Moving where?" Amora asked.
"Towards the old city," Roman said. "Where the shadows grow long."
"The old city?" A gasp went through the crowd.
"Why there?" Amora asked.
"Because," Roman said, his voice low, "that's where the seeds grow strongest. And that's where they whisper secrets."
Amora looked at the crowd. "We have to follow. But be warned. The old city is a place of lost dreams. And some dreams they never want to be found."
Amora's eyes were warm, but held secrets. She knew questions were coming. She had to be careful.
"My story," she said, her voice smooth, "is part of this city's story. I've seen it change. Good times, bad times."
She paused. "I learned from the city's past. Dreams can lift us. Ambition can break us."
A journalist pressed. "You know the city's secrets. The spinning arrow. The city's mind. You speak like you know more."
Amora smiled, but her eyes were hard. "I tell stories. Stories are mirrors. They show hidden truths. I just see those truths clearly."
"Your family," a voice called out, "your past. It must shape how you see things."
Amora's face softened. "My family is part of this city's history. Like yours. Their stories are part of what I know."
Roman stepped close. "Amora, we don't have time."
"Time for what?" Amora asked.
"Lilian," Roman said. "The trail. It's getting stronger."
"Stronger how?" Amora asked.
"The seeds," Roman said. "They're reacting to something. Something in the old city."
"Reacting?" Amora asked.
"Whispering," Roman said. "Louder than before. They're calling to something."
"Calling to what?" Amora asked.
"I don't know," Roman said. "But it feels… hungry."
A chill went through the crowd.
"We have to go now," Roman said. "Before it's too late."
Amora looked at the crowd, her face serious. "We're going to the old city. It's dangerous. The seeds are changing. They're leading us into darkness." She looked at Roman. "And I fear what waits for us there, will change us all.":
Amora avoided details. Ariella and Samuel were secrets. She was skilled at half-truths.
"I study the city," she said, voice firm. "I know its old papers, its hidden paths, its silent words. I hear its heartbeat."
"Your parents?" the journalist asked. "Did they study it too?"
"They lived here," Amora said, voice vague. "They knew its bright and dark sides."
Roman pulled Amora aside. "We need to go."
"Not now," Amora said.
"Now," Roman said. "The seeds are restless. They're pulling us to the old city."
"Restless?" Amora asked.
"They move. They twist. Like they're alive," Roman said. "And Lilian… she's there."
"Alive?" A hope flickered in Amora's eyes.
"We don't know," Roman said. "But the seeds lead there. We have to follow."
"What's in the old city?" A voice asked from the crowd.
"Shadows," Roman said. "Old magic. Things best left alone."
Amora looked at the crowd. "We go to find Lilian. But be warned. The old city is a maze. Secrets hide there. And the seeds… they change things."
"Change how?" the journalist asked.
"They show you what you fear most," Amora said. "They turn dreams into nightmares."
"And what do you fear?" the journalist asked.
Amora's eyes darkened. "I fear what the seeds want. What they crave. And what they'll do to get it."
"What do they want?" Roman asked, his voice tight.
"They want to grow," Amora said. "They want to spread. And they want Lilian."
"Their lives," Amora said, "like yours, shaped how I see the city."
She gave pieces, not the whole truth. She was a scholar, a guardian. Not a daughter of hidden power.
"I share stories," she said, voice strong. "To inspire. To show your own power. Together, we build the city's future."
The crowd, still curious, accepted her words. They felt her wisdom. They didn't need her past to feel her power. Amora's secret stayed hidden. She knew the art of unspoken control.
Roman grabbed her arm. "We have to go."
"Where?" Amora asked.
"The old city," Roman said. "The seeds are pulling us. Now."
"Pulling us?" Amora asked.
"They're alive," Roman said. "Like they're calling to something. And Lilian… she's in danger."
"What's there?" Amora asked.
"Darkness," Roman said. "Old things. Things best left buried."
Amora looked at the crowd. "We go. To find Lilian. But the old city… it changes you."
"How?" a voice asked.
"It shows you what you fear," Amora said. "It twists dreams into nightmares. And the seeds… they feed on fear."
"Feed on it?" Roman asked.
"They grow stronger with every dark thought," Amora said. "Every hidden fear. And in the old city… there are many."
"Many what?" Roman asked.
"Many shadows," Amora said. "Many lost souls. And something… something waiting for us."
"Waiting for what?" Roman asked.
Amora's eyes were dark. "Waiting for the seeds. Waiting to use them. And waiting for Lilian."
Anita, the journalist, didn't give up. She saw missing pieces in Amora's story.
"Amora," Anita said, voice sharp, "you say your parents shaped you. But you know too much. Like you lived it all."
Amora smiled, but her jaw tightened. "I studied the city. Deeply."
"But Ariella?" Anita asked. "Your mother's name. A rebel. Why mention her at all?"
Murmurs spread through the crowd. Ariella was a name that sparked questions.
"Ariella's story," Amora said, voice sad, "is a warning. About ambition. I mentioned her to show the city's dark side."
"But you speak of her like you knew her," Anita said.
Roman pulled Amora away. "We have to go. Now."
"Not now," Amora said.
"The seeds," Roman said. "They're wild. They're pulling us into danger."
"Danger?" Amora asked.
"The old city," Roman said. "It's changed. The seeds are changing it."
"Changing it how?" Amora asked.
"They're building something," Roman said. "Something dark."
"Building what?" Amora asked.
"I don't know," Roman said. "But it feels alive. And it wants Lilian."
"Wants her for what?" Amora asked.
"To complete it," Roman said.
"To make it whole."
"Whole?" Anita asked, pushing closer.
Amora looked at Anita. "We go to the old city. To find Lilian. But be warned. The seeds are a trap.
They show you your deepest fears. And they feed on them."
"Feed on what?" Anita asked.
"On the shadows inside us," Amora said. "On the darkness we hide. And in the old city the shadows are very long."