The darkness pressed in all around me, an oppressive weight that seemed to curl around my every thought, every breath. I could feel the bond at my neck, pulsing faintly, a constant reminder of the connection I still shared with Kael. But it wasn’t just him that haunted me now. It was the trial itself. The deeper I went into this test, the more I realized that it wasn’t just a physical battle. It was an internal war, one that would strip me of everything I had ever believed about myself.
Who are you?
The voice echoed again, not from anywhere I could pinpoint, but from deep within the shadows, as if the very air had taken shape and was speaking to me.
“I am Elara,” I said firmly, my voice steady despite the tremor I felt deep within. “I am not defined by my past, by my bond, or by anyone
