LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 5: The Shard of Deception
The dim glow of Carcera's alchemical lanterns cast eerie shadows as Loki and Selena navigated the labyrinthine streets. The air seemed thicker here, tinged with an electric hum that made the hairs on Loki's neck stand on end. As they approached the abandoned chapel Selena had suggested, he couldn't help but feel a growing sense of unease.
"This is where we'll find the shard?" Loki asked, glancing at the crumbling structure. Vines twisted through the stone walls, and the faint sound of whispers seemed to drift from within.
Selena nodded, her hand resting on the hilt of her dagger. "It's not just any shard. This place was once home to the Order of the Veil. They dealt in relics tied to illusions and trickery. If there's a shard blessed by a trickster's spirit, it will be here."
Loki stepped closer to the chapel, his sharp eyes scanning the entrance. "And what's the catch?"
Selena gave him a pointed look. "The Order didn't leave willingly. They're still here… in a manner of speaking."
"Ghosts?" Loki asked, his tone half-amused.
"Worse," Selena replied. "Echoes."
Before Loki could question further, she pushed open the heavy wooden door. It groaned loudly, the sound reverberating through the empty streets like a warning. Loki followed her inside, his steps careful as the temperature dropped noticeably. The interior was a hollowed-out husk of what had once been a grand hall. The air was thick with an unnatural fog, and faint, flickering lights danced in the corners of his vision.
"Stay close," Selena whispered. "The echoes prey on the mind. They'll use your fears against you."
Loki's grin wavered slightly, but he recovered quickly. "Lucky for me, I'm not afraid of much."
Selena didn't respond, her focus entirely on the altar at the far end of the hall. A broken mirror rested atop it, shards scattered across the surface like jagged teeth. As they approached, the flickering lights grew brighter, coalescing into humanoid forms. Their faces were blank, featureless voids that seemed to draw in the surrounding light.
"Echoes?" Loki asked, his voice low.
Selena nodded, drawing her dagger. "Don't let them touch you."
"I'll try to remember that," Loki muttered. He glanced at the swirling fog and couldn't help but wonder how much of this was real and how much was a trick of the mind.
The first echo lunged, its movements unnaturally fast. Loki sidestepped, drawing a small blade from his coat. The echo's form rippled as he slashed through it, but it reformed almost instantly.
"They don't die," Selena hissed. "You have to outsmart them."
"Of course," Loki replied, dodging another swipe. "Outsmart a creature with no face or sense of humor. Delightful."
Selena was already moving toward the altar, her steps swift but calculated. Meanwhile, Loki found himself cornered by three echoes. Their blank faces loomed closer, their forms shimmering unnervingly as though not bound to the laws of reality.
Loki reached into his coat and pulled out a small bundle of firecrackers—a tool he'd used for mischief more than survival. He lit them with a matchstick and hurled the bundle toward the echoes. The sharp crack and sudden bursts of light scattered them briefly, their forms rippling like disturbed water.
"Loki!" Selena called from the altar. "I've got it!"
He turned to see her holding up a shard of the broken mirror. Its edges glinted with an unnatural light, and even from a distance, he could feel the weight of its power. The echoes seemed to feel it too. They turned as one, their movements eerily synchronized, and began advancing toward her.
Loki sprinted to intercept them, grabbing a fallen candelabrum from the ground. He swung it wildly, forcing the echoes back for a moment, but their blank faces never wavered. One reached through his improvised weapon, its touch grazing his arm. A cold shock ran through him, a whispering voice echoing in his mind.
Failure. Betrayal. Loneliness.
Loki stumbled back, shaking his head to clear the intrusive thoughts. Selena was yelling something, but his mind was too clouded to focus. Another echo reached for him, its hand nearly brushing his chest when Selena appeared, slashing through the figure with her dagger. The blade didn't harm it physically, but it sent the form retreating, its light dimming momentarily.
"Get up!" Selena snapped. "We need to go!"
Loki forced himself to his feet, his usual grin absent as he nodded. "Right. Go."
The echoes were closing in again, their movements faster, more aggressive. Selena grabbed Loki's arm and yanked him toward the exit. As they ran, she hurled a small vial onto the ground behind them. It shattered, releasing a burst of brilliant light that made the echoes recoil.
They burst through the chapel doors, the oppressive energy lifting immediately. Loki collapsed against the stone wall, his chest heaving as he tried to steady his breathing. Selena stood over him, the shard clutched tightly in her hand.
"That's two down," she said, her voice calm but edged with exhaustion.
Loki forced a grin, though his mind still swirled with the whispers the echo had left behind. "Just another day in the life of a Trickster."
But as they walked away from the chapel, Loki couldn't shake the feeling that the echoes had taken something... The price of ascension was proving steeper than he had anticipated.