“Luna Grace,” I whispered, feeling the name resonate deeply, as though it was always meant to be hers.
“Luna Grace it is,” he said with a tender smile, blending the serenity and tumult surrounding her birth.
As we basked in the glow of new life, Roman turned to Amara, his brow knit in confusion. “How is it you’re here, Amara?”
Before she could reply, a resonant voice filled the cavern, reverberating off the ancient rock walls. “Amara, my love, it’s time for us to go.”
My heart stuttered as I recognized the voice before even seeing him—the old man.
Amara moved toward him. “Lazarus, can you believe it? They have a daughter, a Timeborne, just like you said.”
“Exactly as it was meant to be,” he replied, his tone steeped in an ageless wisdom that transcended comprehension.
Roman and I exchanged a startled glance, the weight of their words crashing over us like a tidal wave. Their connection and intimacy spoke of a bond that defied the boundaries of life and death, of time itself.
“Lazarus?” Roman’s voice faltered, his brow furrowed in disbelief. “I knew you as Gaius in Ancient Rome.”
The old man—Lazarus, Gaius—turned to Roman, his gaze piercing and timeless. “Roman,” he said, his voice carrying a resonance that bridged centuries.
“Both of you… you’re here—Gaius and Amara.” Roman’s voice cracked as he held Luna Grace closer to his chest, protective instincts flaring as though their presence might whisk her away into the realms of time they navigated so effortlessly.
The excruciating pain of childbirth gradually faded into a state of profound astonishment.
Lazarus—once known as Gaius—stepped forward, his face etched with the shadows of sunlight no longer obscured by the moon. The faint glow highlighted the scars and lines of a life wrought with danger and hardship.
“In Rome, I was Gaius to you, Roman,” he said, his voice steady yet burdened with truths too vast to grasp. “But that name was a mask, a deception crafted to shield me from my enemies. My true name is Lazarus.” His words carried the weight of centuries, layered with secrets and untold stories. “There’s much I wish I could tell you, but my time here is short. I must take Amara back to where she belongs before it’s too late. Protect your wife, your daughter, and yourself. Great danger surrounds you, and the final battle is closer than you think.”
His voice wavered briefly as if bearing the sorrow of what lay ahead. The gravity of his warning settled deep in my chest, igniting a fierce resolve to protect my family from the shadows creeping ever closer.
Lazarus and Amara began to fade as his words lingered in the air, their forms dissolving into shimmering translucence. Their departure was quiet, like a sigh carried on the wind, but it left behind the unmistakable weight of an impending storm.
“Wait!” Roman’s voice cracked with desperation, echoing through the cavern.
But they were gone, leaving only the flickering shadows on the stone walls and Luna Grace’s soft, insistent cries.
My strength ebbed, the events of the day—both physical and emotional—demanding their toll. Exhaustion gripped me, and my body trembled under its weight.
“Olivia?” Roman’s voice reached me, distant and tinged with alarm.
The edges of my vision blurred, the cave narrowing to a dark tunnel as I struggled to stay conscious. Roman’s figure became a smear of light and shadow, the torch’s glow dimming to a faint glimmer before plunging into darkness.
“Olivia!”
The deafening sound of Roman’s terrified scream echoed in my ears as the suffocating darkness swallowed me. My body convulsed, every muscle screaming in agony as I was dragged into the abyss. My heart pounded frantically, love and fear intertwining until it finally shattered like glass. At that moment, I was certain that I was dying, falling into a slow, agonizing descent into nothingness.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ROMAN
The damp air clung to my skin as I stood in the dim, oppressive cave. My heart thundered in my chest like a war drum, each beat a deafening reminder of the stakes. Olivia lay pale and lifeless on the cold stone floor, a crimson stain spreading beneath her. The sight of her so still, so fragile, seized my breath, choking me with despair. Clutched against my chest, our newborn wailed, her feeble cries ricocheting off the cavern walls, a haunting reminder of the life we had just brought into this world.
Olivia is dying. The thought sliced through me with brutal clarity, leaving no room for doubt. I couldn’t let that happen—not Olivia. She was my life, my soul, my everything.
With trembling resolve, I dropped to my knees beside her, sliding one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back. I pressed the baby close, her fragile form a small weight against my chest, anchoring me in the chaos. Rising to my feet was an agonizing struggle, a careful balancing act to ensure Luna Grace didn’t slip from my hold. But there was no time for hesitation. Every second mattered.
As I navigated the treacherous path toward the cave’s mouth, I focused on the faint slivers of light ahead. Luna’s cries pierced the shadows, their urgency propelling me forward. I couldn’t afford to falter. Not when their lives hung by such a delicate thread.
A hunched figure emerged from the darkness, leaning heavily against the cave wall.
