The hallway outside the infirmary is steeped in tense silence, broken only by muffled sounds from within. The hurried footsteps of nurses and faint beeping of medical equipment.
Standing rigidly outside the entrance is a tall man, his perfectly tailored military uniform immaculate, every button polished and every crease sharp.
His posture is impeccable, his presence commanding. General Marcus Veylith, known for his uncompromising discipline and iron will, towers over a much smaller officer at his side.
The officer, a pale and wiry man with trembling hands, struggles visibly with his nerves. His voice wavers slightly as he speaks.
"Sir Veylith, I assure you, we're doing everything we can to find the attacker, even if it means turning the entire country upside down. I swear this on my life."
Veylith's icy gaze cuts through him, his piercing blue eyes seeming to measure the officer's resolve.
After a long moment, he nods curtly, but his voice remains cold, sharp as a blade.
"Do what is necessary."
The officer swallows hard, his body stiffening in a reflexive attempt to mask his fear. His legs quiver almost imperceptibly, but Veylith notices.
The general turns his attention to the infirmary doors, where soft, sterile light spills into the dim hallway beyond.
"It's a miracle my daughter wasn't harmed" Veylith mutters, his voice quieter now, almost as if speaking to himself.
Then he turns back to the officer, who seems to shrink further under his scrutinizing gaze.
"I want to speak with the head of this facility immediately" Veylith commands, his tone making it clear, that any argument would be futile.
"The security standards here are unacceptable. A monster, an assassin, or whatever it was should never have been able to infiltrate one of our military or government buildings."
The officer takes a step back, his nervous gaze darting toward the floor. He stammers slightly as he responds.
"Sir Kael is still recovering in his quarters. Perhaps it would be better if we—"
"Bring him to my office immediately" Veylith cuts him off, his voice slicing through the air like a whip. There is no room for negotiation in his tone.
The officer is afraid, his hand twitching into a salute despite the gesture not being required. He nods hastily.
"Yes, sir," he murmurs before spinning on his heel and hurrying off, nearly colliding with a passing nurse in his haste.
As he rushes to carry out Veylith's orders, he mumbles under his breath, barely audible even to himself. "But technically, that's my office…"
~~~
Seren's eyes flutter open, her lids heavy as lead. A harsh, sterile white light envelops her, forcing her to blink several times before the room comes into focus. It takes her a moment to realize she's in the infirmary.
The sharp scent of medicine hangs unpleasantly in the air.
She tries to sit up, but her body protests. Every muscle feels drained, weighed down by an invisible burden. Despite the exhaustion, she senses no injuries.
A monitor on the wall flickers, and a calm, automated voice chimes in with an emotionless tone:
"Your Essence reserves are depleted. You require 24 hours of bed rest. Physical activity is not advised."
Seren ignores the warning. She doesn't have time to rest.
Clenching her teeth, she swings her legs over the edge of the bed, her bare feet meeting the cold floor. A wave of dizziness washes over her, but she forces herself to stand. Her steps are unsteady but purposeful as she leaves the sterile room and steps into the hallway.
Fragments of the previous day blur through her mind.
The attack... no, the execution of Lumen leaves her reeling.
As she wanders the corridor, lost in thought, a nurse approaches her, startled to see her up.
"Seren Veylith?" the nurse asks, her tone warm but cautious. "You should still be resting. But... your father is here. He's waiting near the office."
The mention of her father makes Seren freeze. A flood of emotions rushes through her, anger and uncertainty.
She hesitates. Should she speak with him?
Her memories drift back to her childhood. He was a relentless teacher, a man who demanded strength above all else. He taught her that the world was harsh, that weakness had no place in it.
But there was more to it. She vividly remembers the day he dragged her into an Essence Storm when she was just sixteen, forcing her to awaken.
~~~
The Essence Storm rages like an unbridled force of nature. Bolts of raw energy crackle through the air, and the deafening roar of screaming Essence drowns out all other sound.
The shopping mall, once a bustling hub, is now a broken shell, shattered glass windows, tattered banners, and shelves flung about by an unseen force.
Seren cries, tears streaming freely down her face as she struggles to free herself from her father's iron grip. But his hold is unyielding, dragging her closer to the storm's epicenter, where the Essence swirls most violently.
"You can do this, Seren!" he shouts over the chaos, his voice firm yet carrying a hint of concern. "This is the moment you've been preparing for! Feel the Essence—let it in!"
All Seren feels is the overwhelming chaos. A foreign, unbearable force invades her body, tearing through her being.
She screams, desperate to flee, but her father's grip holds her in place. In that moment, she feels like a child again, lost in the vast, shattered ruins of the mall.
The storm engulfs her, pulling her mind into its vortex.
And then, silence.
The mall is gone. The world around her shifts into something alien. She floats in an endless void, surrounded by a sky speckled with glimmering white lights.
There is no ground, no horizon, only emptiness. Yet she doesn't fall. She drifts, weightless, directionless.
Before her, a light emerges. It grows, radiant and golden, forming a circle that pulses with divine energy. A hand of pure light reaches out from the circle towards her.
Its movements are slow, inviting. Her instincts scream at her to recoil, to avoid touching the hand but the overwhelming sense of divine authority compels her.
Trembling, she raises her own hand and touches the light.
A blinding flash envelops her. She is sightless, trapped in an endless glow.
Then the world around her shifts again, morphing into a boundless white expanse. There are no walls, no floor, no ceiling, only an infinite, radiant whiteness.
Floating before her are ancient symbols, intricate and alien, like the carvings of a long lost civilization. Though she doesn't know the language, the meaning of the words becomes clear in her mind:
"In the darkest night and brightest light,
Arise, chosen one, in divine judgment's sight.
One wields darkness, the other shines bright,
Two paths, one goal, two powers, one cost,
A bond that ignites when balance is lost."
Seren reads the words, a shiver coursing through her entire being. The story they tell feels as though it is part of her, woven into her very existence.
It terrifies her, yet in that moment, she feels whole. The words bring an inexplicable sense of comfort.
Then the symbols vanish, dissolving into the void. In their place, a single word appears, burning red and alive with energy: "Fight!".