Ava jolted awake, her mind groggy and disoriented. The first thing she felt was the rough bark of a tree pressing against her back. Her arms were bound tightly, and she was secured in a sitting position. She shifted slightly and realized that someone was seated directly behind her. Panic set in as she struggled to see who it was.
A few moments later, she managed to turn her head just enough to see Finn, his face pale and his eyes wide with worry. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, bound in the same manner as she was.
"What happened?" Ava whispered urgently.
Finn's gaze met hers with a mixture of frustration and concern. "I came to save you," he murmured. "But as you can see, it didn't go as planned."
Despite the dire situation, Ava couldn't help but offer a small grin. There was something comforting in the absurdity of their predicament and in having Finn there with her. The feeling of isolation she had been battling seemed to dissipate, if only slightly, by his presence.
Instead of dwelling on the details of how they ended up in this predicament, Ava shifted her focus to their immediate problem. "So, what do we do now? Do you have a plan?"
Finn sighed deeply, his eyes avoiding hers. "I can't do anything here, but you can," he said, his voice low and strained.
Ava's confusion grew. "What do you mean, I can?"
"It's risky," Finn admitted, his voice trembling slightly. "But you need to think back to the village. Visualize it. Picture us by the water, just the two of us. Focus on it."
Ava felt a surge of frustration mixed with helplessness. Her energy reserves were critically low, and the thought of trying to manifest their escape seemed almost impossible. Yet, she could see Finn's desperation, and she knew he was doing everything he could to help.
Finn closed his eyes, his head resting back against the tree. Ava could feel a faint warmth emanating from him, a strange, comforting sensation that seemed to flow into her. The warmth infused her with a false sense of energy, but she knew it was a mere illusion masking her true exhaustion. Despite this, Finn's trust in her gave her a glimmer of hope.
She closed her eyes, focusing hard on the image of the lake back at the village. She pictured them sitting by the water, the calm surface reflecting the early morning sky. She visualized every detail—the gentle lapping of the waves, the rustling leaves, the quiet peace that had once enveloped them.
As she concentrated, the warmth within her grew, mingling with the cold fear in her veins. It was a strange mix of comfort and tension, the hope of escape battling against the grim reality of their situation.
Everything seemed to blur together. Ava held onto the image of the lake, pushing aside the panic and fatigue, and surrendered herself to the process. She focused on the belief that Finn's plan would work, that they would somehow find their way back to safety.
Then, as she reached the peak of her concentration, everything went black.
