Chapter 10: The Silent City
The ash-swept hills gave way to ruin.
Velcrath rose from the earth like a ghost's memory, its towers broken but still proud, its streets worn but untouched by time. The gates hung open, rusted and silent. Not a single bird circled the cracked domes. No wind stirred its torn banners.
Seralyn felt the hair on her neck rise. "It's like walking into the past."
Kaela nodded grimly. "Velcrath wasn't destroyed. It was abandoned. Sealed in magic. The city is asleep. But the echoes..." She trailed off, eyes scanning the arched entrance. "...the echoes remember."
Their boots crunched on old marble steps, carved with runes faded by centuries. The city opened before them like a forgotten dream. Crumbling statues of mages and warriors lined the wide avenue. A fountain stood still in the center, its waters frozen mid-splash by petrification magic long decayed. Trees grew through the stone, their roots twisted in unnatural angles, infused with residual spells.
As they walked, Seralyn kept her hand near her blade. "No signs of life."
"Not in the way you think," Kaela murmured.
They passed a window and Seralyn froze. Inside, seated around a dinner table, were skeletons. Whole families, perfectly arranged, unmoving. Their hands gripped goblets, cutlery. Faces frozen in a silent last moment.
Kaela stopped beside her. "They died in one breath."
Seralyn's voice was tight. "What kind of magic does this?"
Kaela's face was unreadable. "Hope twisted into control. An attempt to preserve memory. They didn't want to die... so the city remembered them."
The deeper they went, the heavier the air became.
Seralyn found herself sweating though the temperature hadn't risen. The shadows between alleys seemed to shift. Her ears rang with whispers faint, like fragments of conversations long gone. A child's laughter. A woman's sob. The scrape of chairs.
"Kaela."
"I know." Kaela's voice was brittle. "It's starting."
"What is?"
"The Echo Curse. The city tests intruders by showing them what they could become. Or what they fear becoming."
They stopped in the center of a wide plaza where dozens of archways spiraled around a broken obelisk.
The sigils on their arms began to glow.
The world shimmered.
Seralyn stood alone in the Dominion high tower.
But not as a commander.
She wore the robes of a High Judge. Silver etched with starlight. Her hair was longer. Her face older, sharper, colder.
Crowds chanted her name below.
Behind her, the war table lay empty. No generals. No allies. No Kaela.
Just power. Pure, unchallenged. Dominion's ultimate weapon.
Her hand trembled.
"I did this," she whispered.
A mirror appeared before her.
Her eyes were gold.
Her ears pointed.
Not elf.
Something more. Something twisted.
She turned and Kaela lay chained to the pillar behind her, eyes dead, lips sewn shut.
"No." Seralyn ran to her.
Kaela didn't move.
Seralyn screamed.
The world cracked
and she was standing back in the plaza, on her knees, gasping for breath.
Kaela was beside her, clutching her own head.
Her face was streaked with tears.
---
Kaela's vision had been different.
She stood in a quiet cottage by the sea.
Seralyn was there, laughing.
The war was over.
Their hands were entwined.
No sigils, no magic, just skin and warmth.
Kaela cooked with herbs from the garden. Seralyn kissed the top of her head. A child's giggle echoed in the background though neither of them turned to look. The child remained unseen.
Kaela turned to Seralyn. "Is this real?"
Seralyn smiled. "It can be."
Then Kaela kissed her.
It was gentle. Hopeful.
But just as their lips touched, the sea turned black.
The cottage rotted.
Seralyn's skin cracked.
Kaela's mouth filled with ash.
And she woke up, shaking.
---
They both sat in silence as the echoes faded.
The light from the sigils dimmed.
Seralyn spoke first. "What did you see?"
Kaela didn't answer.
Seralyn didn't push.
Kaela turned her gaze to the obelisk. "We shouldn't stay here."
Seralyn nodded. "Agreed."
They made camp outside the plaza, near a fallen wall. The moon was high, casting the city in silver.
Seralyn lay restless, staring at the stars.
She could still feel Kaela's lips from the dream. She hadn't imagined it.
It hadn't been just the city playing tricks.
It had been a part of her. A desire she hadn't admitted.
She closed her eyes.
The vision replayed.
Kaela's fingers in her hair.
The softness of her mouth.
Then
Footsteps.
Seralyn jolted awake, breath catching.
Kaela stood above her.
Arms crossed.
Eyes narrowed.
"You cried out," Kaela said. Her voice was sharp, but something flickered in her eyes. "Dreams?"
Seralyn swallowed. "Yes."
Kaela knelt slowly, watching her.
"What did you see?"
Seralyn hesitated.
Kaela's voice dropped. "Did you see me?"
Seralyn said nothing.
Kaela leaned closer.
"I saw you," she whispered.