The walls of Nox shift and breathe as Freyr leads me deeping into its labyrinthine corridors. Shadows ripple across the slick stone, flickering and twisting, alive with a rhythm that matches the frantic beating of my heart. The air thickens with each step, oppressive and cold, pressing against my skin like icy hands determined to break through.
Freyr walks just ahead, his movements smooth and unhurried, almost casual—yet his presence is suffocatingly intense. His dark silhouette merges with the gloom, as if he's woven from shadow rather than flesh.. He moves like he owns this darkness, utterly at ease, completely in control.
The only sound is the muffled echo of our footsteps against the damp floor, the stones beneath my boots uneven and slick, making every step feel precarious.
"You're quieter than I expected," Freyr remarks suddenly, his voice slicing effortlessly through the heavy silence. He doesn't glance back; he doesn't need to. His voice alone commands my full attention. "I imagine you'd have more questions after everything you've seen."
"I'm not sure if I want the answers," I admit softly, my voice a faint tremble against the oppressive air.
He pauses then, slowly turning to face me. His movements hold a careful elegance, calculated grace that unsettles me. Those eyes—burning embers framed by shadows—scrutinize me with a cool detachment, as if he can pee through every layer of uncertainty and hesitation I wear as armor.
"That," he murmurs thoughtfully, a faint tilt to his lips, "is the most honest thing you've said tonight."
I force my gaze downward, unwilling to meet the pierce intensity in his expression. "What's the point of asking if all I'll get are half-truths and riddles?"
Freyr chuckles—a soft, dangerous sound edged with dark amusement. He tilts his head slightly, a strand of his black hair falling across his face like a shadow slicing across marble. "Truth is rarely kind, Sarah. It must be earned, and it always comes with consequences. Sometimes, it's better left buried. Are you truly ready to unearth it?"
The challenge in his voice sparks something stubborn in me, yet it's quickly overshadowed by dread. My fingers instinctively wrap around the pendant at my neck, its familiar warmth strangely distant now, as though shrinking from the encroaching shadows.
I don't respond. I'm not certain I can.
Freyr watches me closely, then lifts one elegant hand toward an imposing set of doors ahead. Intricate ironwork curls across their surface like veins, glistening faintly in the dim, crimson light that pulses rhythmically though the chamber. Here, the red veins running along the corridor walls converge and pulse more strongly, their rhythm steady yet sinister—like the heartbeat of something ancient and hungry.
"This," Freyr murmurs softly, stepping closer to the doors, "is where your journey truly begins. You want control, Sarah. Control over your power, your destiny, your pain, But power demands understanding—and understanding demands sacrifice."
I hesitate, fear coiling around my chest, tight as a vice.. The pendant pulses weakly at my throat, as though warning me away from whatever waits beyond those doors. But I can't retreat. Not now.
"I want answers," I say finally, my voice firming slightly.
Freyr nods slowly, his gaze appraising me. "And answers you shall have—but only after you face what lies within yourself. Until you embrace the magic you've fought against for so long, you cannot know the truth."
Frustration and bitterness mingle in my chest, boiling over before I can stop myself. "I don't even know who I am anymore."
He moves closer, his presence overwhelming, suffusing the already stifling air with even greater weight. His voice lowers, dark and compelling. "You cling desperately to the remnants of your humanity, believing they anchor you. They do not—they bind you. They blind you to your true nature."
"I'm nothing like you," I whisper, but the denial feels weak, uncertain.
He leans in, his eyes glittering with intensity. "No. You aren't. But soon you may wish to be."
Before I can argue, the iron doors groan open slowly, revealing a vast chamber beyond. The coldness inside hits me like a physical force, biting into my skin, freezing the breath in my lungs. Dark stone reflects like polished obsidian beneath my feet, but my attention is captured entirely by the center of the room.
A swirling pool of darkness pulses at its heart—-liquid shadow twisting and writhing, faintly luminous yet impossibly black. It moves with a life of its own, silently beckoning me closer. My pulse races, my instincts screaming to run, even as another, deeper part of me feels inexplicably drawn to it.
Freyr gestures towards the pool, his expression unreadable., yet his eyes gleam with anticipation. "Your test, Sarah."
"What is it?" I ask, unable to disguise the tremor in my voice..
"A reflection," he murmurs, his tone as chilling as the air. "Of your fear, your doubt, your hidden truths. Step within it, and it will reveal what you truly are."
"And if I don't?" I ask weakly, staring into the abyssal shadows that swirl and churn with unsettling purpose.
Freyr's lips curl into a faint, predatory smile. "Then you remain forever blind, powerless, at the mercy of forces you cannot understand. A pawn, lost and expendable."
I swallow hard, my heart hammering against my ribs. The darkness calls to me, an echo resonating deep within my core. Fear churns in my gut, mixing dangerously with a hunger for clarity, for control—-for understanding.
"You warned me there would be a price," I breathe, voice shaking as dread settles heavily over me.
His smile softens, but not enough to dispel its chilling edge. "And there will be, But every path has a price. The question is which price are you willing to pay?"
I stare at the swirling darkness, heart racing. It draws me, tugs at something deep and restless within my soul. I feel the pendant pulse urgently, its warmth both comforting and strangely distant, offering no salvation—-only a solemn warning.
With a trembling breath, I take a slow step forward.
"Good," Freyr whispers, his voice dark with approval.
As I approach, the darkness rises in inky tendrils, wrapping around my ankles, my calves—cold yet oddly inviting. My chest tightens, a thousand fears surging at once, but beneath them, an undeniable yearning stirs.
What if the answers are worse than not knowing? What if the darkness consumes me?
But those thoughts cannot stop me—not anymore. I've come too far.
I close my eyes and step into the pool.
The shadows close around me instantly, plunging me into absolute blackness. Ice floods through my veins, stealing my breath, chilling me to the bones. But as terror grips my chest, something else begins to stir—something ancient, powerful, waking within me.
The darkness, whispers, against my mind, familiar yet foreign, a voice of silk and midnight—
Welcome home, Sarah. We've been waiting for you.
********
The cold hits me instantly, slicing deep into my bones, numbing me until I'm certain the chill has reached my soul. Shadows wrap around me, thick and heavy, pouring inside my chest, pressing into my thoughts until there's no separation between me and the darkness. My breaths become shallow, panicked gulps of air that never seem enough. Each desperate inhale pulls me deeper, drowning me further into the inescapable void.
"Sarah," a voice whispers, achingly familiar, yet hollow. It echoes strangely, twisting in on itself as if caught in an endless loop.
I spin around sharply, searching desperately—but there's nothing. No Freyr, no pool—-only infinite darkness, stretching without end.
"Sarah," it comes again, sharper, laced now with bitterness. "Do you even realize what you've done?"
Something moves in the gloom, a shifting shape slowly forming, as if the shadows themselves are giving it life. My heart freezes in my chest as I recognize the figure solidifying from misty uncertainty. Cassie. Her usually gentle face is pale and drawn, her eyes wide with pain, anger, radiating from her like a palpable force.
"You let this happen," she says, each word trembling with accusation. Her voice echoes through me, piercing every defense I have left.
"No," I gasp, shaking my head desperately. "Cassie—I didn't—"
But my voice is weak, swallowed by the void. Behind Cassie, another shape emerges—darker, heavier. Ryan's face is hard, his expression a mask of cold contempt.
"You've always been at the center," he sneers, stepping closer, his gaze boring into mine. "Do you have any idea how many lives have been ruined because of you?"
His voice slices deeper than Cassie's accusations, cutting into places already raw with doubt and self-loathing
"That's not true." I protest weakly, but my words ring hollow, even to myself. "I didn't want this!"
"You embraced it!" Cassie shouts, her voice cracking with grief. She moves closer, fury and sorrow blending on her features. "You stood by, Sarah. You let them take everything we had—-everything we loved!"
Their faces blur around me, shifting and multiplying until suddenly there are more: countless faces emerging from the shadows, each twisted with pain, betrayal, and sorrow. My parents, faces hollow with regret. Natalia, watching me with bitterness. Even Justin stands there, his eyes clouded with something dark and unspoken.
Their voices overlap into a chaotic storm, each accusation louder, more painful than the last. I clutch at the pendant around my neck, desperate for its familiar warmth, but now even that feels distant, almost lost to the encroaching darkness.
"You're becoming exactly what you feared," Ryan's voice cuts above the others, sharp and cruel, slicing straight into my heart. "You're becoming a monster."
My knees give out, and I collapse to the unseen ground, the shadows rising around me like thick water. "I don't know who I am anymore!" I scream, my voice breaking, the words echoing painfully into the void.
The storm quiets instantly, plunging everything back into deafening silence.
Then Freyr's voice echoes clearly through the stillness, steady and certain. "Then it's time you found out."
The chaos around me fades like smoke caught in a sudden breeze. The darkness shifts again, gathering itself into something more focused, deliberate, controlled. Slowly, a single figure takes shape before me.
It's me—but not me.
This version stands tall, unburdened. Her eyes burn softly, silver, and luminous, reflecting an unearthly calm. Shadows curl around her gently, like obedient creatures bending to her will. She exudes power, serenity—but there's a hardness beneath it, a coldness I've never imagined myself capable of. A chill sinks into my bones, a realization dawning that the creatures before me is more darkness than human.
"This is what you could become," Freyr murmurs, his voice closer now, a silky whisper from just behind my shoulder. "This is the power that sleeps within you. All you must do is let go."
The figure—my shadow self—-smiles faintly, coldly, her eyes fixed on mine as if daring me to reject her. To reject myself.
My hand grips the pendant tighter, its heat flaring painfully against my skin, protesting. At this, the shadow-version of myself narrows her eyes, the gentleness gone, replaced instantly by an expression of quiet hostility.
"What are you willing to lose, Sarah?" Freyr's voice asks, his breath icy against my ear. "How much of yourself will you sacrifice to finally know the truth and claim the power that rightfully belongs to you?"
I stare at the dark reflection of myself, pulse pounding, breath ragged. This darkness—it's always been there, hasn't it? Waiting patiently, lurking at the edges of my control, tempting me. Now it stands before me, undeniable and real.
"I don't want to lose myself," I whisper desperately, my voice shaking under the crushing weight of this revelation.
Freyr's voice is unyielding, a sharpened blade pressing into me. "Then you'll never understand your true strength. To become powerful—to gain the answers you so desperately crave—-you must embrace every shadow within you. You must accept her."
The figure doesn't move, her gaze unwavering, silver eyes boring into mine. In them, I see every fear I've hidden, every hunger I've denied, every darkness I've ignored. All reflected back with an unsettling, ruthless clarity.
I close my eyes, trembling, feeling myself at the edge of a precipice, teetering between holding onto the fragile remnants of who I am—-and plunging into the darkness of who I could become.
"You must choose," Freyr urges, low and intense, each word like ice against my skin.
My mind races, pulses deafening in my ears, panic rising. Every instinct screams at me to retreat, to cling to my humanity, to the tattered remnants of who I once was. But beneath that panic stirs something else—-a deeper, aching curiosity. A longing for clarity, for power, for control.
"I…" my voice breaks as I open my eyes again, confronting the shadow standing before me. The words catch, uncertainty choking me. Her gaze holds mine, a silent challenge.
But before I can speak, before the decision fully forms on my tongue, the darkness shudders violently around me.
A sharp, deafening crack reverberates through the void, shattering the vision instantly. The darkness fractures like glass, splintering into a thousand pieces of jagged shadow and searing silver light.
I gasp as air rushes into my lungs, awareness flooding back. My knees slam onto cold stone, sending shockwaves of pain through me. My palms press desperately against the icy floor of the chamber in Nox, my breath ragged, heart racing.
Slowly, I lift my head, vision swimming, to find Freyr standing calmly before me, watching intently, his expression unreadable—yet clearly satisfied.
"What was that?" I choke out, fighting back tears of fear and frustration.
Freyr kneels beside me, his eyes glittering darkly as they lock onto mine. "Your greatest enemy. Sarah, and your greatest ally: yourself."
I swally hard, heart hammering. "What do you mean?"
He reaches out slowly, gently tilting my chin upward so I meet his gaze fully. "You cannot master your power until you master your fears. Embrace them. Embrace her. That is your next step. Only then will you truly become what you were always meant to be."
I shiver beneath his touch, his words echoing dangerously in my thoughts. The shadow-self from the vision still lingers vividly in my mind, tempting and terrifying.
"Are you ready?" Freyr asks softly, releasing my chin and stepping back, waiting patiently. His voice is deceptively gentle, though his eyes hold only ruthless determination.
I close my eyes briefly, the vision of my darker self burning fiercely behind my eyelids. Fear and desire twist together painfully in my chest.
"I'm ready," I finally whisper, opening my eyes to meet Freyr's gaze once more. "Tell me what I have to do."
His smile is cold, triumphant. "Follow me," he says, already turning away. "Your true lesson begins now."
********
Freyr turns without another word, his cloak whispering softly against the stone floor. I rise slowly, my legs trembling beneath me, exhaustion settling deep into my bones. The darkness of that vision still clings to my skin, the icy echoes of my shadow-self whispering doubts into my mind. I force a shaky breath, trying to steady myself, and follow Freyr's retreating figure through yet another shadowed corridor.
The walls around us close tighter, lit by faint veins of crimson that pulse with a quiet rhythm, like an unnatural heartbeat. Every step echoes dully, ringing in my ears, each sound amplifying my growing dread. Freyr glances briefly over his shoulder, a glint of approval in his silvered eyes as he registers that I've chosen to follow.
"You faced your shadows, Sarah," he says calmly, almost gently. "But now, you must learn to wield them."
My fingers instinctively grip the pendant again. The stone feels distant now, its familiar warmth buried under layers of fear and uncertainty.
"I thought that was the test?" I ask quietly, trying to keep my voice steady.
He chuckles softly, though there's no humor in the sound. "That was only the beginning. Facing what lies within you is not the same as mastering it."
A chill runs down my spine as Freyr pauses before a set of doors—-smaller this time, made of blackened wood carved with intricate runes that shimmer faintly as he approaches. He raises one hand, and the doors part silently, revealing another chamber, narrower and colder, illuminated by pale silvery light streaming from high, narrow windows. At its center, a dark crystal mirror stands tall, framed by twisting obsidian carved in shapes that almost seem to writhe.
Freyr gestures toward it. "This is your next step."
I hesitate at the threshold, staring warily at the mirror. Its surface gleams faintly, reflecting the dim, silvery glow—but it reveals no image. Not mine, nor Freyr's. Just emptiness, deep and bottomless.
"What is it?" I ask, swallowing hard.
"A conduit," Freyr explains calmly, stepping aside so I can approach. "A mirror designed not to reflect who you are—-but who you might become, if you learn to embrace the shadows."
My heart quickens again, my chest tightening with dread. "You mean like that vision?"
He tilts his head slightly, considering. "Something like it, yes. But this is different. Here, you don't merely confront your darkness—you use it. You make it yours."
I glance at him, uncertainty gripping me. "What do I have to do?"
He steps behind me, his voice lowering to a whisper close to my ear. "Touch the mirror. Let yourself see clearly, Sarah. Not through the lens of fear, but through the lens of acceptance."
"And if I can't?" I murmur, hesitating again, fear gripping my stomach.
His voice grows harder, colder. "Then the darkness you refuse to embrace will eventually consume you. Either you master it, or it masters you. There is no middle ground."
The words hand between us, stark and unforgiving. Taking a deep breath, I step forward, feeling the chill emanating from the mirror's surface. My reflection remains absent, leaving only the dark, swirling void of its depths.
Slowly, hesitantly, I reach out.
My fingertips brush the icy crystal. The mirror flares instantly, its silvery glow intensifying into a brilliant, blinding pulse of light. I gasp, but I don't pull away.
The shadows surge forward, climbing swiftly up my arms, around my shoulders, wrapping me in a shroud of darkness. I brace for the panic—but it never comes. Instead, a strange calm washes over me, the shadows no longer hostile, but almost familiar. They swirl around me, protective, comforting in their embrace.
"Focus," Freyr urges softly behind me. "Feel it. FInd your control."
I close my eyes, breathing steadily. The shadows whisper to me now, not in words but sensations, currents of power threading gently through my veins. I let them guide me, let them weave through my fingertips, my mind—until I feel connected to every particle of darkness in the room.
And slowly, gently, I open my eyes again.
The mirror before me now holds an image: me, but different again. This version stands poised and composed, eyes sharp and unafraid. Dark energy curls lovingly around her fingertips, effortlessly at her command.
"You see?" Freyr says quietly, satisfied. "The darkness is not your enemy, Sarah. It's your strength. Your greatest ally."
I lift one hand, watching as the shadows follow, bending elegantly at my will. A thrill of exhilaration courses through me, tempered by an instinctive caution.
"I don't want to lose who I am," I whisper, watching my reflection mirror my movements effortlessly.
"Then don't," Freyr says firmly. "Let your humanity temper your darkness. Balance them. That is the secret few even master."
I turn to face him slowly, my hand lowering, shadows dissipating softly at my command. "You speak like it's easy. Like I won't be consumed."
He steps closer, gaze locked onto mine. "Nothing powerful is ever easy. But it is possible. If you are strong enough."
I hold his stare, weighing the truth in his words. "And how will I know?"
"You'll know," he replies simply. "When the shadows answer your call without hesitation, when the power flows effortlessly—that's when you'll truly see yourself clearly."
The room is quiet now, the shadows still, waiting. Freyr's presence beside me is steady, patient, a silent guardian on this terrifying threshold. Taking another deep, steadying breath, I lift my hand again, letting the shadows weave themselves softly around my fingers, gentle and obedient.
This is the power he promised. The control. But is it enough?
Freyr watches silently, his expression inscrutable.
"Good," he finally murmurs, approving. "You're beginning to understand."
Yet even as I allow the shadows to dance lightly at my fingertips, the fear remains—quiet but present. It lingers at the edges, whispering warning, reminding me how easily power can twist into something uncontrollable.
Freyr moves back, giving me space. "Mastery takes time. But this is your start. Your first step toward becoming who you truly are."
"And if it's not who I want to be?" I ask softly, afraid of the answer.
His gaze grows colder, the softness gone. "Then you must decide quickly. Because the world around you won't wait. It never does."
The mirror's glow fades slightly, leaving the room bathed again in soft shadows. I lower my hand slowly, watching my reflection fade back into nothingness, replaced by the empty, black glass.
"The next move," Freyr says quietly, moving toward the chamber's doors, "is yours, Sarah. It always was."
He pauses at the threshold, looking back just one. His voice echoes quietly, darkly, around the room.
"Choose wisely."
Then he's gone, leaving me alone in the chamber, surrounded by the shadows—waiting silently, patiently, for my command.
"We'll start with the basics," he says, pushing the book toward me. "Understanding what you have inside you is the first step. But remember, Sarah—control is everything. If you let the power control you, you won't survive."
I take a deep breath, feeling the weight of the pendant in my hand once more. The storm is coming, and it's not just the Courts or Ryan's brother I need to worry about. There's something much darker lurking in the shadows. But I won't run. Not anymore.
The game has begun. And this time, I'm going to win. I have to get my mom back. My life back.