The weight of the woman's words sank deep into Florence's bones. He stood on the precipice of something vast, terrifying, and inevitable. The Void pulsed in the sky above, growing more unstable with each passing second, while the storm inside him screamed for release. Every part of him felt torn between two forces—one pulling him toward the abyss, the other toward salvation.
Andre gripped his arm, his voice low but steady. "Florence, I know you're scared. But you're not alone. We'll face whatever comes, together."
Florence nodded, his heart swelling with emotion he couldn't quite name. He wasn't alone—he had Andre, he had Johmarrian, and even these mysterious figures from the Order. But deep down, he knew that this choice was his alone. No one could make it for him.
"I don't want to lose myself," Florence whispered, his voice cracking with the weight of the storm.
The man from the Order, still silent until now, stepped forward, his eyes burning with intensity. "You are more than the storm, Florence. You are its master, not its victim. Do not fear what is within you—fear only what will happen if you fail to act."
Florence's chest tightened as the words struck a chord within him. Could he really harness the storm without losing himself to it? Could he save Astoria without becoming a tool of the Void?
Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled violently, and cracks began to form around the tear in the sky. The Shattered One let out a monstrous growl, its form warping and twisting as it grew larger, more fearsome.
"The Void hungers," it snarled. "And it will consume all."
Florence felt the pull of the darkness growing stronger, the storm inside him raging against his control. He clenched his fists, his heart racing as he realized that time was running out.
"I have to do something," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Without thinking, he stepped forward, his hands glowing with the raw, untamed magic of the storm. Lightning crackled around him, the wind whipping his hair into a wild frenzy. He could feel the power surging through him, begging to be unleashed.
But as he raised his hand toward the tear in the sky, something unexpected happened.
A voice—a whisper, soft and melodic—slipped into his mind. Florence...
His heart stopped. He knew that voice.
"Mother?" he whispered, his eyes wide with shock.
Florence, you don't have to fight alone. The storm is not just a weapon—it's a bond, a connection to the world around you. Use it...
Her words wrapped around him like a warm embrace, and suddenly, the chaos inside him stilled, just for a moment. The storm was not his enemy. It was a part of him, just as the magic of Astoria was woven into the fabric of his being.
With a deep breath, Florence let the storm flow through him, not as a weapon, but as a force of nature. He wasn't fighting against it anymore. He was becoming one with it.
And as the storm surged around him, a new resolve formed in his heart.
He wasn't going to lose himself.
He was going to save Astoria.
YOU ARE READING
Whispers of Astoria
Fantasi"Whispers of Astoria" is a captivating fantasy romance that follows Florence, a man who is mysteriously transported from his mundane life into the enchanting world of Astoria-a realm between worlds, where destinies intertwine. Lost and searching for...
