Chapter 5 Shattered Illusions

The figure that entered the archive seemed to distort the very air around him. His black attire swallowed the light, his mask hiding his features completely, leaving only his glowing eyes visible. Eliana felt an ice-cold shiver run down her spine. Every instinct told her to run, but her feet felt rooted to the spot.

Dr. Voss was already moving. His usually calm demeanor had shattered, replaced by something primal, something desperate. He pushed Eliana back, his hand firm against her chest.

"Go," he hissed. "Now."

Eliana didn't move at first, too stunned to react. But then, as the man stepped closer, his presence pressing down on the room like a suffocating weight, she snapped to attention. Dr. Voss grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the door.

"Eliana," he said, his voice low but urgent. "Do not look back. Do not stop. You hear me?"

She nodded, barely able to form words as the cold energy in the room seemed to intensify, crackling in the air between them. The masked figure didn't speak. He simply watched them with those unnerving eyes, as though he could see right through them.

Dr. Voss pushed open the door and ushered her into the dark hallway beyond. They moved quickly, their footsteps echoing in the quiet of the department. Eliana's mind raced, but she couldn't make sense of anything. Who was that man? Why had he appeared out of nowhere?

"Dr. Voss, who-" she started, but he cut her off sharply.

"Don't talk," he snapped. "Just keep moving."

She didn't argue. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she could feel the pressure building around them. There was a weight to the air, a sense that something was about to snap. They reached the stairs leading out of the building, and Dr. Voss glanced over his shoulder. His gaze was wild, searching for something.

"Get out of here. Go to the south side of the campus, and don't stop. Don't trust anyone."

"Why?" she asked, the confusion evident in her voice.

"Because they're coming for you," he said, his voice thick with warning. "They want you, Eliana. They'll stop at nothing to get what they need."

Eliana's breath caught in her throat. The feeling of dread that had been building in her chest only intensified. "What do they want from me?"

Dr. Voss's expression softened for a brief moment, almost as though he regretted what he was about to say.

"Your father wasn't just trying to protect you from the truth, Eliana. He was trying to protect you from them. From what he unleashed."

Eliana opened her mouth to ask more questions, but Dr. Voss cut her off again, this time with a sharp shake of his head. He gripped her shoulders firmly, his fingers cold.

"You don't have time for this. Go. Now."

She wanted to argue, to demand answers, but there was no time. She could see the panic in his eyes, a raw emotion she'd never seen from him before. It was enough to snap her out of her haze.

"I'll find out what this is," she said, her voice firm despite the terror coursing through her veins.

Dr. Voss looked at her one last time, his eyes filled with something unreadable. Then, with a sharp nod, he turned and disappeared back into the building.

Eliana didn't wait. She sprinted toward the exit, her mind still spinning with the realization that everything she'd known-everything she thought was true-was a lie.

Outside, the night air was cold and biting. Eliana's breath clouded in front of her as she made her way through the campus, her footsteps quick and uneven. She could still feel the weight of Dr. Voss's words pressing down on her. "They want you." The words echoed in her head, repeating like a mantra.

But who were "they"? And what had her father really been involved in?

She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being followed. Every time she glanced over her shoulder, the shadows seemed to grow longer, more threatening. But when she turned to face the empty road again, there was nothing there-nothing but the dark and the silence.

It was only when she reached the south side of the campus, near the old science building, that she allowed herself to slow down. She was out of breath, her legs aching from the sprint, but she knew she couldn't stop. Not now.

As she glanced around, trying to gather her bearings, she heard a faint rustling behind her. She froze, her heart hammering in her chest.

Slowly, she turned.

Nothing.

It was just the wind.

But then, as she started to walk again, she heard the sound of footsteps-slow, deliberate, and too close.

Eliana's pulse quickened. She wasn't alone.

Back at the archive, Dr. Voss stood in the doorway, watching her disappear into the night. His jaw was clenched, his expression dark.

"Forgive me, Eliana," he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible. "But this is the only way to keep you safe."

He turned and walked deeper into the building, vanishing into the shadows.