Chapter 106
Chapter 106
Elizabeth
Elizabeth, do not let him enter.
I stared at the floating words.
The library suddenly felt too warm.
Too small.
Too quiet.
Beside me, Damon frowned.
“What is it?”
I didn’t answer.
Because the message had disappeared.
The map now showed only the countdown.
02:55:41
“What happened?” Adam asked.
I swallowed.
“There was another message.”
Everyone looked at me.
“What did it say?” Tristan asked.
I hesitated.
Because I wasn’t entirely sure I should say it.
The message had been meant for me.
Specifically for me.
And somehow, I knew exactly who had sent it.
The first Door.
Damon’s eyes narrowed.
“Elizabeth.”
I looked at him.
“It said…”
A pause.
“Don’t let him enter.”
Silence.
Lucien blinked.
“That’s remarkably unhelpful.”
I almost agreed.
Then—
“Who?”
Adam’s question echoed through the room.
I looked at the countdown.
Then back at them.
“It didn’t say.”
No one looked reassured.
Least of all Damon.
His expression became thoughtful.
Dangerously thoughtful.
Then Tristan spoke.
“The message was only for her?”
I nodded.
Silence.
Aurelia’s words from earlier suddenly came back to me.
The Doors are connected.
I looked at the key in my hand.
The first Door had given it to me.
She had warned me.
And now…
She was trying to protect me.
Or warn me.
I wasn’t sure which was worse.
Lucien sighed dramatically.
“I hate cryptic women.”
Damon looked at him.
“You hate everyone.”
“Not true.”
A pause.
“I dislike everyone.”
I almost smiled.
Almost.
Then the countdown ticked lower.
02:54:59
The room grew quiet again.
Damon looked at the map.
Then at me.
“We’re leaving.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“The church.”
I frowned.
“You still want to go?”
He looked at me as though I had asked whether the sky was blue.
“Yes.”
“But the message—”
“I heard the message.”
I stared.
“It specifically said not to let him enter.”
Silence.
Then—
“And?”
I gaped at him.
“And?”
His expression remained perfectly calm.
“Yes.”
I looked at Adam.
He looked unsurprised.
I looked at Lucien.
Also unsurprised.
I looked at Tristan.
Again.
Unsurprised.
I couldn’t believe this family.
I pointed at Damon.
“Do you always ignore warnings?”
Lucien answered.
“Constantly.”
“Lucien.”
“I’m helping.”
He wasn’t.
At all.
Damon’s silver eyes remained on mine.
“We don’t know who the message is about.”
“It could be you.”
“It could.”
I stared.
“And you’re still going?”
“Yes.”
I let out a short laugh.
“You are insane.”
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“I’ve been called worse.”
I didn’t doubt it.
The countdown continued.
02:54:12
A strange feeling settled over me.
Unease.
Not about the church.
About the message.
I looked at Damon.
At his calm expression.
At the way he stood there as though another supernatural disaster was merely a minor inconvenience.
I suddenly remembered the vision.
The first Door.
Trust the wolf.
Then—
Do not let him enter.
The messages didn’t fit together.
Unless…
Unless they weren’t talking about the same person.
My stomach dropped.
No.
No.
I didn’t like that.
Not one bit.
“Elizabeth?”
I looked up.
Damon was watching me carefully.
“You went quiet.”
I swallowed.
“I don’t think the message meant you.”
Silence.
The room looked relieved.
I wasn’t.
Because that meant it was talking about someone else.
Someone who would be at the church.
The thought made my chest tighten.
The library doors suddenly slammed shut.
Everyone jumped.
The floating map flickered.
Then—
Every candle in the room ignited at once.
Gold flames.
The same unnatural gold.
No one moved.
Then the map changed.
A picture appeared.
Not a location.
A face.
I forgot how to breathe.
Blond hair.
Blue eyes.
A familiar smile.
“No,” I whispered.
Everyone looked at the map.
Silence.
Then—
“Who is that?” Lucien asked.
I couldn’t answer.
Because I knew him.
I knew that face.
Armani.
The boy from my world.
The boy who had died.
The first person I’d lost.
“No,” I said again.
The image smiled.
Exactly the way he used to.
My hands began shaking.
This wasn’t real.
It couldn’t be.
Armani was dead.
He died in the first chapter of my life.
I stared at the map.
“Elizabeth?”
Damon’s voice sounded distant.
I couldn’t stop staring.
The image moved.
Actually moved.
It looked directly at me.
Then it spoke.
“Hello, Liz.”
I stumbled backward.
Damon caught my arm.
The room erupted.
“What the hell?” Lucien exclaimed.
I couldn’t hear them.
Because—
No.
No.
No.
The image smiled sadly.
“You look different.”
I felt sick.
This wasn’t possible.
Armani was dead.
I saw him die.
I remembered it.
I remembered crying.
Remembered losing him.
The image’s blue eyes softened.
“You miss me.”
Silence.
Tears stung my eyes unexpectedly.
Because I did.
I had.
For a long time.
The image looked almost apologetic.
“I’m sorry.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
His smile faded.
“Elizabeth.”
“No.”
The map flickered.
The image became clearer.
More real.
I hated it.
Because for one terrible second, I wanted to believe it.
Wanted to believe somehow he had survived.
But he hadn’t.
He was dead.
And dead people didn’t appear in floating magical maps.
Damon stepped in front of me.
Immediately.
His body blocking my view.
I blinked.
He looked at the map.
Expression cold.
Deadly.
“What are you?”
The image smiled.
“Protective.”
Silence.
“I understand.”
Damon’s eyes narrowed.
“What are you?”
The smile disappeared.
Then—
“I am not him.”
My breath caught.
The room went still.
The thing wearing Armani’s face looked at me.
“I’m sorry.”
A tear slipped down my cheek.
I quickly wiped it away.
No.
I wouldn’t cry.
Not in front of everyone.
Especially not in front of supernatural map imposters.
The thing looked sad.
Then it said softly,
“I borrowed a face you trusted.”
I felt cold.
Very cold.
“Why?”
Silence.
Then—
“Because you’re afraid.”
The answer was gentle.
Too gentle.
I hated it.
The image looked at me.
“I needed you to listen.”
The countdown flashed.
02:49:00
The image glanced at it.
Then back at me.
“You don’t have much time.”
No one spoke.
The thing’s blue eyes found mine.
“When dawn comes, someone will be waiting at the church.”
Silence.
“Someone important.”
The room held its breath.
Then—
“You must not let him enter.”
Again.
That sentence again.
Damon’s expression hardened.
“Who?”
The image looked at him.
Then at me.
Its smile faded completely.
When it spoke, its voice sounded older somehow.
Ancient.
Heavy.
“The boy with silver eyes.”
The room went silent.
Every ounce of color drained from my face.
Because there was only one boy with silver eyes.