At midnight, the city of Nocturne forgot one person.

Nobody noticed.

The streets remained crowded.

The neon signs continued glowing.

The trains moved beneath the city.

The clocks continued ticking.

But somewhere in Nocturne, a name disappeared from every memory.

Mira Voss.

She had been twenty-two years old.

She had worked at the Central Archive.

She had lived in Apartment 709.

She had a younger brother named Elias.

And she had died three years ago.

At least, that was what everyone believed.

Except Riven Ash.

Riven was nineteen years old when he first heard her voice.

It happened inside the old subway station beneath District Nine.

The station had been abandoned for seventeen years.

No trains stopped there.

No passengers entered.

The walls were covered in old advertisements and faded graffiti.

Riven had been searching for his missing brother.

His brother’s name was Kael.

He had disappeared six days earlier.

The police had found nothing.

No body.

No message.

No evidence.

Only one strange object had been discovered inside Kael’s apartment.

A black comic book.

Riven had found it beneath his brother’s bed.

There was no title on the cover.

No author.

No publisher.

Just a silver symbol.

An eye surrounded by seven black lines.

Riven had opened the book.

Every page was empty.

Except for the last one.

There was a single sentence.

WHEN THE DEAD BEGIN TO REMEMBER, FIND THE CITY BELOW.

Riven had no idea what it meant.

But he knew one thing.

Kael had been obsessed with the book.

And three days before his disappearance, he had sent Riven a message.

Only five words.

Don’t trust the city.

That was all.

Riven had tried calling him.

Nothing.

He had gone to his apartment.

Empty.

So now Riven stood inside an abandoned subway station at midnight.

The black comic book was in his backpack.

His flashlight flickered.

“Kael?”

His voice echoed.

No answer.

Riven walked deeper into the station.

The air smelled of dust and rain.

Old posters covered the walls.

One showed a smiling family.

Another advertised a concert from twenty years ago.

Then Riven stopped.

Something was written across the wall.

DO NOT LET THEM SEE YOU.

Riven stepped closer.

The words had been painted in red.

Below them was another sentence.

THEY KNOW YOU REMEMBER.

Riven’s heart began beating faster.

“Remember what?”

A voice answered.

“Her.”

Riven spun around.

A girl stood at the end of the platform.

She was wearing a long black coat.

Her silver hair reached her waist.

A red scarf covered the lower half of her face.

Riven immediately reached for the knife inside his jacket.

“Who are you?”

The girl didn’t answer.

Instead, she asked:

“Do you know Mira Voss?”

Riven froze.

He had never heard the name before.

“Should I?”

The girl stared at him.

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

“Then why are you here?”

“My brother disappeared.”

The girl’s eyes changed.

“Kael Ash.”

Riven stepped forward.

“You know him?”

“Everyone knows him.”

“Where is he?”

The girl turned away.

“He’s dead.”

Riven’s blood ran cold.

“No.”

“He died six days ago.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Why?”

“Because his body hasn’t been found.”

The girl looked back.

“You think finding a body proves someone is dead?”

Riven said nothing.

The girl slowly walked toward him.

“My name is Selene Marrow.”

Riven kept his hand near his knife.

“What do you want?”

“To know what your brother told you.”

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying again.”

Riven’s patience disappeared.

“Listen, I don’t know who you are. I don’t know who Mira Voss is. And I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Selene stared at him.

Then she smiled.

“Good.”

Riven frowned.

“Good?”

“That means they haven’t taken your memories yet.”

Riven stepped backward.

“What are you talking about?”

The lights suddenly went out.

Complete darkness filled the station.

Riven heard footsteps.

Not one person.

Many.

Something was approaching from the tunnel.

Selene immediately grabbed his arm.

“Don’t move.”

Riven whispered.

“What is that?”

“Quiet.”

The footsteps became louder.

Then came a strange sound.

Like hundreds of people whispering at the same time.

Riven felt his blood turn cold.

Selene pulled him behind a broken advertisement board.

They waited.

A figure walked onto the platform.

It was tall.

Too tall.

Its body was covered in a long gray coat.

Its face was hidden beneath a white mask.

Riven stared.

The creature stopped.

Then it slowly turned its head.

It was looking directly at them.

Selene held Riven’s mouth shut.

The creature raised one hand.

The lights came back on.

The platform was empty.

Riven looked around.

“What happened?”

Selene released him.

“Don’t speak.”

“Why?”

“Because it can hear memories.”

Riven stared at her.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Neither does the city.”

Riven looked toward the tunnel.

“What was that?”

Selene didn’t answer.

She reached into her coat.

Then she pulled out a photograph.

Riven looked at it.

The picture showed a group of people standing outside the Central Archive.

There were seven people.

One was Selene.

Another was a young man.

Riven recognized him immediately.

“Kael.”

Selene nodded.

Riven grabbed the photograph.

“Why is my brother with you?”

“Because he joined us.”

“Who are you?”

Selene looked at the other people.

“We were investigating the disappearances.”

“What disappearances?”

Selene’s face became serious.

“People have been disappearing from Nocturne for decades.”

Riven stared.

“Then why hasn’t anyone noticed?”

“Because the city removes them from memory.”

Riven felt a chill.

“That’s impossible.”

Selene pointed at the photograph.

“Look at the man on the left.”

Riven did.

The man’s face was crossed out.

“Who is he?”

Selene shook her head.

“I don’t know.”

“You said he was in the photograph.”

“He was.”

“Then why don’t you remember him?”

Selene looked terrified.

“Because the city already took him.”

Riven looked at the photograph again.

A strange feeling entered his mind.

He knew that man.

Somewhere.

He had seen him before.

But where?

Then he heard a voice.

A whisper.

“Riven.”

He turned.

Nobody was there.

Selene looked at him.

“What?”

“You heard that?”

“Hear what?”

Riven looked toward the tunnel.

“My brother.”

Selene’s expression changed.

“What did he say?”

“He said my name.”

Selene grabbed his shoulder.

“Tell me exactly.”

Riven swallowed.

“He said…”

Riven looked at the photograph.

“He said, ‘Don’t let her open the door.'”

Selene’s face became pale.

“What door?”

“I don’t know.”

Suddenly, the photograph changed.

The seven people disappeared.

The Central Archive disappeared.

Everything disappeared.

Only Riven remained.

And beneath his picture was a new sentence.

HE HAS REMEMBERED.

Selene dropped the photograph.

“No.”

Riven looked at her.

“What?”

Selene stepped backward.

“You shouldn’t have been able to see that.”

“What is happening?”

She looked toward the subway tunnel.

“We have to leave.”

“Why?”

“Because now they know you’re awake.”

The tunnel lights began turning off one by one.

Something was coming.

Riven heard hundreds of voices whispering his name.

Riven.

Riven.

Riven.

Selene grabbed his hand.

They ran.

Behind them, the masked creature appeared again.

But this time, there were dozens.

Riven and Selene sprinted through the abandoned station.

The creatures followed.

Riven looked back.

One of them removed its mask.

Riven stopped.

The face beneath it was familiar.

It was his brother.

“Kael!”

Riven ran toward him.

Selene screamed.

“Don’t!”

Too late.

Riven reached out.

Kael grabbed his wrist.

His eyes were completely black.

“Riven…”

Riven stared at him.

“Kael! Where have you been?”

His brother smiled.

“You shouldn’t have come.”

“What happened to you?”

Kael leaned closer.

His voice became a whisper.

“The city is alive.”

Riven’s heart stopped.

“What?”

Kael’s face suddenly changed.

His skin cracked.

Dark lines spread across his face.

Riven jumped back.

Kael screamed.

“RUN!”

A massive shadow exploded from his body.

Selene grabbed Riven.

They ran.

Behind them, Kael disappeared into darkness.

Riven screamed his brother’s name.

But Kael was gone.

They reached a metal door.

Selene pulled it open.

Riven followed.

They entered a narrow staircase.

Selene slammed the door shut.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Riven turned toward her.

“You knew.”

Selene looked at him.

“You knew this would happen.”

“I knew it was possible.”

“You knew my brother was alive.”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I needed you to come here.”

Riven stared at her.

“Why?”

Selene slowly removed her red scarf.

For the first time, Riven saw the scar across her throat.

A black symbol had been carved into her skin.

The same symbol from the comic book.

The silver eye.

Riven stepped backward.

“What is that?”

Selene looked at him.

“The mark of the Forgotten.”

Riven’s voice became quiet.

“Who are they?”

Selene looked toward the door.

“The people the city erased.”

Riven remembered Kael’s face.

His black eyes.

His final warning.

“What does the city want?”

Selene answered in a whisper.

“Memories.”

Riven shook his head.

“Why?”

“Because memories are the only thing keeping it alive.”

Riven stared at her.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

Selene looked into his eyes.

“It will.”

She pointed toward the staircase.

“Because we’re going down.”

Riven looked at the endless stairs.

“Where?”

Selene began walking.

“To the city below.”

Riven followed.

The stairs continued downward.

Ten floors.

Twenty.

Thirty.

The deeper they went, the colder the air became.

Then Riven noticed something.

The walls were covered with names.

Thousands of names.

Some were scratched out.

Others were covered in black ink.

Riven stopped.

One name caught his attention.

MIRA VOSS.

Riven stared.

“Who was she?”

Selene stopped walking.

Riven looked at her.

“You know her.”

Selene’s face changed.

“Yes.”

“Who is she?”

Selene looked down.

“She was the first person who discovered the truth.”

“What truth?”

Selene pointed toward the bottom of the stairs.

Riven looked.

A massive door stood there.

It was covered with thousands of names.

And at the center was the silver eye.

Selene walked toward it.

Riven followed.

She placed her hand against the door.

The symbol began glowing.

Riven heard a voice.

A woman’s voice.

“Riven.”

He froze.

It was the same voice from the subway.

The voice of someone who was supposed to be dead.

“Mira?”

Selene looked at him.

“You can hear her.”

The door slowly opened.

Darkness waited on the other side.

Then the woman’s voice whispered again.

“Riven Ash.”

“Your brother is not the one you should fear.”

Riven stepped forward.

“Who should I fear?”

The darkness answered.

“Yourself.”

The door opened completely.

Beyond it was an enormous underground city.

A city beneath Nocturne.

Buildings stretched into darkness.

Thousands of lights glowed beneath the ground.

People walked through the streets.

People who had disappeared.

People who were supposed to be dead.

And standing in the center of the city…

was Mira Voss.

She looked exactly like the photograph.

Alive.

Riven stared at her.

Mira smiled.

“Welcome to the city that Nocturne forgot.”

Riven stepped forward.

“Where is my brother?”

Mira’s smile disappeared.

“He is here.”

“Then take me to him.”

Mira shook her head.

“Not yet.”

“Why?”

“Because before you see Kael…”

She looked directly into Riven’s eyes.

“You need to remember why you forgot him.”

Riven froze.

“What?”

Mira pointed behind him.

Riven turned.

Selene was gone.

The door had disappeared.

And on the wall behind him was a photograph.

A photograph of Riven and Kael.

But they weren’t children.

They were standing in the underground city.

Beside Mira.

Riven stared at the photograph.

His hands began trembling.

“I’ve been here before.”

Mira nodded.

“Yes.”

Riven looked at her.

“When?”

Mira stepped closer.

“Six years ago.”

Riven shook his head.

“That’s impossible.”

Mira whispered.

“You were twelve.”

Riven looked at the photograph.

“Why don’t I remember?”

Mira’s eyes became filled with sadness.

“Because you asked us to erase your memory.”

Riven’s heart stopped.

“Why?”

Mira looked toward the darkness.

“Because you discovered the secret.”

“What secret?”

Mira slowly turned toward him.

“The reason the city forgets the dead.”

Riven waited.

Mira whispered:

“Because the dead aren’t disappearing.”

“They’re being collected.”

Riven stared.

“Collected for what?”

Mira’s eyes turned toward the city beneath them.

“To build something.”

“What?”

Mira pointed toward the center of the underground city.

A massive black tower rose from the darkness.

It looked exactly like the silver eye symbol.

Riven stared.

“What is that?”

Mira answered:

“The Heart of Nocturne.”

Suddenly, the entire underground city began shaking.

Every light turned red.

Thousands of people stopped moving.

Then they all looked at Riven.

Their eyes became black.

Mira grabbed his arm.

“We’re out of time.”

Riven heard a familiar voice behind him.

“Riven.”

He turned.

Kael stood in the darkness.

But this time, he was smiling.

“Do you want to know the secret?”

Riven stepped toward him.

“Yes.”

Kael’s smile widened.

“Then come with me.”

The underground city went completely dark.

And for the first time…

Riven realized that the mystery he had been searching for was not hidden beneath the city.

It was hidden inside him.

TO BE CONTINUED…