The Whispers In The Darkness Novels & Stories

He didn't even have the mindspace to work. I had chosen to leave and had taken great care to wipe all traces of me in the system. As a result, William couldn't find out where I had gone. … Days passed William by like they always did. It was dull, monotonous, and filled with work. He came home groggy and dazed, but then a familiar scent hit him. His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately charged into the dining room. He was so desperate that he didn't even change into his indoor shoes.

She reached up, her hands framing his sharp, shadow-stubbled jaw. "Then let it take you, Victor," she whispered fiercely. "I don't want to fight it anymore." Victor’s jaw clenched, a sudden, heavy wave of reverence washing over his rugged features. He leaned down, his forehead resting against hers, his breathing still ragged. In the dark, dangerous world of the underworld, both of them carried heavy armor. But as they stood on the absolute precipice of total surrender, a deeper, unspoken truth hung in the air between them.

The exhaustion from my emotions dragged me away into the darkness easily. I closed my heavy eyes as my subconscious took over. The dark abyss appeared around me. Pure darkness with no escape. I wasn't falling, instead standing on the water but never being wet. I heard the ticking of the clock. Tick, tick, tick. Panic was rising. I had no idea what the ticking was or where it was coming from, but something deep inside me knew it was not good. I felt like it signaled the end. But the end of what was unclear.

Faces twisted, voices fractured into a chorus of shouts and sobs, all bleeding into one another until everything drowned in red. And then...silence. Darkness swallowed her whole.

Along with it, the darkness enters me. He pushes me off him after finally regaining his strength and sits up, glaring at me as if I'm his worst enemy. My body is shaking, and I scramble to get on my knees and face him. The room is clear, without any trace of the dark smoke. I open my mouth to say something to him, but the betrayal he feels slams against me. Then I hear it —the hissing whispers. They sound raspy, sharp, and distant, but they're there—many voices at once. My body feels strange, like it's not mine, and so does my mind. Something large and dark is there now, wandering. It's strong__ so strong.

The space beyond stole Cassie’s breath. The Velvet Abyss sprawled like a cathedral of sin: High vaulted ceilings draped in black silk that swallowed sound, arched doorways leading to shadowed rooms, floors polished to a mirror sheen under strategic spotlights that cast long, dramatic shadows. Masked figures moved through the dimness; some in elaborate designs with gold feathers, others in simple hoods with narrow slits for eyes and mouths. Anonymity was sacred here; names did not exist, only roles, desires, and consent.

*"Can't choose. Can't lead. Can't hold them together. You'll lose them both. Watch them tear each other apart. Watch your family crumble because you're not wise enough. Strong enough. Good enough." Elara cried out. Fell to her knees. The whispers attacked all of us. Finding our weaknesses. Our insecurities. Our secret fears. The corruption fed on it. Grew stronger. Darker. Reaching toward us with shadow tendrils. "Stop!" I shouted. "We won't listen to you!" But the whispers continued. Relentless. Consuming. *"She'll become darkness. Your daughter. Your precious light. She'll fall. Become what you fear most. And it's your fault. It's all your fault."*

We didn't let the darkness win. END OF VOLUME ONE

If not for the destruction around us, I would have thought I imagined it. The battlefield was eerily silent, save for the wind whispering through the ruins. But as I lowered my gaze, something worse happened. The black blood on my arms began to spread. A sickening wrongness seeped into my skin, moving like poison through my veins. My limbs weakened, my vision blurred, and before I could scream— Everything went dark. I woke up to an endless expanse of snow.

SYLVARA POV The one chosen… The whisper slithered through the dark. The one who leads… It didn’t sound like one voice. It sounded like many. Old. As if the walls themselves were speaking. The light to some… A breath against my ear. The darkness to the rest… Cold fingers dragged down my spine. Find your path… or destruction follows. My heart jolted. I gasped and my eyes flew open. Stone ceiling. Iron lantern light. The scent of damp earth and metal.