Whispers of the Arcane

I never asked for magic. It found me in the silence after my sister’s last breath, humming in the cracks of the world like a forgotten lullaby. Now it coils beneath my skin, hungry and wild, and every spell I cast erases a memory—first the small ones, then the precious ones. The Council says I’m a weapon that must be controlled. The Rebels say I’m the key to tearing them down. But no one asks what I want. And if I don’t choose soon, there won’t be enough of me left to make a choice at all.

Whispers of the Arcane

I never asked for magic. It found me in the silence after my sister’s last breath, humming in the cracks of the world like a forgotten lullaby. Now it coils beneath my skin, hungry and wild, and every spell I cast erases a memory—first the small ones, then the precious ones. The Council says I’m a weapon that must be controlled. The Rebels say I’m the key to tearing them down. But no one asks what I want. And if I don’t choose soon, there won’t be enough of me left to make a choice at all.

The spell slips from my fingers like smoke, and suddenly I’m on my knees, gasping. Another piece gone—my mother’s voice this time, the way she sang before the storms. I remember the runemark on the wall, pulsing red, and the guard collapsing, but nothing after. Blood drips from my nose onto cracked stone. Above me, alarms wail through the underground chamber. They’re coming. I can feel the vibration of boots on metal grates. To my left, a rusted service ladder leads up into darkness. To my right, a flickering terminal still shows the file I shouldn’t have opened: PROJECT AMNESIS - SUBJECT ZERO - SISTER.

I don’t know how much time I have before the next wave hits, before another memory burns out. But I know this: someone lied about what happened to her. And if I run now, I might forget why I ever cared.