Beyond the Gateways

Chapter 10: Echoes of Power

The night was still and cold as Ariana stood on the edge of the ancient stone balcony, gazing out over the landscape that stretched into the unknown. Below her, the sprawling city of Ashen Reach lay quiet, bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight. The city's lights flickered like stars, unaware of the storm brewing just beyond its borders. But for Ariana, the storm was not just coming from the outside—it was rising within her.

The echoes had begun again.

The power inside her, the magic she could barely understand, stirred with a restless energy. It was as though something deep inside her was awakening, something ancient and primal, urging her to remember, to act. But every time she reached for it, the sensation slipped through her fingers, like water running through her hands.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" Dorian's voice broke through the silence, and she turned to find him standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame. His eyes gleamed with that familiar, mischievous glint.

"I'm thinking," Ariana replied softly, her voice distant. "About what I need to do next."

Dorian raised an eyebrow. "Thinking? You've been standing there for hours, lost in your own thoughts. Whatever's going on in that head of yours, it's clearly keeping you busy."

"I don't understand what's happening to me," she said, turning back to the view. "These echoes... these flashes of power. I can't control them. It's like I'm being pulled in different directions."

Dorian moved toward her, his expression softening slightly. "You're not the only one who's been feeling the pull. The Gateways are stirring, and that means things are changing. The past is coming back, and it's not going to be gentle with you."

Ariana's fists clenched at her sides. "I don't even know where to begin. How can I fight something I don't understand?"

"Start by trusting yourself," Dorian said, his voice low. "The magic, the power—it's inside you. It's been waiting for you to remember. But you can't force it. You have to let it come to you. If you fight it, you'll only push it away."

Ariana turned to face him, her eyes narrowing. "You're not telling me everything, Dorian. You know more than you're letting on. About the Gateways, about what's happening to me. Why won't you just tell me the truth?"

Dorian took a deep breath, clearly wrestling with his own thoughts. After a long pause, he finally spoke. "It's not just about the Gateways. There's something else going on, something that's been set into motion for a long time. You're not the only one with a stake in this. There are others, people who are looking for you. Looking for the power you carry."

Ariana's heart skipped a beat. "Who?"

Dorian's gaze darkened. "You'll find out soon enough."

---

The next morning, Ariana ventured into the heart of the city. Her thoughts were clouded with Dorian's cryptic words, and she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more at play here than she could fully comprehend. She needed answers—and the only way to get them was to confront the magic that pulsed through her veins.

She had spent the past few days trying to piece together what little she knew, but it was as though her memories were locked away behind a door she couldn't open. Every time she tried to push past the veil, the memories scattered, like fragments of a shattered mirror.

But today was different. There was a pull in the air, an energy that seemed to beckon her forward, urging her to follow.

Ariana made her way to the edge of the city, where the magic was thickest—where the old ruins stood in silent testament to the power that once flowed through this land. She had heard whispers of an ancient wellspring hidden deep within the ruins, a place where the veil between the physical world and the magical realm was thinnest. It was said that those who sought the truth could find it there.

As she ventured deeper into the ruins, the air grew colder, the magic heavier. The stone walls seemed to hum with an ancient energy, and every step she took made the echoes of power grow louder in her mind. It was as though the very ground beneath her feet was alive, pulsing with magic, waiting for her to unlock its secrets.

Ariana reached the heart of the ruins, where a stone altar stood, bathed in a soft, ethereal light. The symbols carved into the altar glowed faintly, as though calling to her. She approached cautiously, her hand instinctively reaching for the runes on her wrists. As her fingers brushed against the stone, a surge of energy shot through her, and the world around her blurred.

Flashes of memories hit her all at once—visions of a past life, of a young woman standing before the Gateways, her eyes filled with determination. Ariana's heart pounded in her chest as the images shifted. She saw herself, a protector of the Gateways, standing alongside others who shared her duty. There was power, so much power, but also a deep sense of loss, of betrayal. Faces she couldn't recognize flashed before her, but the pain in their eyes was clear. Then came the figure—the one who had betrayed her, the one who had shattered her world and torn her memories from her.

The vision shifted again, and Ariana saw herself on the edge of the Gateways, the power surging around her, threatening to swallow her whole. But this time, there was something different. In the distance, she saw a shadow, watching her—waiting.

"Who are you?" Ariana whispered, but the figure remained silent, their identity just out of reach.

The vision faded as quickly as it had come, and Ariana stumbled back, gasping for air. She looked around, disoriented, as the world returned to its normal state. The echoes of power still hummed in the air, but they had faded, leaving her with more questions than answers.

---

As she made her way back through the ruins, Ariana's thoughts raced. The vision had been a glimpse into her past—fragments of a life she had forgotten. But it hadn't answered the most pressing questions: who had betrayed her, and why had her memories been taken from her?

And what was the shadow that watched her from the distance? Who—or what—was it?

The answers were still out of reach, but Ariana knew one thing for certain: the power that surged within her was not just a gift. It was a weapon. And someone, somewhere, would stop at nothing to control it.

---

Later that night, as Ariana sat alone in her room, the runes on her wrists pulsed again, a soft glow that seemed to mirror her thoughts. The power was there, waiting for her to claim it—but how? She closed her eyes, trying to quiet the storm inside her mind.

"Focus," she whispered to herself. "Focus on what you felt. On the memories. On the magic."

For a moment, nothing happened. But then, the magic inside her stirred, and Ariana felt it—the connection to the Gateways, to the world she had forgotten. It was like an echo in her soul, a thread pulling her toward something greater.

And with that, she knew what she had to do.

The journey was far from over. In fact, it was just beginning.