The Forgotten Ties

sses, her gaze narrowing as she leaned closer to the fragile parchment under the harsh fluorescent lighting. She'd spent hours sifting through the archives, following a faint

ssity of sacrifice-a term so stark and out of place among the eloquent musings on liberty and democracy that it had caught

erity?" she muttered, her voice

ted the paper under the light, revealing an emblem that made her breath catch in her throat. It was a crucib

, Pro Immor

ortality," she whispered,

she felt a sudden, inexplicable weight pressing on her chest. The room seemed colder now,

ision caught movement. A shadow flickered in the corner of the room, darker and denser than it should have been under the steady light. She

ed, overworked, and imagining things. That's all it was.

und an accompanying note. It was un

k. Some truths were

And why had it been filed away with what ap

s was no ordinary research project. The weight of the emblem, the cryptic

d in her hand, and glanced toward the exit. The shadow in the corner hadn't moved, bu

ht, an optical illusion caused by her grow