Hidden Pathways (BOOK 1)

Shadow Reckoning - Chapter 92

Seraphina emerged from the boat onto the shore, her movements mechanical and devoid of life, like a puppet controlled by invisible strings. Lyra, puzzled by her friend's strange behavior, approached her with a mix of concern and confusion etched on her face.

"Hey, Seraphina. What brings you here?" Lyra's voice carried a note of uncertainty as she tried to make sense of the situation.

But Seraphina remained unresponsive, her gaze fixed on some distant horizon as if lost in a trance. Ignoring Lyra's attempts at communication, she continued to walk past her, her steps faltering yet determined.

"Huh? Seraphina, wait! Where are you going?" Lyra's voice rose with urgency as she hurried to catch up with her friend, her mind racing with unanswered questions.

Frustrated by Seraphina's silence, Lyra reached out to touch her shoulder, hoping to snap her out of whatever trance she had fallen into. To her shock, Seraphina's body jerked violently, a guttural groan escaping her lips as if awakening from a nightmare.

"Seraphina, are you alright?" Lyra's concern deepened as she watched her friend struggle to regain her bearings, her mind seemingly elsewhere.

"Haerak?" Seraphina's voice trembled with fear and confusion, her eyes wide with disbelief as she scanned her surroundings.

Lyra's brow furrowed in confusion at the mention of the familiar name. "Haerak? What are you talking about, Seraphina? Where do you think you are?" she pressed, her voice tinged with concern.

Seraphina took in her surroundings, a wave of shock and fear washed over her, her mind struggling to piece together fragments of memory lost to the void.

"What's going on?" Kazaks, his brows knit with concern, observed the puzzling interaction between Lyra and Seraphina, his mind swirling with questions.

"Go ahead and check. I'll manage here on my own, even if I have to lie down," Yzavynne reassured Kazaks, her tone a mix of determination and worry as she remained prone.

"Alright, I'll go see what's happening," Kazaks responded, his sense of urgency evident as he rose from his seat.

"Just make it quick, okay?" Yzavynne urged softly, her concern for the situation evident in her voice.

"I'll go check on them quickly, Yzavynne. Don't worry, I'll be back in a flash," Kazaks assured her.

Kazaks then swiftly making his way toward Lyra and Seraphina, with the nearby fishermen observing the unfolding conversation between the two women with growing interest.

"Seraphina, what's going on? You're not making any sense," Lyra said, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"I'm telling you, I spoke with Haerak just a moment ago. But then everything went blank," Seraphina insisted, her voice tinged with frustration.

As Kazaks approached the scene, his expression mirrored Lyra's confusion. "What's happening here?" he inquired, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Kazaks, it's Seraphina. She's been acting strangely. She claims to have spoken to Haerak," Lyra explained, her tone a mix of concern and disbelief.

"I'm not crazy! I know what I experienced!" Seraphina interjected, her voice growing more desperate.

"But when we found you, you were alone. There was no one else here," Lyra countered, her skepticism evident.

"I swear, I was talking to Haerak. You have to believe me!" Seraphina pleaded, her eyes pleading for understanding.

"Enough of this, Seraphina. You need to rest. You've been through a lot, sailing here all on your own," Lyra insisted, her tone firm yet compassionate.

Observing the tense exchange, Kazaks weighed his options, realizing that there might be more to Seraphina's claims than meets the eye.

"Lyra, hold on a moment. Let's hear what Seraphina has to say," Kazaks interjected, his voice calm yet authoritative, signaling a shift in the conversation's tone.

"But..." Lyra began, only to be cut off by Kazaks's firm interruption, his gaze piercing as he directed it towards her.

"Let her speak. We need to hear what she has to say," Kazaks insisted, his tone commanding.

"Fine," Lyra acquiesced reluctantly, her frustration evident in her voice.

Taking a deep breath, Seraphina composed herself before recounting the events that had unfolded.

"It all started when a group of Aetherian warriors arrived unexpectedly at our village. They conducted a thorough search, hunting for Nert under the orders of Haerak," Seraphina began, her voice tinged with tension.

"After discovering Nert hiding in your home, I helped him hide, but not before witnessing the three Aetherian warriors unlawfully break into the house," she continued, her recounting growing more animated with each word.

"Nert urged me to flee, and so I did, seeking refuge in my hut until it was safe to emerge. When I finally ventured outside, I found the warriors had departed, leaving only Haerak behind at the shore, standing alone," Seraphina explained, her voice trembling slightly with the weight of her words.

"I approached Haerak and spoke with him, and then... this happened," she concluded, her expression a mix of confusion and apprehension.

She paused, gathering her thoughts before speaking again, her breaths deep and deliberate.

"You... You were the Renaissance rebels all this time," Seraphina's voice quivered as she addressed Kazaks, her gaze filled with apprehension.

Kazaks's head hung low, a mixture of anxiety and concern etched across his features as he processed her words.

"The what... Renaissance rebels? What do you mean?" Lyra's voice trembled with shock as she instinctively took a step back from Kazaks, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Are you saying... they're the ones responsible for destroying three kingdoms and igniting the war?" she continued, her words tinged with incredulity.

The fishermen and hunters nearby, previously unnoticed, suddenly grew tense and wary as they glanced nervously at Kazaks, their expressions fraught with concern upon hearing Seraphina's revelation.

Kazaks, his thoughts spinning in a frenzy, struggled to formulate a response, his eyes locked on Seraphina's troubled expression. "Seraphina, please, you need to understand," he implored, his voice urgent with a hint of desperation as he attempted to convey the complexity of the situation. "There's more to this than you realize."

Undeterred by Kazaks's plea, Seraphina pressed forward, her voice quivering with a blend of apprehension and resolve. "I heard it straight from Nert himself, Kazaks. You can't ignore the truth," she asserted, her words laced with conviction.

"Nert... What have you gotten yourself into..." Kazaks muttered under his breath, his words barely audible as he grappled with the weight of Seraphina's accusation.

Meanwhile, Lyra, still reeling from the shock of Seraphina's revelation, observed the exchange with a mixture of disbelief and trepidation. "Kazaks... We trusted you implicitly, you and your allies," she murmured, her voice tinged with a sense of betrayal as she struggled to reconcile the accusations with her perception of Kazaks and his companions.