Alina: Light & Shadows

Chapter 8

The silence in the forest was unnatural. The trees, which had just been gently swaying in the wind, now seemed motionless, as if they were holding their breath along with me.

I could hear the pounding of my heart echoing in my ears, each beat louder than the last.

Kael suddenly stopped, his body rigid as a statue. "Alina," he whispered, not turning around, "something is following us."

I swallowed hard, feeling a wave of cold run down my spine. "What… what do you mean?"

"It’s not human. And it’s not even a shadow… it’s something different." His words were laced with an urgency I had never heard from him before. Kael, usually so calm and confident, now seemed worried.

Suddenly, a piercing sound ripped through the air, making me jump.

A chilling hiss, like a distant scream, but too close to ignore.

My heart clenched in my chest.

We were not alone.

"Alina, get ready," Kael said, drawing his blade with a fluid motion. "We can’t run. You’ll have to face it."

"Face it?" I whispered, panic rising within me. "But I… I’m not ready!"

Kael shot me a serious look. "You won’t get another chance to prepare. You have to use the power inside you. Now."

I felt the world spin around me. I had just started my training. How could I confront something I couldn’t even identify?

Fear paralyzed me, making it hard to even breathe.

The hissing grew closer, accompanied by the sound of dragging footsteps.

I tried to concentrate, but all I felt was my terror. The shadows around me seemed to pulse, responding to my fear.

I had promised myself I wouldn’t give in, that I would learn to control the power.

But in that moment, all I wanted was to run.

A dark shape emerged from the trees, taller and more distorted than any creature I had ever seen. Its eyes shone with an unnatural light, a glow that seemed to pierce straight into my soul.

It had an indefinable form, as if it were an entity made of pure darkness, shifting and writhing under my gaze.

I felt overwhelmed by a primal fear. It was as if the monster before me embodied all my worst fears, every nightmare I had ever had.

Panic surged within me, and with it, I felt the shadows inside me stir, ready to respond to my call.

Kael moved in front of me, raising his blade, but he didn’t attack. "You have to do it," he said, without looking back. "I can’t fight it for you."

Those words echoed in my mind like a hammer. He was leaving me alone to fight a creature I couldn’t even comprehend.

But I knew he was right. I had to learn to use my power, or I would die.

I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself. I took a deep breath, attempting to ignore the terror that gripped me.

Inside me, I felt that familiar tremor again, that dark call waiting to be awakened.

The shadows around me began to move, responding to my command.

But it wasn’t enough. I felt them growing out of control, and the power, instead of being my ally, threatened to consume me.

The monster advanced, its hissing filling the air. I felt despair rising within me.

I couldn’t do it.

I had no control.

But then a voice broke through the chaos of my thoughts: "It’s not your fear that controls you, Alina. You control your fear."

It was my mother’s voice, distant and indistinct, yet so familiar. Her words resonated in my head, giving me a spark of hope.

I had to transform that fear into strength. I couldn’t push it away, but I had to use it.

I opened my eyes, looking at the monster. The shadows around me paused for a moment, waiting.

I felt the fear, but this time I wouldn’t let it take over.

Instead, I channeled it, transforming it into a source of power.

With a movement of my hand, I summoned the shadows towards me. I felt the dark energy flow through my body, powerful and cold.

But this time, I wasn’t afraid.

This time, I was the one leading it.

The monster stopped, as if it sensed the change in me. Its glowing pupils narrowed, as if it were assessing me.

But I didn’t give it time to react.

With a cry, I hurled the shadows at it.

Darkness enveloped the creature, suffocating it, trapping it. The monster struggled, but the shadows were stronger.

They were a part of me, and I wouldn’t let them go. The hissing turned into a scream, a wrenching sound that seemed to shake the entire forest.

Then, all of a sudden, it was over. The monster dissolved into darkness, like smoke blown away by the wind.

I stood still for a long moment, breathing heavily. The world around me slowly seemed to return to normal. The trees began to sway in the wind again, and the silence of the forest was no longer so oppressive.

Kael looked at me with a mixture of admiration and concern.

"You did it," he said quietly.

I didn’t respond right away. I could still feel the shadows inside me, their dark and constant presence.

I had controlled them this time, but I knew it wouldn’t always be that easy. I had won a battle, but the war inside me had only just begun.

"It’s just the beginning," I murmured, looking at the darkness stretching out before us.

Kael nodded, moving closer. "Yes, it’s only the beginning. But now you know what you’re capable of."