Emily sat alone in the corner of the ruined sanctuary, her back against the cold stone wall. Her body ached from the battle, but it wasn't the physical pain that weighed on her. It was the swirling confusion inside—light and dark, power and fear, all battling for control. The others had given her space, sensing the turmoil she was in, but she could feel their eyes on her, their silent questions hanging in the air.
"Connected to the Abyss..." Seraphina's words echoed in her mind, and no matter how much she tried to shake them off, they clung to her like a shadow.
Aiden approached cautiously, his footsteps slow and deliberate. He stopped a few paces away, crouching down to her level. "Emily," he said softly, "I know you're going through something... but we need to talk about what happened back there."
She didn't look up, her gaze fixed on the ground. "I don't understand it, Aiden. I don't know what's happening to me."
