Lumi ran.
The mist thickened around her, swirling in tendrils that clung to her skin like living things. The damp earth beneath her feet softened as she pushed forward, her breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps. Behind her, the Mistborn screeched—an unnatural, grating sound that sent chills down her spine.
The robed man ran beside her, his movements swift and sure, as if he had done this a thousand times before. The frog clung to her shoulder, its tiny claws digging into her tunic for grip.
The further they ran, the stranger the world became. Trees twisted at odd angles, their bark slick with something that shimmered under the faint moonlight. The air smelled of water and something deeper, something old. It was as if they were running into another realm entirely.
Lumi risked a glance behind them. The Mistborn didn’t chase in a straight line; they flickered in and out of the fog, appearing for half a second before vanishing again, their jagged forms phasing through the trees like living shadows.
"They’re gaining on us!" she gasped.
The robed man didn’t slow. "We’re almost there!"
"Almost where?"
Before he could answer, the ground disappeared beneath her feet.
Lumi let out a sharp cry as she tumbled forward—but instead of hitting hard earth, she fell into something soft and weightless. Water.
She plunged into icy depths, the cold shocking her lungs. She flailed, panic rising, but the moment the water surrounded her, something changed.
The cold vanished.
Instead of sinking, she floated, as if the water itself was holding her aloft.
Lumi opened her eyes and gasped.
Beneath her, the lake stretched into a world untouched by time. The water was clear as glass, revealing glowing plants that pulsed with soft, golden light. Strange fish with translucent bodies wove through the depths, their fins trailing like silk. Massive stone pillars jutted from the lakebed, their surfaces carved with glowing symbols—the same ones that sometimes appeared in Lumi’s dreams.
She reached out. The moment her fingertips touched the carvings, warmth bloomed in her chest.
A voice—soft and distant, like an echo through time—whispered in her mind.
You are not alone.
Lumi’s breath caught. "Who are you?"
Come deeper, child. See.
Something stirred within her. A pull. An instinct older than memory.
She kicked downward, diving further.
Behind her, the Mistborn howled. They could not follow. The lake was sacred, untouched by their corruption.
For the first time, Lumi felt safe.
But she also knew—this was only the beginning.
The depths held answers. And she was ready to find them.
To be continued…
Lumi has reached the sacred lake, but what secrets lie beneath?
ns 15.158.61.17da2
