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Shadowed Reflections
Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

After a while, Lydia gently coaxed Finn and Mira to leave, reassuring them that Estelle needed her rest and that they could visit again soon. The twins, though reluctant, eventually agreed, giving Estelle one last gentle hug before quietly exiting the room. Their departure left a peaceful silence in their wake, but Estelle's mind was far from at ease.

As soon as the door closed behind them, the room fell into a quiet stillness. Estelle leaned back against the pillows, her mind once again drifting to the questions that had been swirling in her head.

She could only hope that Alaric and the others were safe, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had settled in her chest. The last time she was conscious, she had activated the device they retrieved, and now she couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to it—and what secrets it might hold.

“Lydia,” Estelle began, her voice quiet but determined. “What happened to the device? The one we were looking at?”

Lydia, who had been fussing over the blankets and making sure Estelle was comfortable, paused for a moment. She didn’t meet Estelle’s eyes as she busied herself with smoothing out the sheets. “You should rest for now,” she said firmly. “You just woke up. There’s no need to worry about that right now.”

Estelle frowned, not willing to let the matter drop. “Lydia, please. I need to know. And what about Alaric, Dante, and Iris? Where are they?”

Lydia sighed, clearly reluctant to continue the conversation. She hesitated for a moment, her hands stilling on the blanket. “Estelle, you’ve just been through a lot. You need to focus on getting better. There’s time for questions later.”

But Estelle wasn’t going to be deterred. She pushed herself up slightly, ignoring the throbbing pain in her side. “Please, Lydia. I can’t just lie here and do nothing. I need to know what’s going on.”

Lydia’s shoulders slumped slightly, and she turned to face Estelle with a resigned expression. “The device… it should still be where you left it. No one’s moved it, as far as I know.” She hesitated, then added, “As for Alaric, Dante, and Iris… they’re out on a mission.”

Estelle’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of a mission, her mind racing with possibilities. “What mission? Where are they?”

Before she could ask anything more, Lydia quickly interjected, “I’ll go check on the device for you, alright? You stay here and rest. I’ll be back soon.”

She gave Estelle a pointed look, one that brooked no argument, before hurrying out of the room, leaving Estelle alone with her thoughts once more.

The silence in the room felt heavier than before, pressing in on Estelle as she tried to make sense of everything that had happened. Her mind, still hazy from the pain and exhaustion, drifted back to the strange, disjointed memories she had seen—the life of the other Estelle, the one who had lived in this world before her.

She could almost feel the other Estelle's presence, a lingering echo in the back of her mind. The emotions that came with those memories were overwhelming, a mix of sorrow, guilt, and a strange sense of duty that didn’t entirely feel like her own. Estelle forced herself to push those feelings down, to focus on what was tangible, what she could control. But one thought kept nagging at her: that sword she saw at the end—wasn't it the same sword she always wielded?

Before she could delve deeper into that confusing realization, the door opened, and Lydia returned, carrying the device. Her expression was stern, but there was a softness in her eyes that spoke of her concern.

“Here,” Lydia said, handing the device to Estelle. “Now, you’d better lay down properly and rest while you’re at it. I’m not letting you overexert yourself again.”

Estelle nodded, grateful for Lydia's support, even if she was too tired to fully express it. As she activated the device, she noticed Lydia watching her closely.

“Alaric took a look at it too,” Lydia added, almost as an afterthought. “But from what I gathered, most of the transmitted records are encrypted. He didn’t seem too pleased about that.”

The device’s screen flickered to life, the display filled with lines of encrypted data. Estelle stared at it, her mind already working to decipher the information. Even though the pain in her body was a constant reminder of her injuries, she pushed it aside, focusing entirely on the task at hand.

As she studied the data, the information that should have been foreign to her somehow made sense. Bits and pieces of the encryption seemed to unravel before her eyes, revealing fragments of the underlying message. It was almost as if she had done this before, as if the knowledge was buried deep within her, waiting to be unlocked.

Her eyes caught a phrase that sent a chill down her spine: "Essence Magnification Project." The words echoed in her mind, stirring a vague sense of dread. But what really made her blood run cold was the name that followed—"Cyran."

A face resurfaced in her memory, a man’s face that she could still remember clearly, though she shouldn’t have known his name. The image brought with it a flood of emotions, ones she had buried deep within herself. It was the face of the first life she had taken since she picked up her sword.

The memory was sharp, vivid. She could recall it as if it had just happened. The day she led the children to escape from the orphanage before the disaster struck, a group of people had tried to stop her. Among them was Cyran. She thought she would have hesitated, that she would have been more conflicted. But there was none. Her sword had already gone through his neck before she fully registered the danger they were in.

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But as the memory washed over her, she still found herself feeling nothing but a strange sense of relief. There was no guilt, no regret—only the cold satisfaction that she had done what needed to be done. But why did this name, Cyran, bring back that particular memory? The connection eluded her, and the more she thought about it, the more it confused her.

Pushing the thought aside, Estelle forced herself to focus on the task at hand. The details of the Essence Magnification Project became clearer, and with it, her anger grew. The project’s purpose, to magnify the power of Essence within a select few individuals, was not only dangerous but monstrous. Her blood boiled as she read the steps they were taking to achieve their goals, the lives that had been lost or irreparably changed in the name of "progress."

But it was the last entry that truly caught her attention. The project was nearing completion. The estimated time of completion was dangerously close to now. And Cyran, the man she thought she had left behind in her past, was to be the final subject—the one who would wield the power they were creating.

Danger. Every instinct in her body screamed that this was a threat unlike any she had faced before. The implications of what she had uncovered were terrifying, but they were also unclear. Why was Cyran, a man she had killed, a part of this? Was it even the same Cyran? Her mind raced with questions, confusion, and conflicting emotions swirling within her.

But why was she reacting so strongly to this? Why did every instinct in her scream that she needed to stop this, that she couldn’t let this project reach its conclusion? Estelle’s confusion and inner conflict grew as she tried to make sense of her emotions, but she knew one thing for certain—she had to trust her instincts. There was no time to second-guess herself. This is a threat she shouldn’t ignore.

The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on her, but she knew she couldn’t afford to hesitate. She had to act quickly, but she also had to keep her promise—to herself, to Lydia, and to everyone who had come to rely on her. She wasn’t alone in this, and she had to remember that.

She turned to Lydia, her voice firm but tinged with urgency. “Where is Alaric now? I need to speak with him. This project—it’s dangerous, Lydia. If it’s completed, it could bring devastation to all of us. I have to warn him.”

Lydia hesitated, her eyes betraying a mix of concern and reluctance. She saw how serious Estelle was, but she also seemed to understood the risks involved. Finally, with a sigh, she relented. “There’s been a major upheaval there—apparently, a high-ranking official has turned against the regime. And the resistance sees it as the opportunity they’ve been waiting for. Alaric left the day before to meet with the other cells and see if they can use this to their advantage.”

Estelle’s heart sank at the news. Alaric had gone to the heart of the enemy’s stronghold, and if what she feared about this project was true, then he was walking straight into a trap. She felt a surge of panic, but she quickly forced herself to stay calm. There was no time for fear—she had to find a way to reach him, to warn him before it was too late.

Lydia could see the determination in Estelle’s eyes, but she also noticed the flicker of fear that Estelle was trying so hard to suppress. “You’re worried about him,” Lydia said softly, her tone more understanding than accusatory.

Estelle nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. “I am. If this project is what I think it is, then Alaric is in grave danger. We all are.”

Lydia reached out, placing a comforting hand on Estelle’s arm. “We’ll figure this out together, Estelle. You don’t have to do this alone. But you need to take care of yourself first. We can’t afford to lose you.”

Estelle’s resolve hardened. She knew Lydia was right—she had to be smart about this. But time was running out, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that every moment they delayed brought them closer to disaster. “Thank you, Lydia,” she said, her voice steady now. “I’ll do what I can to rest, but we need to act quickly. The longer we wait, the more dangerous this becomes.”

Lydia nodded in agreement, her expression serious. “I’ll try to reach Alaric,” she said, turning away. As Lydia moved swiftly out of the room, Estelle’s mind raced. She knew she should be resting, allowing her body to recover from the grueling events of the past few days, but her thoughts refused to settle. The pieces of the puzzle were coming together, but the picture they formed was one of imminent danger, and the weight of that knowledge kept her on high alert.

It didn’t take long for Lydia to return, a communicator in hand. “Let’s hope we can get through quickly,” she said, as she began the process of connecting to Alaric’s secure line. Estelle watched anxiously as Lydia worked, the tension in the air palpable. The communicator crackled to life, and within moments, Alaric’s voice came through, tinged with a rare note of panic.

“Lydia? What’s wrong? Did something happen at the shelter?” His concern was evident, a stark contrast to his usual composed demeanor.

“No, no, nothing like that,” Lydia quickly reassured him, afraid that she might have alarmed him unnecessarily. “Estelle said she has something important to tell you.”

There was a brief pause before Alaric responded, his voice softening at the mention of Estelle. “I see. Can I speak to her then?”

Estelle took a deep breath, steadying herself as she took the communicator from Lydia. “Al,” she began, her voice a mixture of urgency and hesitation, “I hear about what happened at the capital. It’s dangerous. I… I was able to decipher the device. It mentioned something called the ‘Essence Magnification Project,’ and… and ‘Cyran.’ You have to be careful, Al. I don’t know why, but Cyran—he’s dangerous. I don’t understand it all yet, but it’s connected to the Project somehow. I just—”

She stumbled over her words, the weight of what she had uncovered pressing down on her. The information she had pieced together was still fragmented, and the implications were terrifying. But why was Cyran being the recipient of the Essence Magnification Project so dangerous? Why did the mere mention of his name send a chill down her spine?

On the other end of the line, Alaric listened intently, the concern in his voice gradually giving way to a softer, more reassuring tone. “Don’t worry, my star,” he said gently, using the familiar nickname that always made Estelle’s heart ache with both comfort and longing. “We’ve already confirmed the situation at the capital before leaving. This is an opportunity we couldn’t miss. An opportunity for the future we’ve dreamed of.”

Estelle’s heart sank as she realized how determined he was. “Al, no—” she started, but Alaric continued, his voice calm but firm.

“I also told Dante and Iris to head back to the shelter yesterday. They should probably be back soon. I promise, I’ll return as soon as this is over. And I’ll keep an eye out for this Cyran you’ve mentioned. Just wait for me.”

“Al, no, you don’t understand—” But before Estelle could finish her sentence, the line went dead, the connection abruptly severed.

She stared at the communicator in her hand, a sense of dread washing over her. Alaric was already on his way, convinced that this mission was the key to their future. And now, despite her warnings, he was walking straight into the heart of danger—danger that she couldn’t fully explain but knew was real.