Chapter 77
77
~Elara’s POV
One moment, I was still in that strange field, the soft grass brushing my ankles. The air smelled clean, alive, like the first breath of rain on soil. My skin still glowed faintly, the lines running under my arms pulsing softly, and every heartbeat made the light thrum like it had its own rhythm.
Then I moved again. I didn’t think, I just… moved. My feet lifted, and the soft grass fell away under me, replaced by cold stone. I landed inside a building. It looked ancient. Everything about it whispered age: walls lined with cracked stone, carvings that looked like they had been etched a hundred years ago, pillars holding up ceilings that disappeared into shadow. The air smelled of old wood and dust, like the building had been waiting for me.
I blinked and turned slowly. My hands were still glowing faintly, but I felt… trapped, enclosed in some kind of invisible shield. I pushed against it with everything I had. Nothing. Not even a crack.
“Darlon!” I called out. My voice bounced back at me in echoes. “Darlon, can you hear me p>
Only my voice answered.
“Hello?” I whispered again, almost afraid to say it. My voice trembled. “Is someone there p>
Then I heard it, a voice. Soft, calm, like water running over stones, but also strange, older somehow. “Elara,” it said.
I froze. “Who’s there?” My hands shook slightly, and my glow pulsed faster. “Show yourself. Please, show yourself p>
“You will soon know why you are here,” the voice said. “Just be patient p>
“Why… what is going on?” I whispered, my voice smaller now. Fear gnawed at my chest. My heartbeat felt loud in the silence. “I don’t understand. Who are you p>
“You will know,” the voice repeated, calm, patient, almost kind. “It is not yet the time. Just watch. Just wait p>
The walls seemed to breathe around me, and I shivered, unsure whether I wanted to stay or run. My glow throbbed again, stronger this time, and I felt pulled, like something was tugging at me from inside.
Then I saw it.
A vision unfolded before me. I blinked, thinking I was losing my mind, but I couldn’t look away. It was me. Not this me, the scared, trapped me, but another me. I was standing on a shore, the ocean stretching endlessly before me. The waves were calm, silver‑blue, moving in slow breaths, like they were alive and resting. Light danced on the water, soft and gentle, coming from a moon that wasn’t the moon I knew. It sat higher, warmer somehow, washing everything in a quiet glow.
My hair fell loose around my shoulders, moving with a breeze I could almost feel on my skin. I didn’t feel cold or hot. I just felt right. Like I belonged there. When I looked at myself, my eyes were calm, clear, holding something strong and sure. Something I didn’t know I carried.
“That’s… me?” I whispered, my voice barely there.
“Yes,” the voice replied, calm and sure. “That is the self you are meant to see p>
Before I could question it, I felt movement beside me. Shapes formed, slowly becoming faces I knew too well to mistake. Lira. Ronan. They came running toward me, calling my name like they always did, laughing without restraint, without fear. Their clothes flowed as they moved, old and detailed, stitched with patterns I couldn’t name. They looked like they belonged to another time, another story. I was there too in that old attire.
“Elara! Elara, come play!” Lira shouted, splashing into the water.
My chest tightened. I tried to step forward, to call back, but my body wouldn’t respond. I was frozen, stuck between wanting and watching. I was there, but also not there.
Ronan laughed loudly, throwing water into the air, his joy bright and loud. It echoed through me. I felt it deep in my chest, warm and sharp all at once. My throat burned.
“Why… why do I see them like this?” I whispered, tears gathering. “Why do they look so happy p>
“You will understand,” the voice said softly. “But first, watch, feel, and remember p>
So I watched them play, their laughter rising with the waves, and something inside me stirred. It was so familiar and old. Like a memory I had forgotten, but my heart never did.
I watched Lira run along the water, her bare feet skimming the surface, her laughter echoing like bells. Ronan ran beside her, splashing water, smiling, their joy pure and untarnished. I was running beside them, my bare feet wet, the cold water kissing my ankles, my arms out, spinning with them. I laughed, a sound that surprised me, because it was free, untangled from fear or doubt.
Lira grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. “Come on, Elara! Don’t fall behind!” she called, her hair shining in the light.
“I’m right here!” I shouted, spinning and kicking water at Ronan, who howled in mock outrage and splashed me back. We were all wet within seconds, dripping, laughing, spinning, the sun warm on our backs, the wind tangling our hair.
Ronan laughed and caught my hands, swinging me around. “You’re too slow, Elara!” he teased, grinning.
“Not true!” I said, giggling. “I’m fast enough to keep up with both of you p>
And we ran, side by side, the ocean around us, the sand beneath our feet, the water spraying over us.
“I… I don’t understand,” I whispered again, tears forming without me noticing. “Why am I seeing this p>
“Because you are connected,” the voice said. “Connected to what was, what is, and what can be. You will learn, Elara. You will remember. Be patient. All will be revealed p>
I sank to my knees, still in the building, still trapped in that shield, and let the vision wash over me. My glow pulsed in rhythm with the waves I saw, with the laughter I heard. I could feel every drop of water, every ray of light, the warmth of their smiles, the pull of the ocean.
The voice spoke one last time, soft and patient. “Watch. Learn. And when the time comes, you will remember everything. You are welcome here, Elara p>
I nodded, though no one could see me. I couldn’t move forward yet, but I didn’t feel trapped. Not really. I was learning. I was seeing. And somehow, I already felt a little less alone.
I opened my eyes widely, letting the vision fill me, letting the laughter and the ocean and the light sink deep into my chest. I didn’t know how long I would be here. I didn’t know if I would ever fully understand. But for the first time, I felt… like I was on the edge of something I was always meant to find.