Elayne's ordinary life takes a drastic turn when she discovers she is part of an ancient prophecy tied to the mythical kingdom of Elyssanar. Guided by Solaris, a unique companion with secrets of his own, Elayne embarks on a journey fraught with chal...
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The monsters left us alone.
We ran for minutes, and I felt my lungs heave with every breath. Solaris kept pace with me, despite my smaller figure. The silence between us was deafening.
I still hadn't come to terms with the fact that I had transformed. My tail, a strange new extension of my body, swung awkwardly with each stride. But beyond the confusion, the real challenge was the burning weakness in my legs with every step.
"Elayne. Please, say something," Solaris' pleading voice echoed in my mind. His desperation cut through the haze of exhaustion. I realized how much I craved the sound of his voice—it was the only thing keeping me grounded.
"What is there to say besides we're free?" My voice, strained but steady, broke the silence between us. "I might've been too harsh on you, but in the end, we got away. Now, we just need to find this necklace. We can just leave it at that."
I didn't spare him a glance as we continued, but I could sense his silent relief.
I forced myself to push aside the thoughts. I had to focus.
"Okay, listen," I said, trying to piece it all together in my mind. "Rhea said we'd see Elyssanar if we let go of everything. But something happened when she stepped into that mist... somehow, we got pulled back here instead. I think something went wrong from there. We should try to find the mist again and see if it'll take us back to the graveyard. Then, from there, we can start looking for the grave."
Solaris nodded, his pace steady alongside mine. The memory of that mist—dark, swirling, otherworldly—hung in the air like a distant dream, but it was our only lead.
"You think the mist is still here? What if we can't find it?" he asked, his voice laced with uncertainty.
"We have to try," I said, more firmly than I felt. "We're running out of time."
The terrain shifted beneath our feet as we ran deeper into the forest. The trees loomed taller, their branches twisting together like fingers reaching for something unseen. The darkness that lingered between them felt familiar, unsettling.
Suddenly, Solaris skidded to a stop beside me, his breath quickening. "Elayne, look."
Ahead of us, the air shimmered faintly, like a veil of smoke curling through the trees. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but there was no mistaking it—the mist was here.
We both stood frozen for a moment, staring at the faint shimmer in the distance. The mist. It was subtle, yet undeniably there, like a whisper of something we had left behind.
