Elena woke with a start, gasping for air. Her body felt heavy, like she was submerged in water, her limbs weighed down by an unseen force. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to make sense of where she was. The shadows—the figure—they had been everywhere, suffocating her in their darkness.But now, they were gone.She was lying on the cold, hard ground, the sky above her a deep gray, with no sign of the sun. The eerie silence of the First Realm pressed down on her, broken only by the faint rustling of leaves in the distance. For a moment, Elena wondered if she was still dreaming. If any of it had been real."Elena?"A voice broke through the silence, and she turned her head to see Aidan kneeling beside her, his face etched with concern. Relief washed over her at the sight of him, but it was quickly replaced by the memory of his secret—the truth he had kept from her. She instinctively recoiled, the trust between them now fragile and thin."How long was I out?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Aidan exhaled sharply, glancing around. "Not long. A few minutes, maybe." His gaze returned to her, but there was something different in his eyes—something darker, more guarded. "The shadows… they're still here. Watching."Elena felt a chill run down her spine. "I saw them. They—" She hesitated, unsure how to explain what had happened. The figure, its glowing eyes, the strange words it had spoken. I am the one who has been waiting. The one you were meant to find.What did that even mean?"I felt like… they were inside me," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Like they knew me, Aidan. They said they were waiting for me."Aidan stiffened, his expression unreadable. "That's not possible. The shadows—they're drawn to power, to magic. But you…" He trailed off, as if the words were too difficult to say. "You're not supposed to be connected to them."Elena frowned, her mind racing. "Then why do I feel like they are? Why did that figure speak to me like it knew me?"Aidan's jaw clenched. "I don't know," he admitted, his voice tense. "But we need to get out of here. The longer we stay, the more dangerous it becomes."Elena nodded, but as she tried to stand, a wave of dizziness washed over her. She stumbled, her legs weak beneath her. Aidan reached out to steady her, his grip firm but gentle."We have to move quickly," he said, his voice low. "The shadows won't wait forever."Elena's heart pounded in her chest as they began to walk, the forest around them shifting in strange, unsettling ways. The trees seemed taller now, their branches twisting in unnatural patterns. The ground beneath their feet felt unstable, as if it could collapse at any moment. And all the while, the shadows lurked just out of sight, whispering in the corners of Elena's mind.As they walked, the silence between her and Aidan grew heavier, weighed down by everything left unsaid. She couldn't ignore the tension that simmered between them, nor the feeling that something had fundamentally shifted.Finally, unable to hold back any longer, Elena stopped and turned to face him. "We need to talk."Aidan glanced at her, his face tense. "Not now, Elena. We're not safe here.""I don't care," she snapped, her frustration bubbling to the surface. "I need answers. I need to know what's really going on."Aidan's eyes flickered with something—regret, maybe?—but he didn't look away. "I told you the truth.""No," Elena said, shaking her head. "You told me part of the truth. You've been hiding things from me since the beginning, Aidan. How am I supposed to trust you now?"Aidan was silent for a long moment, his gaze hardening. "I didn't want to lie to you," he said quietly. "But the Council of Guardians—my mission—was never supposed to be about protecting you. It was about controlling the pendant, making sure it didn't fall into the wrong hands. They didn't know what kind of power it held, and they were afraid."Elena's grip tightened on the pendant around her neck. "And what about me? What did they think I was? Just some tool for them to use?"Aidan's expression softened. "They didn't know. At first, they thought you were just the bearer. But over time… they started to suspect there was more to you. More to your connection with the realms."Elena's heart pounded. "What are you saying?"Aidan took a deep breath, his eyes searching hers. "The pendant chose you, Elena. It didn't just end up with you by accident. The power of the realms—the magic that binds them—it's inside you, too. You're not just a traveler between realms. You're part of them."Elena stared at him, her mind struggling to process his words. "That's impossible. I'm just… I'm just me.""No, you're not," Aidan said softly. "You're more than that. And that's why the shadows are drawn to you. That's why they're waiting for you."Elena felt the weight of his words settle over her like a heavy blanket. The shadows, the pendant, the strange power she had felt growing inside her—it all started to make a twisted kind of sense. But that didn't make it any easier to accept."So what am I supposed to do?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Aidan's expression hardened. "You have to master the power before it masters you. The realms are falling apart, Elena. The balance is shifting, and the shadows—they want control. If they get to you before you're ready…"He didn't need to finish the sentence. Elena could see the fear in his eyes, the gravity of what he was saying. The shadows weren't just some distant threat. They were coming for her, and they wouldn't stop until they had what they wanted."Then we don't have much time," Elena said, her resolve hardening. "I need to learn how to control this power. And I need your help."Aidan nodded, his silver eyes serious. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."Elena held his gaze, searching for any trace of the boy she had trusted—the boy she had cared for. Despite everything, she wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that, deep down, he was still on her side."Then let's finish this," she said, turning back toward the path ahead. "Before the shadows find us again."They continued forward, the weight of the unknown pressing down on them. The path was darker now, and the shadows were closer, but Elena's heart was steadier than before.She was facing the unknown.But she wasn't facing it alone.