She glowed like a living golden statue, an ethereal pulse threading with the energy pulsing within her and around her. Ethan's gaze remained fixed on Amara as she took another step closer; with each word she spoke, the golden light pulsed with ripples: his heart pounded in perfect synchronization with the energy, the air filled with unspoken promises and dread.
He couldn't shake the image of her—her confident stride, the sharp cut of her jaw, the fire behind her gaze. She wasn't just a leader; she was something else, something primal, something that tugged at every instinct buried deep within him.
"Stay calm," he muttered to himself, attempting to regain control over his spiraling emotions.
The golden figures continued to pulsate as if speaking to Amara. Ethan's heart clenched. What do they want from them? His thoughts swirled and he could hardly think, as Amara's voice rose and fell in a language that was alien, and yet somehow familiar.
There was power in the words, a control that Ethan could not ignore. Her connection to this energy was something that made his chest ache and his body hum. He couldn't deny that every movement, every word, was pulling him further under her influence.
"Watch close," she suddenly said, never blinking her eyes on the two figures. "They try to talk but I cannot trust them just yet. They can feel your emotions too, Ethan. Don't let fear penetrate your head."
His spine was shivering as she said this. She was calm, always so calm, and he felt she could see right through him, into his darkest fears and desires. Ethan gritted his jaw, burying his anxiety under layers of logic and strategy.
"What do you mean they can sense emotions?" His voice sounded unsteady, and he hated how vulnerable he felt.
"This thing that attaches to this plane," said Amara; voice as used to the tension in the air. "They read it all about you: intendness, fear, curiosity." Everything around you is some wave that they can interpret with ways. Stay neutral.
Ethan swallowed, tightening his hold on his weapon. His breath was shallow, his mind a jumbled mess. Neutral. How could he be neutral with all of this—this magic, this energy, and Amara standing so close? Her words and presence pressed against him, making his mind and body go wild.
His eyes drifted back to the golden figures once more. They shimmered once again. This time, however, they pulsed brighter, and their golden hues reflected off the metallic walls of the odd, otherworldly space. Ethan could feel the energy wrapping around him like a cloak-warm and inviting but also menacing in its unfamiliarity.
Amara took a tentative step forward toward the statues. Ethan's eyes darted between her and the golden statues. His heart raced as his mind yanked him in every direction.
She turned back toward him. Her eyes were steady.
"Do not follow me, Ethan," she said decisively. Her voice was calm but final, and Ethan felt it like a blow to his chest. "Stay here. Watch my movements and stay steady."
She moved again before he could speak, her voice low as she spoke her tongue again, the gold animation moving to respond to her words. Ethan's breath came quickly as he didn't move from his position, his pulse a constant drumbeat in his chest.
He could feel his attraction to her, but he couldn't let it cloud his judgment. Not now.
He knew how to keep still. He knew he was supposed to listen to her so they could live. But his mind roiled and his body betrayed him, literally. He felt his veins burning, the pull in his chest.
He desired to believe her; however, skepticism lingered on the fringes of his consciousness. What was this tugging, this sensation, this insatiable urge to surrender himself to her counsel?
The golden forms shimmered closer once again, growing in intensity. Ethan felt the tension crackle and could feel the tension playing across his body, shuddering under the effort, but he focused through a determined will to the forms ahead and not on Amara.
She had power. She had strength. But there was something else about her—something he couldn't put his finger on.
Something that felt like desire.
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to regain control of his spiraling emotions. His breath came and went in sharp bursts. He tried to steady his thoughts.
*Stay focused. Don't let your emotions get the better of you.*
But it was too late already. His mind played a trick on him. His thoughts lingered on her, on the sharp curves of her features, the confident way she moved, and the subtle pull in his bones that made him want to give himself over to her completely.
He didn't know whether it was fear or chemistry, but he wanted to explore it, to surrender.
And then Amara's voice broke his thoughts.
"We need to move," she said simply, turning back toward him. Her gaze was piercing, sharp, unyielding. "They've shown us enough. Now stay with me, Ethan. Always stay with me."
And before he could speak, she moved once again, her figure disappeared in the mist, leaving behind with him the pull of her words and presence.
His heart tightened as he followed.