Alina: Light & Shadows

Chapter 10

I had never been a patient person. Kael reminded me of that constantly, as if my impatience were the root of all my problems.

But this time, it was something more. I couldn’t wait. I couldn’t ignore that voice.

I walked through the forest, trying to sort out my thoughts, but each step seemed to draw me closer to that suffocating feeling tightening in my chest.

The sun barely filtered through the trees, and the light, rather than comforting me, only heightened my unease.

Ever since I had heard the voice the night before, everything had changed. I couldn’t shake its echo from my mind.

"I am the one who started all of this."

Who was she? How could she be connected to me? And, above all, what did “all of this” truly mean?

The shadows I controlled, the dark power growing within me... was it all tied to her? I felt that voice was not a coincidence. It was calling to me. And I had to understand why.

Kael walked beside me in silence. We hadn’t exchanged many words since that night. I could sense his concern, but there was also a certain distance that had formed between us.

It was as if he knew something he didn’t want to tell me. I was tired of waiting for him to speak, of waiting for him to guide me.

It was time to take matters into my own hands.

"Kael," I said, stopping suddenly. He turned to me, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"I need to know what’s going on," I said, trying to keep my tone steady.

"I heard a voice last night; it called my name, it was a woman. I’m sure it wasn’t a dream. Please don’t keep me in the dark. Tell me what’s happening... I know you know."

Kael sighed, as if he had anticipated this conversation. "You’re not ready for the truth, Alina. You’ve just begun to understand what your power entails. Knowing too much, too soon, could lead you to make mistakes."

"I can’t wait any longer!" I exclaimed, feeling my frustration rise. "I heard that voice, Kael. It told me it started all of this. Who is she? And what does she have to do with me?"

Kael remained silent for a moment, as if he were weighing how much to reveal. Finally, he rubbed his face and said, "The voice you heard… it might be tied to something very ancient. Something dangerous."

"What does that mean?" I pressed, my heart racing.

"It means that the power you have doesn’t rightfully belong to you," he replied slowly, as if choosing his words with care. "Someone, long ago, bound the shadows to a bloodline. A curse, if you want to call it that. You are part of that bloodline."

His words struck me like a whip. "A curse? You mean this power… it doesn’t belong to me?"

"It belongs to you because you were born into a specific bloodline. But it’s not a gift. It wasn’t chosen. It was forced."

I felt a wave of nausea. All my life, all the battles I had fought to understand who I was, now seemed to be the result of something I had never been able to control.

"Who created this curse?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Kael looked at me with serious eyes. "A powerful witch, long ago. Her name was Seline. And it’s said that her soul was trapped in the shadows. Her voice… the one you heard… could be hers."

Kael's words left me breathless. Seline. I had never heard that name before, but now it felt so close, so familiar, as if it had always been a part of me.

"Why is she calling me? What does she want from me?"

Kael shook his head. "I don’t know. No one does. But what’s clear is that the shadows serve her. And if you are the next in her bloodline, she might want to use you to return."

Panic began to seep into me.

"You mean… Seline could try to take control of my body?"

Kael nodded slowly.

"It’s possible."

I didn’t know what to think. Everything I had believed about myself had crumbled in moments.

I was just a vessel for someone else, an ancient witch trying to come back to life. The shadows had never truly belonged to me.

"You have to be careful, Alina," Kael said, stepping closer to me. "The more you use that power, the closer you get to her. The shadows are like chains, and every time you summon them, you’re tightening them around your neck."

I looked at my hands, the tremors now more evident. The shadows had always given me a sense of power, of control.

But now I knew they were just an illusion.

I wasn’t controlling anything.

I was merely a pawn in a much larger game.

"So what do I do?" I asked, my voice broken by fear.

Kael watched me for a long moment, then said, "You have to find a way to break the curse. Only then will you truly be free."

Those words hung in the air. Break the curse? I didn’t even know where to start. But one thing was clear: I could no longer ignore what was happening inside me.

"Where do we start?" I asked, trying to mask my uncertainty.

Kael turned to the forest, his eyes fixed on a distant point.

"There’s a place… an ancient temple, hidden among the mountains. Legends say that’s where the curse was created. We might find answers there. But the journey will be dangerous."

I sighed, feeling the weight of what lay ahead.

"We have no choice, do we?"

Kael shook his head.

"No. We never did."