Raven's words lingered in the air like an unfulfilled promise. Her arms were still around me, grounding me, but they couldn't banish the creeping doubt inside me. I could still feel the faint hum of the crystal beneath my skin, the way it seemed to echo my heartbeat, its pull growing stronger with each moment. As much as I wanted to believe that we could face this together, the fear gnawed at me from within.
"I'm not the same anymore, Raven," I said, barely managing to push the words past my tightening throat. "Each time I use the crystal, I can feel it... changing me. I don't know if I'm strong enough to control it."
Raven's gaze sharpened, her jaw set in that determined way I knew too well. "You *are* strong enough," she insisted, her voice steady, though I could hear the tremor of fear she was trying so hard to suppress. "We'll figure this out. The crystal doesn't define you. *You* define you."
