The forsaken Code.

Chapter Eleven:. Whispers in the Dark

The ruins stretched before them like the bones of a forgotten civilization, jagged and broken. Time had eroded the once-magnificent structures, leaving behind only remnants of what had been. A chilling wind howled through the crumbling arches, carrying the echoes of voices long gone.

Noah’s heart pounded as he followed Vance and Killian through the ruins. The words of the shadowy figures lingered in his mind. Find the Veil. Uncover what was lost.

“What do you think they meant by ‘the Veil’?” Killian asked, his voice low.

Vance adjusted his gloves. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a place—or a barrier—between what we know and what was hidden.”

Noah exhaled. “Then it’s where we need to go.”

They pressed on, their footsteps echoing against stone. The deeper they went, the more unnatural the air became. A weight settled over Noah’s shoulders, a pressure that felt… aware.

Then he heard it.

A whisper.

Faint, like a breath against his ear.

“Turn back.”

Noah’s body went rigid. His eyes darted around, but there was nothing—only ruins and shadows.

“Did you hear that?” he asked.

Killian frowned. “Hear what?”

Vance narrowed his eyes. “A warning.”

The whispers grew louder.

“You do not belong.”

“You were not meant to be.”

Noah gritted his teeth. “I don’t care what I was ‘meant’ to be. I’m here now.”

A sudden gust of wind roared through the ruins, carrying a wave of dust. The air shimmered—and for a brief moment, Noah saw something.

A city. Towering spires, glowing symbols, people moving through the streets. But it was wrong—blurred at the edges, flickering like a dying flame.

And then—screams.

The vision shattered, and Noah staggered back, gasping.

“Noah?” Killian grabbed his arm. “What just happened?”

“I saw…” Noah swallowed hard. “A city. The first city. And then it was gone.”

Vance’s face darkened. “You saw a memory of the past.”

A deep, low rumble vibrated beneath them. Dust fell from the ruins, pebbles rolling across the ground. The wind shrieked, twisting into unnatural currents.

Then the ground cracked open.

A jagged chasm split the ruins in two, darkness spilling from its depths like ink. And from within that abyss—something moved.

A shadowy figure crawled from the darkness. Its limbs were elongated, its form shifting like smoke. And yet, its eyes—glowing, hollow orbs—locked onto Noah.

“The Forgotten must not awaken.”

Noah’s breath hitched. The air turned suffocating. He took a step back—only to feel an invisible force pulling him toward the chasm.

Killian cursed, grabbing his wrist. “What the hell is happening?!”

Vance’s aura flared, his power pushing back against the unseen force. “It’s trying to take him.”

The creature’s voice slithered through the air.

“You were erased. Do not return.”

Noah’s mind screamed against it. His instincts told him to run. But something deep inside told him otherwise.

He reached toward the darkness.

And the moment his fingers brushed against it—

Memories surged.

Flashes of a life that wasn’t his.

A name whispered on the wind.

The Veil.

Then—blackness.

And silence.

Darkness swallowed Noah whole. It wasn’t the absence of light—it was something deeper, heavier, like sinking into an ocean with no surface.

He couldn’t see. He couldn’t breathe.

Yet, he wasn’t alone.

Whispers crawled along the edges of his mind.

“You were never meant to return.”

“Forgotten for a reason.”

“Leave before it’s too late.”

Memories that weren’t his flickered through the abyss. A towering city with glowing spires. A council of figures in robes. A burning sigil carved into stone.

A hand grabbed his wrist.

“Noah.”

The darkness shattered.

He gasped as reality snapped back into place. Cold stone beneath him. The ruins towering above. The howling wind.

Killian was gripping his arm, his expression tense. “Noah! Can you hear me?”

Noah nodded, his pulse erratic. “Yeah… I—” He turned, expecting to see the shadowy creature, but the chasm was gone. As if it had never been there.

Vance stood a few steps away, arms crossed, his gaze sharp. “What did you see?”

Noah swallowed, his throat dry. “A city. A council. And something about… being erased.”

Vance exhaled. “The First City. The original seat of power before it was lost.”

Killian narrowed his eyes. “Lost? Or hidden?”

A moment of silence passed between them.

Noah clenched his fists. “The Veil. That’s what they called it.”

Vance nodded. “Then that’s where we need to go.”

Killian ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah? And where exactly is that?”

Noah looked at the ruins. Looked at the shadows still whispering against the wind.

And somehow… he already knew.

“It’s not a place,” he murmured. “It’s a barrier.”

Vance’s expression darkened. “Then we need to break it.”

The air shifted. The ruins groaned.

And somewhere in the distance—something was watching.