Whisper of past episode 3

Lucien stood frozen in the doorway of Moren’s Books, his pulse—if he had one—pounding in his ears. The woman before him, Celeste Moren, was a stranger. And yet, every fiber of his being told him otherwise.

Her gaze lingered on him, and for the briefest moment, Lucien saw something flicker in her eyes—recognition? But how? It wasn’t possible. She was human. And he… he was something far from that.

Celeste tilted her head, a soft crease forming between her brows. “Can I help you?”

Lucien forced himself to step forward, though the air felt heavier with every movement. He glanced around, pretending to take in the shelves overflowing with books, the scent of old pages thick in the air. He needed an excuse. A reason for why he had wandered in.

“I was just passing by,” he said, voice smooth but distant. “Didn’t realize this shop was here.”

Celeste smiled, small but genuine. “We’ve been here for a while. Most people walk right past without noticing.”

Lucien nodded, his gaze flickering to the name of the shop again. Moren’s Books. The name tugged at something in the back of his mind, like a half-remembered dream just out of reach.

Celeste stepped around the counter, absently tucking a stray curl behind her ear. “Well, since you’re here… do you read?”

Lucien almost let out a laugh. Read? He had lived lifetimes, collected souls, and wandered between realms. Yet, sitting down with a book had never been a luxury he allowed himself.

“Sometimes,” he lied.

Celeste’s eyes lit up, and Lucien felt a strange warmth settle in his chest. “Then you should take a look around,” she said, gesturing to the shelves. “You might find something interesting.”

Lucien hesitated. He should leave. The longer he lingered, the more he risked unraveling something he wasn’t ready to face. But then Celeste turned, reaching for a book, and for a split second, the world flickered—

A vision—fleeting yet vivid.

A candlelit room. Celeste laughing, leaning against a wooden desk, her fingers tracing words onto a fogged-up window.

“Stay with me.”

Lucien inhaled sharply, the vision vanishing as quickly as it had come. His hands curled into fists. What was happening to him?

Celeste turned back, unaware of the storm raging inside him. She held out a book. “Here. Try this one.”

Lucien took it, his fingers brushing against hers for the briefest moment. A strange heat coursed through him, an electric jolt that left him breathless. He pulled back quickly, gripping the book as if it could anchor him to reality.

Celeste watched him carefully. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Lucien forced a smirk. “Something like that.”

He glanced down at the book in his hands. The Veil Between Worlds. His fingers tightened around it.

Fate was playing a cruel game.

⸻

Later That Night

Lucien sat atop a rooftop, the city stretching beneath him, its lights flickering like stars trapped on Earth. The book rested beside him, untouched. His mind was elsewhere, spiraling through memories that weren’t his but felt like they should be.

He had spent centuries walking the thin line between life and death, a being untethered from the past. Yet now, with just one encounter, cracks had begun to form.

Celeste.

Why did she feel so familiar? Why did her name feel like a whisper from another time?

The wind howled through the city, carrying voices only he could hear. Souls calling out, seeking release.

But beneath it all, he heard something else.

A single, haunting whisper.

“Find her. Before it’s too late.”

Lucien’s grip tightened. He didn’t know who or what was toying with him.

But he intended to find out.

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