The air was thick with the weight of uncertainty as Therese and Elias walked deeper into the night. The cool breeze rustled the trees, and the gravel path beneath their feet crunched in the stillness of the graveyard. Every step they took felt like a step further into the unknown. Therese's mind raced with the fragments of memories she was desperately trying to piece together—fragments that were growing clearer, but still elusive.
Elias, though quiet for the most part, couldn't mask the concern in his eyes. He had been following her through the graveyard for what felt like hours, but she hadn't stopped once to look back at him. It was as if she was lost in a trance, guided by something far beyond his understanding.
"What exactly do you expect to find?" Elias asked, his voice breaking the silence. "You don't even know where you're going. You said it yourself—you don't remember who did this to you, so how can you—?"
"I'll remember," Therese snapped, cutting him off sharply. She wasn't angry with him—not really. It was just the frustration, the uncertainty that gnawed at her, clawing away at her every thought. "I'll remember everything. I have to."
They reached the end of the graveyard, where the trees grew dense, and the path became overgrown with thick ivy. Therese paused, looking at a row of ancient-looking gravestones—each one worn by time, the names barely legible.
"This is it," she muttered under her breath. The pull in her chest was undeniable. She could feel the past here, could feel something—or someone—waiting. It was as if the very earth beneath her feet was calling her. "This is where I have to be."
Elias stopped beside her, glancing nervously around the darkened cemetery. "You don't even know if these graves are connected to you. This could be a wild goose chase."
Therese didn't respond. She could hear it now, in the back of her mind—the whisper. Soft, almost imperceptible, but clear.
*You are close.*
Her heart skipped a beat. The voice was back, stronger than ever, and it felt like it was guiding her. Her hand reached out, fingers brushing against a gravestone that had a peculiar aura about it—one that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
"Wait," she murmured, her voice filled with realization. "This one."
Elias looked at the gravestone she was standing next to, frowning. "It's just a grave, Therese. What makes this one different?"
Therese stepped closer, tracing the worn inscription on the stone. It was faded, almost unreadable, but she could still make out part of the name—half of it. A name that made her blood run cold.
*Vausen.*
Her fingers trembled as they lingered on the letters. She hadn't seen that name in years, not since her childhood. But this—this was no coincidence. This was where it all started. Her family. The bloodline she had been born into. The bloodline that had been destroyed. Her memories, buried deep inside her mind, began to resurface.
"It's mine," Therese whispered, her voice barely audible. She could feel her heart racing as the weight of the revelation pressed down on her. "This… this was my family's grave."
Elias, now standing at her side, was staring at her in shock. "Your family? But… how? You never mentioned—"
"I didn't remember," Therese cut him off, her voice distant, as if she were speaking to herself more than to him. "My last name… it was Vausen. This grave belongs to my family, but…" Her voice trailed off. She reached down, pulling away the vines that had grown over the grave, revealing the full inscription beneath.
The name on the stone was unmistakable now. It was her father's name. But there was more. A phrase was carved beneath his name.
*"Here lies Gideon Vausen, protector of the old ways, taken too soon by those who feared the truth."*
Therese's eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat. Gideon Vausen. Her father. A protector of something she couldn't quite comprehend. The "old ways"... it rang in her ears, a term she had never heard before, yet it felt like it belonged to her, like a missing piece of her identity.
"The old ways?" Elias asked, confusion evident in his voice. "What does that mean? What's all this about?"
Therese shook her head, her mind spinning. "I don't know… but I think it's tied to who I really am. This grave—my family's grave—has to be connected to my past life. The betrayal, the loss… everything. This is where it all began."
Just as she spoke the words, the earth beneath the grave began to tremble, a soft, low hum resonating from deep within the ground. Therese stepped back, her eyes wide with fear as she stumbled. The ground before the grave cracked open, revealing something hidden beneath.
"What the hell is that?" Elias gasped, stepping back in alarm.
Therese's hand shot out instinctively, reaching for the ground as if drawn to it. The voice spoke again, louder than ever, urging her forward.
*Dig.*
Before Elias could stop her, Therese dropped to her knees, her hands digging into the dirt, pulling away the soil with a sense of urgency she couldn't explain. She didn't know what she was looking for, but something told her this was important. This was her destiny.
Elias watched her, frozen in place, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Therese… what are you doing?"
But she didn't answer. Her hands were shaking as she uncovered a small, metal chest buried deep within the earth. It was old, rusted, and covered in centuries of dirt, but it felt important, almost sacred. As she pried open the chest, her heart skipped a beat.
Inside, there was a small book—ancient and worn, its pages yellowed with age. Therese reached for it, her fingers trembling as she lifted it from the chest.
"What is this?" Elias asked, now kneeling beside her.
Therese opened the book, the pages crinkling in her hands. The writing inside was in a language she couldn't understand, but the symbols… the symbols were familiar. She had seen them before, in her dreams, in her past life. The same symbols that had been engraved on the pendant.
As she stared at the pages, a single sentence at the top caught her eye. It was written in a language she could read.
*"The one who is reborn shall awaken the truth of the bloodline and restore the old ways."*
Therese's heart raced. This book, this discovery—it was the key. It held the answers she had been searching for. And it would lead her to the truth. The truth about her past, about her death, and about the betrayal that had cursed her to this life.
But there was more. The book's contents were far more dangerous than she had ever imagined.