Chapter 69
Aurora woke up with a strange feeling in her chest, something she couldn’t explain. The morning sun poured into her room, warm and soft, but she didn’t feel calm. Something inside her felt restless. Nervous. A little trapped.
She stood from her bed slowly and walked to the window. The city stretched far below—busy streets, small shops, people laughing, horses pulling carriages, guards walking in pairs. Everything looked beautiful, alive.
Yet she felt nothing inside.
Just emptiness.
She turned when she heard soft footsteps behind her.
Kairo stood at the doorway, hands in his pockets, hair a little messy like he had been rushing.
“You’re awake,” he said.
She nodded.
He stepped closer, studying her expression. “You look… different today.”
Aurora forced a tiny smile. “I feel like I want to go outside.”
Kairo blinked, surprised. “Outside? Like… explore?”
“Yes,” she said. “I want to see the city.”
For the first time, something small flickered in her chest. A tiny spark. She didn’t know if it was excitement or fear.
But she wanted to go.
She needed to go.
Kairo smiled a little. “Then I’ll take you.”
THE CITY OF BLACK NIGHT
The city was alive and bright. Merchants called out from their stalls. Children ran through the streets. Women carried baskets of fruit. Wolves in human form walked with purpose.
Aurora took it all in silently.
Kairo walked beside her, talking softly as he showed her different places.
“This is the oldest bakery,” he said. “Best bread in the kingdom.”
Aurora nodded but didn’t say anything.
“And over there is the training yard. The warriors train every morning.”
Again, Aurora nodded.
Kairo slowed his steps. “Are you even listening?”
Aurora blinked.
She was looking at the city…
But she wasn’t hearing him.
Because something else was happening.
A sound.
A whisper.
A child’s laugh.
Her breath caught.
Another laugh—small, warm—like it came from far away inside her head.
Then a voice, a young boy’s voice:
“Rhianna, come on! Mama said not to go to the stream side!”
Aurora froze in the middle of the road.
Kairo stopped instantly. “Aurora?”
She didn’t answer.
The voice…
It was inside her mind, but not like a dream. Clear. Sharp. Like a memory trying to crawl out.
Another voice came—a little girl’s this time:
“Hardin will save me if I get hurt. He always does!”
Aurora felt her heart jump painfully.
Hardin?
Who's Hardin?
Her chest tightened so much she grabbed the front of her dress.
“Aurora?” Kairo touched her shoulder. “Are you in pain?”
She didn’t hear him.
Instead, the voices kept coming.
Two boys and a girl.
Running. Laughing. Splashing water.
“Don’t run too far, Rhianna!”
“Hardin, she’s going to fall!”
“I won’t! Hardin will catch me!”
Aurora’s legs trembled.
Rhianna.
Who was Rhianna?
Why did the name feel like it was hers?
She closed her eyes tightly. The world spun. She swayed, breathing hard, trying to hold onto the fading voices.
Kairo grabbed her arms quickly. “Aurora—look at me. Breathe. Slowly.”
Aurora opened her eyes. They were full of confusion.
“I… heard something,” she whispered. “Children. A stream. They were calling someone named Rhianna.”
Kairo stiffened. “Rhianna?”
“Yes,” Aurora whispered. “And… someone named Hardin.”
Kairo’s jaw clenched. He held her a little tighter. “Do you remember anything else?”
Aurora shook her head slowly. “No… it came so fast… then it disappeared.”
Kairo looked around the busy street, then gently pulled her away from the center toward a quieter area near a fountain.
“Sit,” he said softly.
Aurora sat, hands shaking. Kairo crouched in front of her, eyes serious.
“Aurora… these voices… are they new?”
“Yes.”
“And you don’t recognize the names?”
“No… but…” Her voice cracked. “It felt like they were talking to me. Like… I was there.”
Kairo reached for her hand but stopped halfway, unsure. “Do you want to go back to the castle?”
She shook her head. “No. I want to keep walking.”
“Are you sure?”
“I feel like… something is hiding. If I stay still, it won’t come back.”
Kairo stood slowly. “Then I’ll stay with you. Just stay close.”
Aurora tried to stand but her legs wobbled. Kairo caught her elbow gently.
The moment he touched her, something inside her whispered:
“Hardin always catches me…”
She flinched.
Kairo frowned. “Another memory?”
She shook her head quickly. “I don’t know.”
But she did know.
That wasn’t a memory of Kairo.
That was someone else.
Someone who wasn’t here.
Someone she had forgotten…
Or someone who had been taken.
WALKING FURTHER INTO THE CITY
They continued walking through the market. Aurora tried to focus on the colors, the sounds, anything to distract herself.
But the voices wouldn’t leave.
Soft laughs.
Footsteps running.
A small splash.
A warm hand holding hers.
A boy yelling her name—Rhianna.
A boy with golden eyes saying, “Don’t cry, I’m here.”
Aurora pressed her fingers to her temples.
“What’s wrong?” Kairo asked again, voice tense.
Aurora whispered, “I think… I’m remembering something.”
Kairo’s eyes darkened, but he kept his voice gentle. “Take your time. Don’t force it. Memories hurt when they crawl back.”
Aurora looked up at him.
“I’m scared,” she said honestly.
He sighed. “I know. But you’re not alone.”
She wasn’t sure if she believed that…
Because deep inside, she felt like she was supposed to be somewhere else.
With someone else.
Hardin.
That name felt like it belonged to something important.
Something she had lost.
Someone who had loved her deeply.
Kairo watched her silently, but his eyes were tight with worry.
Aurora looked back at the city.
And for the first time since she arrived at the Black Night Castle…
Her heart beat in a way that didn’t feel numb.
Not fully awake—
but no longer asleep.
Something inside her had started to break through.
And it wasn’t going to stop.