Page 13 of Hex and the Dragon
"Having a moment that the Chronicle undoubtedly found fascinating," Nico interrupted with knowing humor. "But I'm afraid personal revelations will have to wait. I've received some disturbing news from my contacts in other supernatural communities."
"What kind of news?" Dorian asked, his protective instincts immediately overriding any embarrassment about their interrupted moment.
"The kind that suggests Mistwhisper Falls isn't the Chronicle's first target," Nico said grimly. "Or its last. I've got reports from seven different communities over the past six months—all experiencing the same pattern of residents choosing perfect dreams over reality, all centered around ancient books that appeared in their local libraries."
Ivy felt ice settle in her stomach. "Seven communities?"
"Seven that I know of," Nico corrected. "There could be more. The pattern is always the same—an ancient text appears, usually brought by a traveling scholar or donated anonymously. Within weeks, residents start experiencing unusually vivid dreams. Within months, entire populations have chosen the dream world over waking reality."
"What happens to them?" Dorian asked, though his expression suggested he already suspected the answer.
"They disappear," Nico said simply. "Not physically—their bodies remain, sleeping peacefully in their beds. But mentally, spiritually, they're gone. Living in whatever perfect world the Chronicle has crafted for them while their physical forms waste away from neglect."
"How long does the process take?" Ivy asked with clinical detachment, though inside she was calculating how much time Mistwhisper Falls had left.
"Six weeks from initial contact to complete population conversion," Nico said. "We're currently in week two."
The Chronicle in Ivy's bag pulsed with satisfaction, as if pleased that its greater plan was finally being revealed. She realized with growing horror that their community wasn't unique, wasn't special—they were just the latest in a series of experiments the fragment had been conducting across multiple realities.
"It's been preparing," she said with dawning understanding. "Learning from each community it destroys, refining its approach, becoming more effective with each iteration."
"Which means whatever we're facing here in Mistwhisper Falls is the culmination of months of practice," Dorian said grimly. "The Chronicle's most sophisticated attempt yet."
"And we're its test subjects," Ivy added, feeling the fragment's cold satisfaction pulse through their bond. "The components it needs to perfect its technique before moving on to larger targets."
Nico nodded gravely. "The communities it's already consumed were just practice. Mistwhisper Falls is where it intends to achieve something much more ambitious."
As if responding to their growing understanding, the Chronicle's whispers became more insistent, offering glimpses of a reality where every supernatural community existed in perfect harmony, where all conflict and suffering had been eliminated through superior design.
The fragment wasn't just targeting their town—it was preparing to remake supernatural society itself, one community at a time, until nothing remained but beautiful, empty perfection.
And Ivy and Dorian were the keys it needed to unlock that terrible future.
SIX
DORIAN
The revelation of the Chronicle's broader campaign had sent the emergency command center into overdrive. Maps now displayed the locations of the seven affected communities, connected by red lines that traced a pattern across the country like a constellation of supernatural disasters. Ivy stared at those red lines while the presence in her head whispered seductive promises about the knowledge contained in each of those lost libraries.
Every community had archives,the Chronicle murmured in her thoughts.Centuries of accumulated wisdom, magical research, historical records. All of it could be yours to study, to understand, to use for the betterment of those you care about.
"The pattern suggests the Chronicle is working its way toward population centers," Aerin was saying from her research station, surrounded by fae texts and scrying crystals that pulsed with silvery light. "Each target community has been larger and more magically significant than the last."
"Which makes Mistwhisper Falls what?" Leo asked, his exhaustion evident in the sharp edges of his voice. "The final test before it moves on to major cities?"
"Or the launching point for something bigger," Nico said grimly. "If it can perfect its reality-rewriting technique here, among a population of supernatural beings who should theoretically be more resistant to its influence..."
Ivy tried to focus on the conversation, but the Chronicle's whispers were growing stronger, more detailed. It was showing her glimpses of the libraries from those seven lost communities—vast collections that contained treatises on immortality magic, theoretical frameworks for dimensional travel, historical accounts of civilizations that had transcended physical existence.
All of it lost now. All of it locked away in perfect dream worlds where knowledge served no purpose beyond self-gratification.
Unless you accept my offer,the Chronicle whispered.I could give you access to all of it. Every book, every scroll, every carved stone tablet that has ever contained wisdom. You could become the greatest scholar in human history, the keeper of knowledge that could reshape the world.
"Ivy?" Dorian's voice cut through the whispers, concerned and immediate. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?" Ivy asked, blinking as the command center came back into focus around her.
"Writing," Dorian said, gesturing toward her notebook. "But not in any language I recognize."
