Shadows of Memory

Chapter One – Awakening Without a Past

 

The silence was unnatural. Not the comforting kind, but the eerie, expectant kind—like the world itself was holding its breath.

I woke up lying on cold, damp ground, my fingers sinking into the wet soil. My body ached, every limb feeling like it had been through a war. My head throbbed, as if filled with molten lead, and my thoughts were sluggish, disoriented.

I tried to push myself up but collapsed again, my muscles weak. Blinking rapidly, I surveyed my surroundings. Towering trees loomed above, their twisted branches forming a dense canopy that blocked out the sky. Fog slithered between them like a living thing, swallowing the landscape in its ghostly embrace.

A strange, metallic scent clung to the air. Blood?

The thought sent a shiver down my spine, but I forced myself to focus on the most pressing issue.

Who am I?

I searched my mind frantically, scraping at the edges of my consciousness, trying to grasp at something—anything—but found only an empty void. No name. No memories. No past.

My chest tightened. This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t right.

I staggered to my feet, dizziness washing over me like a tidal wave, and stumbled forward. A small pool of still water lay between a cluster of rocks. I hesitated before leaning over it, peering into my reflection.

A stranger stared back at me.

A young man—early twenties, perhaps. Tousled dark hair, pale skin, sharp features, and piercing gray eyes that looked almost… hollow. There were faint scars along my cheekbones, and my clothes were tattered, stained with dirt and dried blood.

But the most unsettling part?

The mark on my wrist.

A strange, intricate tattoo wrapped around my forearm, glowing faintly with a soft, pulsing blue light. It felt… alive. Familiar. Yet completely foreign.

I reached out to touch it—

“I finally found you.”

The voice sent ice through my veins.

I spun around, my body tensing instinctively. My hand twitched as if expecting a weapon—except I had none.

A man stood at the edge of the fog, tall and imposing, his long black coat billowing slightly in the breeze. His presence was unnerving, like he existed just on the edge of reality. His eyes—black as the void—locked onto mine, studying me with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just stood there, watching.

I swallowed, forcing down the growing unease. “Who are you?”

A slow, knowing smile crossed his lips. It wasn’t reassuring. If anything, it felt like a predator toying with its prey. Then he spoke, his voice eerily calm:

“The question isn’t who I am… but who you are.”

Something in my chest tightened. His words sent a ripple through me, a deep, unexplainable sense of dread.

And then—the mark on my wrist burned.

I gasped, clutching my arm as the glowing intensified, the blue light now blazing like fire beneath my skin. A whisper—soft, distant, inside my head—spoke a single word.

"Remember."

And suddenly, my mind exploded.

Fragments of memories—disjointed and violent—flashed before my eyes. A burning room. Screams. A silver blade clashing against steel. A girl’s face—wide, terrified honey-colored eyes staring at me as she cried out a name I didn’t recognize.

Pain seared through my skull like a dagger twisting deep into my brain. I collapsed to my knees, gasping for air, as if drowning in the weight of something I should know but couldn’t grasp.

A firm hand gripped my shoulder. The man leaned down, his voice a low whisper, heavy with unspoken meaning.

“The game has begun… and you don’t have time to hesitate.”

And then—he was gone.

No sound. No footsteps. Just… vanished.

Leaving me alone, with only my racing heartbeat and the suffocating sense that I was standing at the edge of something far greater—something I was never meant to uncover.

And the worst part

Somewhere deep inside, I knew I was responsible for all of this.

—

What happens next

• Who is this mysterious man?
• Why have I lost my memory?
• What does the glowing mark on my wrist mean
• And most importantly… why do I feel like I’m being hunted

 

 

إليك مجموعة من الكلمات المفتاحية والهاشتاقات باللغة الإنجليزية لترويج روايتك "ظلال الذاكرة" (Shadows of Memory):

Keywords (كلمات مفتاحية):

• Mystery novel
• Lost memory
• Thrilling story
• Dark secrets
• Hidden past
• Unraveling the truth
• Suspense and mystery
• Identity crisis
• Chilling encounters
• Supernatural elements
• Forgotten destiny
• Unknown danger
• Cryptic tattoo
• Psychological thriller
• The hunt begins

Hashtags (هاشتاقات):

#ShadowsOfMemory
#MysteryThriller
#LostMemory
#WhoAmI
#DarkSecrets
#SuspenseStory
#MindGames
#UncoverTheTruth
#TattooMystery
#ThrillerReads
#ChillingSuspense
#HiddenPast
#SupernaturalMystery
#PageTurner
#FictionAddict

 

y tuned for Chapter Two… Are you ready to play the game

 

 

 

• Mystery novel
• Lost memory
• Thrilling story
• Dark secrets
• Hidden past
• Unraveling the truth
• Suspense and mystery
• Identity crisis
• Chilling encounters
• Supernatural elements
• Forgotten destiny
• Unknown danger
• Cryptic tattoo
• Psychological thriller
• The hunt begins

#ShadowsOfMemory
#MysteryThriller
#LostMemory
#WhoAmI
#DarkSecrets
#SuspenseStory
#MindGames
#UncoverTheTruth
#TattooMystery
#ThrillerReads
#ChillingSuspense
#HiddenPast
#SupernaturalMystery
#PageTurner
#FictionAddict

 

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