Chapter 6: Echoes of the Past

Eliza’s heart pounded in her chest as the darkness swallowed her whole. She had no idea where she was or how much time had passed. Her breath was shallow, panic clawing at her throat. She felt as if she were being suffocated by the silence around her.

“Eliza...”

The voice came from everywhere, low and haunting. Her mind raced, trying to find a way out of this suffocating place.

“Eliza...”

She turned, her eyes darting through the thick darkness. There was something in the air, a presence. But nothing visible. The voices were coming closer now, whispers like a thousand lost souls, and the temperature seemed to drop with each passing second.

“Eliza!”

The voice was sharp, familiar. Sister Clara.

“Where are you? What is this place?” Eliza shouted into the void, but her words seemed to disappear the moment they left her lips.

The silence returned, and Eliza felt herself trembling. She stumbled forward, trying to make sense of the endless dark.

Suddenly, a cold hand grabbed her arm, pulling her into the center of the room. Eliza gasped, spinning around.

A figure stood before her. It was Sister Clara, but her face—her eyes—were not the same. The veil was gone, replaced by a look of pure despair.

“Why did you come?” Sister Clara whispered, her voice trembling. “You were warned.”

Eliza shook her head. “I don’t understand. What is this place? Why are you all so… so silent?”

Sister Clara’s eyes flickered with something ancient, something painful. “You think silence is the curse. But it’s the only thing keeping us from the true curse. It was never meant for you to know.”

“I need to know,” Eliza insisted, her voice desperate. “Tell me. Please.”

Sister Clara let out a long, sorrowful sigh, her gaze falling to the floor. “It began long ago. A power older than time, buried in the heart of this convent. The silence is its prison, Eliza. We are its wardens.”

“But why?” Eliza demanded. “Why is it here? What does it want?”

“It’s not about what it wants,” Sister Clara murmured. “It’s about what we have to keep from it. The veil. The veil is the key.”

Eliza blinked, confused. “The veil?”

“Yes. The veil you saw. The one you’re so desperate to uncover,” Sister Clara replied, stepping back. “It’s not just cloth, Eliza. It’s a barrier. A seal. The thing behind it... it feeds on curiosity, on knowledge. And you have opened the door to it.”

Eliza’s mind spun. “What is it?”

“It’s not a what,” Sister Clara whispered, almost as if afraid to say the words aloud. “It’s a who. A being. A nun who was never meant to walk the earth again.”

“What do you mean?” Eliza asked, her voice trembling. “What happened to her?”

Sister Clara’s eyes filled with pain. “She was the first to wear the veil. She called herself the Keeper. She was once like us, but her thirst for power... it consumed her. She thought she could control what’s behind the door, but... it corrupted her. She became something else.”

“And the veil?” Eliza pressed.

“The veil... is her. It holds her back, keeps her from breaking free. But it’s weakening. And you... you’ve made it weaker.”

Eliza shook her head, struggling to process the words. “How? How did I do that?”

“The mirror,” Sister Clara said softly. “It was never meant for your eyes. But now you’ve seen it. And it has seen you.”

Suddenly, a low hum filled the room. Eliza felt a pressure against her chest, as if the air itself was alive, pressing in on her.

“Do you feel it?” Sister Clara whispered. “The veil is thinning.”

Eliza’s heart raced. “What’s happening?”

“It’s waking,” Sister Clara said, her voice full of fear. “The Keeper. The one you saw in the mirror. She’s coming for you.”

“No!” Eliza shouted, backing away. “I didn’t ask for this! I didn’t—”

“You opened the door.” Sister Clara’s face grew darker. “And now, there’s no turning back.”

The hum grew louder, vibrating the walls around them. Eliza could hear it now—whispers, twisted and full of malice, wrapping themselves around her like tendrils.

“Eliza...” The voice came from everywhere and nowhere. It was soft but powerful, like the wind whispering her name. “I see you...”

Eliza’s skin prickled, her blood running cold. She turned toward the voice, but there was no one there.

“You’ve freed me,” the voice purred, cold and unnerving. “And now... I will claim what is mine.”

“No,” Eliza breathed, stepping back. “Please... No!”

The room began to shift, the shadows deepening, swirling around her. Sister Clara’s face twisted with fear as she reached out toward Eliza.

“Eliza, you have to run! You have to leave! Now!”

But Eliza couldn’t move. The air was thick with the whispers, the voice growing louder, stronger.

“You cannot escape me, Eliza,” the voice hissed, now directly behind her. “I am the Keeper. And I have waited for so long...”

“Eliza, please!” Sister Clara cried, her voice breaking. “You don’t understand! It’s too late!”

Suddenly, the darkness collapsed inward, and everything went black.

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