The following days were a blur of intense training. Ada's body and mind were pushed to the brink, but each day, she felt herself growing stronger. The stone was just the beginning, Lena had said. There were countless other trials awaiting her, each more difficult than the last. But there was one trial that Ada had not anticipated—the trial of her own conscience.
Lena had always been strict, always demanding more, but now, there was something different in her demeanor. It was as though a shadow had fallen over her, one that Ada couldn't quite shake.
One evening, as they sat at the dining table after a particularly grueling training session, Lena broke the silence.
"I need to tell you something, Ada," she said, her tone unusually somber.
Ada looked up from her food, pausing mid-bite. Her stomach twisted, sensing that something was coming—something important.
"What is it?" Ada asked, setting her fork down.
Lena's eyes met hers, and for the first time, Ada saw vulnerability in the older woman's gaze. It was fleeting, but it was there.
"There's a reason I've pushed you so hard," Lena began. "A reason I've kept so many things from you."
Ada leaned forward, curiosity piqued. "What are you talking about?"
Lena sighed deeply. "Your family... they weren't just born with this power, Ada. It's something that was taken from someone else—a sacrifice. And that sacrifice came with a price. A price that I fear you will have to pay."
Ada's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean, a sacrifice? What price?"
Lena hesitated, looking as though the words were hard to say. "Your bloodline was chosen, but not by choice. A great power was taken from someone else, someone who was once part of this family. They were sacrificed to create the power you now possess."
Ada's mind raced, trying to process the words. The weight of what Lena was saying began to settle over her like a thick fog.
"You're telling me that someone died so that I could have this power?" Ada asked, her voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief and anger.
Lena nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving Ada's. "It's more complicated than that. The person who was sacrificed gave up everything to protect the legacy of this family. The power was bound to your bloodline, passed down through generations, until it reached you."
Ada could feel the tension building in her chest. She wanted to scream, to lash out, but something held her back. Instead, she focused on the only thing that mattered—the truth.
"So, the power inside me... it's not just a gift," Ada said, her voice quiet. "It's a curse."
Lena's gaze hardened. "That's one way to look at it. But it's also a responsibility. A responsibility you now carry, whether you want it or not."
Ada stood up abruptly, unable to sit still any longer. The walls of the room seemed to close in on her, suffocating her with the weight of the revelation.
"You said I was chosen," Ada continued, her voice rising. "But I didn't choose this. I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to have this power inside me, to carry this burden."
Lena's expression softened, but only slightly. "I know. But the truth is, Ada, you don't get to choose. Not anymore. The path you're on was set long before you were born. Now, all you can do is decide what to do with it."
Ada turned away from Lena, walking toward the large window overlooking the garden. The night sky stretched out before her, a vast expanse of stars that felt so distant, so unreachable.
She was trembling, but not from fear. It was anger. Anger at the injustice of it all. Why had this been forced upon her? Why was she the one who had to carry this curse? And worse—what would happen to her if she failed?
The questions swirled in her mind like a storm, but there were no answers. Only the heavy weight of the responsibility she could not escape.
Finally, after a long silence, Lena spoke again. "There's one more thing you need to know. The person who was sacrificed... they're still out there. And they're not just a memory."
Ada turned back to face her, her eyes wide. "What do you mean?"
Lena's gaze was hard, her jaw clenched. "They're alive, Ada. And they've been waiting for you."
The words hit Ada like a physical blow. Her heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, she felt the room spin around her.
"They've been waiting for me?" Ada whispered, disbelief creeping into her voice. "Who are they? Why? What do they want from me?"
Lena didn't answer right away. Instead, she walked over to Ada and placed a hand on her shoulder. "The person who was sacrificed is a part of you, Ada. They're inside you, and they always have been. But now, they're calling out to you. And soon, you'll have to make a choice."
"A choice?" Ada repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.
Lena nodded. "You'll have to decide what to do with the power you hold—and what to do with the person who gave it to you."
Ada's mind was racing, the pieces of the puzzle finally beginning to fall into place. She wasn't just inheriting power. She was inheriting someone else's fate, someone else's sacrifice.
And now, she was being forced to confront it.
"Is there any way to undo it?" Ada asked, her voice trembling.
Lena shook her head. "No. The only way out is through. You have to face what's coming, Ada. There's no running from it."
Ada's world felt like it was collapsing in on her. She had always known there was something dark about the power she had inherited, but this... this was more than she could have ever imagined.
For the first time, Ada realized that her journey wasn't just about mastering the power. It was about surviving it.