, scratching to be remembered. Faces. Places. Pieces of her past that she couldn't fully recall, but knew were there. Waiting.
"What do we do?" Kael's voice was tinged with urgency, his grip tight on his weapon as he looked around nervously.
Leo stopped in front of a large, broken archway that led into a massive chamber. The space was open and filled with an eerie, pulsing light. The air was thick with whispers—so faint Zara could barely make them out, like a distant conversation just beyond her reach.
"We find what's causing this," Leo said, turning to face Zara. "And we stop it. Or the rift will keep spreading, consuming everything in its path."
Zara felt a chill settle in her chest. "What if I can't fix it?"
Leo's expression softened. "You're the only one who can. This is your mess. But you're also the key to fixing it."
The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. Zara didn't feel like the key. She felt like she was being dragged along, swept up in something she didn't understand, something much bigger than herself.
But she wasn't going to let it consume her. Not again.
She stepped forward, moving toward the center of the room where a massive, cracked mirror stood—its surface rippling like water, reflecting nothing but darkness.
"Is this it?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.
Leo nodded. "The heart of the rift. All the forgotten memories, all the broken pieces, are held here. And once you face it, everything will change."
Zara's breath caught in her throat as she stared into the mirror. It was like looking into the depths of her own soul—deep, chaotic, full of things she didn't understand. She could feel it now, the weight of everything she'd forgotten, all the pieces of herself she'd lost.
A whisper brushed against her ear, soft and distant. You'll never escape.
She flinched. But there was no one there.
"Zara?" Kael's voice broke through her panic. "Are you okay?"
She blinked, pulling herself together. "Yeah. Just… a little overwhelmed."
Leo stepped closer, his hand gently resting on her shoulder. "Focus on the here and now. The mirror isn't just a reflection—it's a door. And you're the one who holds the key."
Zara nodded, though doubt still gnawed at her insides. She reached out, her fingers trembling as they brushed against the cool surface of the mirror.
The moment her skin made contact, the world around her seemed to shift. The air grew heavier, thick with pressure. The whispers grew louder, more frantic.
You can't escape us.
The voice was everywhere now, echoing in her mind, surrounding her. Zara closed her eyes, her breath shallow. She couldn't let it take her. She had to push forward.
"I am the key," she whispered, the words from earlier rising in her throat. "I am the key."
The mirror rippled once more, and Zara's reflection in the glass shifted. For a moment, it wasn't her face staring back at her—but something else. A face she didn't recognize, but somehow, deep down, she knew.
It smiled at her.
Zara's heart pounded in her chest as the image faded and the mirror cracked wide open, the darkness beyond it swirling like a vortex, pulling her toward it.
Without thinking, she stepped forward.
⸻
The darkness swallowed her whole.
⸻
Zara's feet hit the ground with a thud. She stumbled but caught herself. Her surroundings were no longer the Forgotten Quarter. She was somewhere else—somewhere darker. The air was thick with the scent of decay, the oppressive weight of forgotten things pressing in on her from all sides.
"What is this place?" she whispered, but no one answered.
Kael and Leo appeared behind her, their faces grim as they took in their new surroundings. They were standing in what appeared to be a massive library—though it was nothing like any library Zara had ever seen. The shelves were crooked, some of them completely overturned. The books within them were yellowed and brittle, pages half-falling out, like they had been left to rot for centuries.
"This is the place where things are forgotten," Leo said, his voice reverberating in the heavy silence. "Where memories go when they're no longer needed. This is the heart of the rift."
Zara felt a strange pull in her chest. It was as if the library was alive, breathing. Watching her. Waiting for her to remember.
A door at the far end of the room creaked open.
"There's only one way forward," Leo said quietly, his expression unreadable. "And it's through there."
Zara swallowed hard, her heart hammering in her chest. She had no idea what waited on the other side. But she was the key. And she wasn't going to let this place take her without a fight.
She took a step toward the door, and the darkness around her seemed to pull back, just a little—enough to let her through.
"Stay close," she whispered, her voice steely with resolve. "And no matter what happens, don't let go."