The Echoes of Evernight

The town of Evernight was unlike any other. It stood at the edge of the world, shrouded in mist, where the sea met the sky in an endless embrace. No maps marked its location, and no outsiders ever found it unless they were meant to.

Cassian had lived in Evernight his entire life, but he always felt like an outsider. The townspeople whispered of the "Echoes"—ancient voices that called from the abyss, speaking only to those who were chosen. No one knew who chose them, or why.

Then, on the night of his seventeenth birthday, Cassian heard them.

It started as a hum beneath his skin, a vibration in his bones. He was standing on the cliffs that overlooked the sea, staring into the darkness, when the wind carried a voice to him.

"Cassian..."

His breath hitched. He spun around, but there was no one there. The town was silent behind him, the windows dark, as if the entire world had fallen asleep.

Then the voice came again, clearer this time.

"Come to us."

A shiver ran down his spine. He had heard the stories—those who followed the Echoes never returned. Some believed they were lost to the sea. Others claimed they found a world beyond this one, a place only the chosen could see.

Cassian had never believed in those tales. Until now.

He took a step forward, then another. The wind howled around him, and the mist thickened, swirling in strange patterns. Then, in the distance, he saw it—a flickering blue light, hovering just above the water.

It was calling to him.

His heart pounded as he descended the narrow path down the cliffside. The air grew heavy, pressing against him like unseen hands. The moment his foot touched the wet sand, the world seemed to shift. The stars above him blurred, and the ocean stretched out infinitely, as if the horizon had disappeared.

Then he saw them.

Figures stood at the water’s edge, barely more than shadows. Their eyes glowed like embers, and their voices wove together in a melody that was both haunting and beautiful. Cassian wanted to run, but his body refused to move.

"You have come," they whispered in unison.

His throat was dry. "Who… who are you?"

One of the figures stepped forward. It was a woman, her features both familiar and alien. Her long, silver hair moved like mist, and her eyes shone with the same blue light as the flickering flame.

"We are the Forgotten. And so are you."

Cassian shook his head. "No. I’m just… I’m just a boy from Evernight."

The woman tilted her head. "Are you?"

And then the memories flooded in.

Visions of another life—a city carved from crystal, a sky filled with stars that burned in unnatural colors. He saw himself standing at the center of it all, wearing robes woven with silver threads, a crown of starlight resting on his head. He had ruled there. He had belonged there.

And then, the fall.

Flashes of war. A darkness swallowing the city whole. A desperate escape through a portal, an oath made to protect the last remnants of his people.

The truth hit him like a wave. Evernight was not just a town—it was a refuge. A sanctuary for those who had escaped the fall of their world. And the Echoes? They were the ones who had remained behind, trapped between realms, waiting for their king to return.

Waiting for him.

Cassian staggered back, his breath ragged. "No. This isn’t real."

The woman stepped closer, her gaze unwavering. "It is time to come home, Cassian. Time to remember who you are."

A part of him wanted to deny it, to turn and run back to the life he had always known. But another part—the part that had always felt out of place—whispered that this was the truth.

He had always felt like he didn’t belong in Evernight. Because he didn’t.

Slowly, he stepped forward. The figures parted, revealing a doorway in the air, its edges shimmering with starlight. Beyond it, he could see the ruins of the crystal city, waiting to be rebuilt.

"Once you step through, there is no turning back," the woman warned.

Cassian took a deep breath. Then, without hesitation, he stepped through.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the air around him shimmered. He felt his body change, his form shifting to something more than human. The weight of forgotten power settled into his bones, and he understood—he was no longer just a boy from Evernight.

He was a king returning to his people.

As the portal closed behind him, the mist along the cliffs of Evernight faded. The Echoes no longer whispered in the night. The town, once shrouded in mystery, finally fell silent.

And far beyond the edge of the world, Cassian took his rightful place among the stars.