The deeper I walked, the more the Market seemed to twist around me. Lanterns floated above, their light pooling like water, and the air was thick with scents like rain, cinnamon, smoke, something metallic I couldn't place. Every step echoed, but no one made a sound.
Elijah stayed close, whispering warnings I didn't want to hear, but couldn't ignore. "Olivia… it knows your fears. It knows your memories. Don't let it pull you apart."
I could feel it already, pulling at pieces of me, at small, half-forgotten moments. I saw glimpses of my childhood, faces, laughter, tears and the Market reached into each one, bending them, twisting them, asking questions I couldn't answer.
A figure emerged from the shadows, taller than anyone should be, draped in darkness that seemed to move like water. It watched me with eyes that knew me, every corner of me, every secret I had ever tried to hide.
"You've returned," it said, voice low and velvet, "and now you belong to me."
My chest tightened, my hands shook. Something in me screamed to run, but my feet stayed planted. The pull was too strong. I realized I didn't just want to find out what the Market wanted, I needed to.
Elijah's hand was cold on mine, trembling. "Olivia… fight it. Don't let it take what's yours."
I looked at him, and in that moment, I knew he was fighting too, not against the Market, but against the part of himself that already feared it had lost me.
The figure stretched its arms, shadows pooling and writhing, and I felt the Market's hunger deep in my bones.
"You cannot hide, l
And maybe, just maybe, I could give it that.