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The door creaked open, revealing a night thick with mist. The figures outside were barely more than silhouettes, their edges dissolving into the fog like ink in water.
Lumi’s pulse quickened. The air smelled of damp earth and something metallic, something ancient.
One of them stepped forward. He was tall, draped in flowing robes that shimmered like oil on water. His face was half-hidden beneath a hood, but his eyes—pale, silver-green like hers—burned in the darkness.
"You should not be here, child," he said, his voice steady, almost sorrowful.
Lumi swallowed. "I live here."
He tilted his head. "No. You were hidden here." His gaze flicked to the frog perched on her shoulder. "And you were given a guardian to keep you from the truth."
The frog tensed but did not speak.
Lumi crossed her arms. "Then tell me. What truth?"
The robed man sighed and gestured behind him. The mist parted, revealing a sight that stole Lumi’s breath.
A lake.
Not just any lake—the lake. The one from her vision. But this time, it wasn’t glowing, wasn’t peaceful. The water churned as if something deep beneath its surface was waking. The lotus flowers that once floated gracefully were now shriveled and blackened.
And on the far shore, more figures stood—watching. Waiting.
Lumi’s throat tightened.
"You see it now, don’t you?" the man murmured. "This place is dying. The Water Folk are gone, and the magic that sustained this world is fading. Your mother—she was the last to hold it together. And now…"
Lumi’s hands clenched into fists. "Now what?"
The mist around them darkened. The man’s voice lowered.
"Now, the ones who hunted us are coming for you."
A whisper of movement—a flicker in the shadows.
Lumi barely had time to react before something lunged from the mist.
ns 15.158.61.16da2
