The night was not quiet. It throbbed, alive with unseen eyes and engines that might or might not have been real. Alina swallowed her fear with every mile, each breath jagged with the memory of voices that had told her to run, to trust no one, to disappear. There was nowhere left but forward. Forward into the village whose name had already changed her fate: Aetheris.
Alina couldn’t speak. On the other end of the line, her mother’s voice came through urgent and trembling, almost pleading:
“Alina, listen to me. There isn’t time to explain everything — and I know you have questions — but you have to leave the house, now. They’ve found us. If they reach you first, everything I’ve kept from you… it will all unravel. Don’t ask why, just go.”
Alina held the phone as if it weighed a hundred pounds, frozen, unable to tell if she was dreaming or awake. Her mother’s anguished voice cracked through the silence again:
“Alina? Please, listen to me. You have to go. Don’t go to the Order. Don’t go to Bridget. Don’t let anyone know where you are for now. Tomorrow you must go to Aetheris.”
Her heart pounded. “What exactly is Aetheris?”
Her mother’s reply was low but urgent, every syllable sharp with fear.
“It is a village about sixty kilometres from the city. It’s where your ancestors began what is now the Order. There are threads waiting for you there, truths you need to see for yourself. Now go. Don’t wait another moment.”
The line went dead.
Silence thickened around her, suffocating. Her mother’s words still echoed in her skull, thrumming against her ribs: They’ve found us.
Adrenaline surged, propelling her into motion. She shoved the phone into her pocket, hands trembling, heart hammering. No time to change. Just a bag — a few clothes, her wallet, car keys, scarf, jacket. The rest lay scattered across the table like offerings she wasn’t sure she would ever return to.
Her footsteps clattered too loudly in the stairwell, as if announcing her escape. She dared not breathe, though her thoughts screamed in frenzied panic: What is happening to my life? Who are these people? What place is Aetheris?
The night pressed close around her when she stepped out into the parking lot. Cool air stung her lungs as she slid into the car, started the engine, and drove off.
The ride was a fever dream. She drove fast, then faster, eyes darting to the rearview mirror again and again. Was that the same black car she’d noticed earlier? Or was fear conjuring ghosts on the empty road?
By the time she reached her colleague’s apartment, her chest ached with the strain of holding in breath and thought. She knocked once — lightly, hesitantly — then again, harder, as if the urgency in her chest demanded immediate release.
When Carrie opened the door, relief crashed over her like water. For a moment she could breathe.
“Hello Carrie,” her voice trembled. “I can’t go home. Please don’t ask me any questions now. Can I crash here tonight?”
Carrie blinked, taken aback, then smiled her warm, familiar smile. “Of course, Ali. Come in. Make yourself at home.”
Alina stepped inside,relieved, telling herself she was safe. Ordinary. Normal. Yet the flutter of unease in her heart whispered otherwise.
Later, when Carrie retired to her room, Alina stood by the window, searching for quiet. City lights shimmered below like scattered jewels. For the first time in days, she tried to breathe normally.
Then she saw him.
A figure in the street. Still. Watching.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. She knew those eyes. That presence.
For a long, impossible moment, they simply looked at each other. Her breath caught in her throat, her body frozen in recognition, fear, and something far more dangerous.
Just before he turned away, she swore she saw his lips move, shaping a single word.
Her name.
She lay restless on the couch, haunted by shadows. A creak by the door. A whisper of engines outside. Were they here for her? Or was this just her fear feeding on itself?
Her body, still heavy with exhaustion and the last of Lorianne’s drug, gave way. Darkness closed in.
And he appeared.
The forest unfolded around her — cedar trees rising like sentinels, jasmine flowers glowing ghost-pale in the mist.He stood among them, tall, radiant, his presence both tender and fierce.
Tears stung her eyes. “Who are you? Why do I feel like I’ve known you forever? When will I see you again?”
“Alina,” he said, his voice steady, and smooth, flowing like water over stone. “You must wait a little longer. Patience will be your shield. But hear me: you must run to Aetheris. This place is poisoned for you now. Every shadow hides a potential danger for you. Aetheris is where the threads begin to weave. You are not safe here… but you are not alone. Not anymore.”
He stepped closer, the mist curling around him like a cloak.
“I am Kaelan. We will meet when the threads are ready. I have always been near. Remember this, Alina: trust your heart above all. Not every voice that calls you means you well. Your heart will never lie to you.”
He took her hand, squeezed it once — warm, solid, real — and then turned, dissolving into the darkness.
Alina woke with a start. The dream clung to her skin like dew. Was it a vision, or something more?
Light spilled from Carrie’s half-open bedroom door. Alina crept closer — and froze.
“Yes,” Carrie’s voice whispered into the phone. “She’s here. She’s sleeping.”
Alina clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping.
Carrie hung up, glanced around the room, then switched off the light.
Alina’s heart pounded. She stumbled back to the couch, every nerve screaming. A noise outside drew her to the window. Below, a black car idled, waiting.
Her mother was right. Kaelan was right.
She had to leave. Now.
The apartment door clicked shut behind her as quietly as she could manage. She ran to the car, hurled her bag into the back seat, and started the ignition.
There was only one place left to go.
“Aetheris,” she whispered. “Here I come.”
The car roared into the night.
Half an hour later, her phone rang. Lorianne.
“Alina,” her voice cracked with urgency. “You need to disappear for a while. They’ve found you, and if they catch you, it will destroy everything. Come to Cedar Place. Please — don’t underestimate this. Every second you wait brings them closer.”
Alina’s knuckles whitened on the wheel. “Lorianne… thank you. But I’ve already been told where I need to go.”
A pause. “Your mother?”
“Yes.”
Lorianne exhaled sharply, relief mixing with worry. “Then hurry. And Alina… trust no one you don’t already trust with your life.”
The line went dead.
The road unfurled ahead, flanked by dark forests and curling mist. At last, cedar trees rose high on either side, solemn guardians of the path.
A weathered sign appeared, glowing faintly in her headlights:
Welcome to Aetheris, where the land meets the ether.
Her grip on the wheel loosened. She took a deep, steadying breath. She had arrived.
But what waited here was still veiled in shadow.
As always, a little teaser for Chapter 7 …
The village was quiet, wrapped in early mist, but Alina couldn’t shake the feeling that each window she passed was watching. She ducked into a dim café, grateful for the smell of roasted beans, for warmth.For normality.
The old woman behind the counter slid the cup toward her, then paused, studying her face with unsettling clarity.
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Thank you for reading…✨
If this little story brought you a moment of stillness, I’m glad.
I believe silence is a kind of grace, and that stories, too, can offer us rest.
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With ink and light and, maybe an essence of vanilla,
Lia
Your build up is getting really intense. Yet… your writing is still so tender and soft and light, then dark but not the eery dark. But the undertones of expression is truly beautiful and may I say quite serene. Odd but that is what I feel. Until next time. 🌸
Once again, your beautiful writing has left me in suspense! And this time I can not even guess at what will happen next. Thanks Lia for another wonderful chapter!