Chapter 78: The City Remembers

The closer they moved toward the center of the city, the stranger everything became.

Silver light flowed through the streets like living water, illuminating symbols carved into walls that had appeared lifeless only hours before. The glow reflected off crystal bridges and black stone towers, casting shifting patterns across the ancient roads.

Nobody spoke much.

Even Jess seemed unsettled.

The roar from below had changed something.

Not just in the city but in all of them.

Rowan walked beside Corvin as the group followed Elias down the newly revealed road. His hand brushed hers occasionally as they moved. Neither commented on it.

A reminder that she wasn't facing any of this alone.

Ahead of them, Elias moved with increasing urgency.

Lucien eventually caught up to him.

"You still haven't explained why the city is responding this way."

Elias sighed.

"I was hoping it wouldn't."

"That isn't an answer."

"No. It's the truth."

Lucien looked ready to continue arguing.

Instead, he glanced at Rowan and let the subject drop.

Which was almost more alarming.

Rowan had never known Lucien to willingly abandon a question.

The road curved around a massive structure that resembled a temple.

At least, Rowan thought it had once been a temple.

Silver banners hung from pillars taller than most buildings.

Ancient statues lined the pathway.

Their faces had been worn smooth by time.

Yet somehow they still felt familiar.

Everything here did.

The sensation had been growing stronger since entering the city.

Like she was walking through a place she should remember.

A place she had forgotten.

As they passed the nearest statue, a sharp pain struck behind her eyes.

Rowan stopped.

The world tilted.

A flash of sunlight.

Warm stone beneath bare feet.

Laughter.

Music.

The scent of flowers carried on a summer breeze.

The image vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Rowan inhaled sharply.

Corvin immediately turned.

"What happened?"

She blinked.

The city returned.

The cavern.

The glowing streets.

The concern in his eyes.

"I saw something."

Elias stopped walking.

Of course he did.

The man seemed to notice everything.

"What did you see?"

Rowan frowned.

"It wasn't a vision."

"No."

"It felt different."

Elias nodded.

"Because it wasn't a vision."

The rest of the group turned toward them.

A familiar feeling of dread settled in Rowan's stomach.

Every time someone said something cryptic lately, her life became significantly more complicated.

"Elias."

His silver eyes softened.

"You're beginning to remember."

Nobody looked particularly reassured.

Especially Rowan.

"Remember what?"

"The truth."

The answer was infuriating.

Judging by Jess's expression, she agreed.

Fortunately, Jess had less patience.

"Can everyone stop talking like they're trapped inside a riddle?"

To Rowan's surprise, Elias laughed.

A genuine laugh.

Then he looked back at Rowan.

"The city isn't showing you someone else's memories."

The warmth disappeared from her face.

"No."

Elias nodded.

"It is."

The silence that followed felt heavier than any roar.

Rowan stared at him.

"No."

It was the same response she'd given before.

The only response she had.

Because the alternative was impossible.

The city.

The laughter.

The sunlight.

The impossible feeling of familiarity.

Those couldn't belong to her.

Could they?

Elias held her gaze.

"You've spent weeks seeing fragments."

"The visions."

"Yes."

"I thought they were warnings."

"So did everyone else."

Lucien looked away.

That told Rowan more than any explanation could.

They had all been wrong.

The realization should have been satisfying.

Instead it was terrifying.

Because if the visions weren't warnings...

Then they were pieces of a life she didn't remember.

A life that somehow belonged to her.

The group continued forward.

This time nobody pushed for conversation.

Everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts.

Especially Rowan.

The city stretched endlessly around them.

Every street seemed to pull at something buried deep inside her.

Every building felt familiar.

Every symbol stirred emotions she couldn't explain.

As though memories waited just beyond reach.

The road eventually opened into a massive square.

Rowan stopped.

The structure dominating the center stole her breath.

A palace.

At least that was the closest word her mind could find.

The enormous building rose from the heart of the city like something from a forgotten dream.

Silver and black stone intertwined throughout its construction.

Massive towers reached toward the cavern ceiling.

Crystal windows reflected the city lights.

Ancient banners hung unmoving despite the faint breeze drifting through the cavern.

The entire structure radiated power, age, importance, and familiarity.

A sharp ache settled in her chest.

She knew this place.

She didn't know how.

She didn't know why.

But she knew it.

Beside her, Corvin went completely still.

Rowan looked at him.

His attention remained fixed on the palace.

His expression had become unreadable.

"Corvin?"

He blinked.

As though returning from somewhere far away.

Then slowly shook his head.

"I've never been here."

The answer surprised her.

Because she hadn't asked.

For a brief moment, uncertainty crossed his face.

Then it vanished.

Another mystery.

Another question.

Neither of them had answers.

A low rumble echoed through the city.

The ground trembled.

Everyone turned.

Far below the palace, something shifted beneath the stone.

The roar that followed felt closer than before.

Much closer.

The palace lights flared.

Silver fire raced across its walls.

Ancient symbols ignited.

The city seemed to brace itself.

Elias's expression darkened.

"It's awake."

Nobody needed to ask what he meant.

They all knew.

The thing beneath the city.

The thing that had called Rowan Mine.

The thing moving through the darkness below.

And for the first time, Rowan realized something that chilled her far more than the creature itself.

It wasn't trying to escape.

It was coming for her