A double-edged sword that runs through my heart...

It was an ordinary evening when the storm arrived.

The sky, once clear and vibrant with the colors of sunset, had turned a deep shade of indigo. The first raindrop fell softly, almost like a whisper, before the heavens unleashed a torrent of water upon the city below. The streets, usually alive with the sounds of evening traffic, were quickly deserted as people sought refuge indoors. Yet, as the storm raged on, something far stranger was happening in the quiet corners of the world.

Lena stood by her window, her gaze fixed on the horizon. She had always loved storms, but tonight felt different. There was an energy in the air that she couldn't quite explain—an electric hum that seemed to resonate through her bones. As the wind howled outside, a peculiar light caught her eye. At first, she thought it was merely a flash of lightning, but it was too steady, too continuous.

The light hovered in the distance, just beyond the city's edge, where the woods began. Lena blinked and squinted, convinced it was some sort of optical illusion caused by the storm. But it didn't fade. Instead, it grew brighter, pulsing like a heartbeat, as if calling to her.

Her curiosity got the better of her. She grabbed her coat, slid into her boots, and rushed out into the storm. The wind whipped her hair across her face, but she barely noticed. Her eyes were fixed on that light. It seemed to pulse in rhythm with her own heartbeat, drawing her forward, deeper into the wilderness that lay just beyond the city limits.

The rain, which had been relentless, seemed to part before her, as though the elements themselves were guiding her path. She didn't know why she was heading in that direction, nor did she question it. The closer she got to the woods, the more the world around her seemed to change. The air felt heavier, and the usual sounds of the storm—raindrops, thunder, rustling leaves—faded into an eerie silence.

Lena stepped into the woods, the trees towering above her, casting long shadows across her path. The light ahead was now almost blinding, and as she approached, she felt an unnatural warmth.

Then, without warning, the world around her shifted. The ground beneath her feet trembled, and a deep, otherworldly hum resonated in her chest. The light flickered once, then vanished.

For a moment, everything stood still.

And then, out of the silence, a voice—soft, yet unmistakable—whispered in her mind.

*"You are not where you think you are."*

Lena froze. The voice wasn't her own. It wasn't even human. Her heart raced as the realization sank in: something far beyond her understanding was at work here.

Before she could react, the ground beneath her feet gave way. She fell, not into the earth, but through it—plummeting into a vast, unknown realm.