WHISPERER

The silence in Kelvin’s office was suffocating. The room, lined with thick bookshelves and dimly lit by a single Victorian-style lamp, seemed to absorb Jade’s breathing. She sat stiffly on the edge of a leather chair, her eyes darting across the strange arcane symbols etched into the wooden floor beneath her feet.

“A descendant of a witch?” she echoed in disbelief. “You’re joking, right?”

Kelvin stood with his back turned, facing a cabinet lined with ancient scrolls and metallic charms. His fingers grazed the spine of a thick leather-bound grimoire, his silence louder than any denial.

“Do I look like someone who jokes about magic?” he finally said, turning to face her. “You are the last known bloodline of Kora, one of the Seven who sealed the Veil between realms centuries ago.”

Jade furrowed her brows. “The Veil? Realms? I don’t even know what that means!”

Kelvin sighed and walked toward her, the floor creaking beneath his polished shoes. “The world you know is only one part of reality. The Veil was created to separate the mortal realm from others—the Ethereal, the Infernal, the Forgotten... each one inhabited by beings that should never touch our world.”

“Like that old woman?” Jade asked, her voice trembling. “The one who floated down the dorm steps with hair over her face?”

Kelvin nodded solemnly. “That was a Wraith—guardians of the Veil. They appear only when a breach has occurred... or when a soul is crossing over without permission.”

Jade’s mouth parted. Her thoughts spiraled. Luke. His ghost. The levitation. The voice that told her she didn’t belong. “Is that what happened to Luke? He crossed the Veil?”

Kelvin hesitated. “Luke’s death was no accident, Jade. He was lured into the threshold by a Shadow Caller. They prey on people close to witches’ bloodlines—especially when the witch is unaware of her powers.”

The floor beneath her felt like it was shifting. “Are you saying he died... because of me?”

“You were the target,” Kelvin said softly. “He was collateral damage.”

Tears welled in her eyes. Her hands clenched into trembling fists. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Because you weren’t ready,” Kelvin said. “You had to awaken on your own. The mark proves it.”

“Mark?” Jade asked, looking down at herself.

Kelvin extended a hand. “May I?”

She nodded, reluctantly lifting her left sleeve. There, etched into her forearm like a faint birthmark, was a twisting sigil—half moon, half flame, surrounded by a circle of ancient runes.

Jade gasped. “That wasn’t there before.”

“It appeared after your first encounter with the Veil,” Kelvin said. “The mark of Kora. It means the bloodline has reactivated. You’ve been chosen.”

“Chosen for what?” she whispered.

“To either repair the Veil… or watch the realms collide.”

A sudden knock thundered through the air, loud and violent, shaking the very walls. Jade flinched.

Kelvin’s expression darkened. “They found us.”

“Who?” she asked.

“The Kik,” he said. “Ancient witches bound in dwarf form. In their true state, they’re hideous, but they’ve learned to disguise themselves. They serve the Cracked Realm—where time doesn’t move forward or backward.”

Another knock followed, this time accompanied by a whisper so shrill it pierced Jade’s skull.

“Give her to us, Kelvin. She is ours!”

Kelvin grabbed a wooden staff from the wall and slammed its butt to the floor. A barrier of golden light erupted around the office.

“You need to go,” he said urgently. “They can’t breach this shield for long.”

“I’m not leaving without answers!” Jade shouted.

“You want answers?” Kelvin reached into a locked drawer and pulled out a black envelope, sealed with a wax symbol identical to the mark on her arm. “Go to the chapel on campus. Midnight. Alone. Burn this letter at the altar.”

“What will happen?”

He looked her dead in the eye. “Your mother will answer.”

“My mother?” she stuttered. “I’m adopted!”

Kelvin didn’t answer. He handed her the envelope and pointed to the back exit. “Go, now!”

Jade darted through the narrow mysterious hallway—a path created by Kelvin for her escape as the barrier trembled behind her. The knocking grew into pounding. She could hear chanting—ancient, dark, relentless.

She didn’t stop running until she reached her dorm. Lucy isn’t here, thankfully. She slammed the door shut, locked it, and collapsed onto the bed, gasping for air.

Her fingers trembled as she held the envelope. What did he mean her mother would answer? She knew nothing about her adoption—not even a hint from her parents she lived with. But the truth? She was adopted as a baby from a remote village. Her adoptive parents never told her any of it, and until now, she never had a reason to ask.

Jade tucked the envelope into her bag. No matter what, she had to reach the chapel.

Midnight – Kingston Chapel

The campus was eerily silent as Jade approached the chapel. The iron gates creaked open on their own. The chapel, built in 1887, was rarely used. Most students called it haunted and avoided it altogether.

Jade stepped inside, the heavy wooden doors closing behind her. Candles flickered along the pews, though no one had lit them. The air smelled like burnt myrrh and old tears.

She walked to the altar and placed the envelope in a brass bowl. Her heart thundered in her chest.

She struck a match. “Here goes nothing,” she whispered.

The flame caught. As the letter burned, a soft hum began to vibrate through the room. Symbols began to glow on the floor beneath her feet. The air warped. The pews flickered out of existence.

Suddenly, she wasn’t in the chapel anymore.

She stood in a vast void filled with crimson mist. Before her stood a tall woman in a black veil, her hands outstretched.

“Jade…” the woman whispered, her voice echoing like a thousand whispers in one.

“Are you... my real mother?”

The woman removed her veil. Her face mirrored Jade’s—but older, more regal, with eyes that pulsed with moonlight. “I am Kora. One of your ancestress.”

Jade dropped to her knees. “Why me?”

“Because the Veil is cracking,” Kora said. “And only my blood can mend it. You were hidden, protected. But now… the shadows know you live.”

Jade rose to her feet. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Three things,” Kora said. “Unseal your full power. Find the Three Keys of Binding. And do not trust—”

A shadow swept through the mist, cutting Kora off mid-sentence.

“Kora!” Jade shouted.

“Do not trust the—”

The mist collapsed. The woman vanished. She was hoping to see her real mother. Nevertheless, it’s worth it—seeing her ancestress—Kora.

And Jade found herself back in the chapel, alone.

But she wasn’t truly alone.

Behind her, a figure stepped out from the shadows.

Kelvin.

Only... his eyes were glowing red.

“K-Kelvin?”

He smirked. “Did you meet her?”

“What... what just happened?”

“Oh, you’ve only just begun to wake up,” he said with a chuckle. “But I’m afraid this is where the game changes.”

He lifted his hand—and from her bag, the envelope she had burned flew back into his palm, untouched by fire.

Jade’s eyes widened in terror. “What are you?”

Kelvin’s smile widened unnaturally. “A servant of truth... and its destroyer.”

Then the chapel doors slammed shut, and the candles extinguished one by one—until only darkness remained.