Aria stood in the heart of the ruined temple, her hands trembling at her sides. The hooded figure had disappeared, leaving only the whisper of wind through the broken pillars and the weight of their warning echoing in her mind.
"Your blood remembers. Your ancestors called upon the Sight, and in return, they became its servants."
She had always known she was different.
But she had never considered that her power was a burden, a contract she had inherited from those who came before her.
Still, she had a choice.
If she wanted to survive, she had to learn.
And she had to start now.
Aria turned toward the altar, tracing the faded runes with her fingertips. The stone was cold beneath her touch, but the moment her skin made contact, a sharp jolt ran through her body—like lightning striking her veins.
A whisper filled her ears.
"Awaken."
Her vision blurred, the world tilting around her.
And then—
Darkness.
When Aria opened her eyes, she was somewhere else.
The temple was gone.
Instead, she stood in the middle of an endless void—shifting mist curling at her feet, the sky above a swirling mass of stars.
She turned in a slow circle, heart pounding.
She wasn't alone.
Figures emerged from the mist, their faces hidden, their forms flickering like dying candle flames.
But she could feel them.
Their presence pressed against her skin, their whispers slithering through her mind.
"Do you seek control?"
Aria swallowed hard. "Yes."
"Do you seek power?"
A hesitation.
"…I seek understanding."
A pause.
And then—laughter.
Not cruel. Not mocking.
But knowing.
"Then you are ready."
The mist surged forward.
Aria gasped as something cold wrapped around her wrists, her ankles—pulling, dragging, binding her in place.
Panic clawed at her throat.
She tried to move, but she couldn't.
The figures grew closer, their whispers turning into a chant.
The words were ancient. Foreign.
And yet, somehow, she understood them.
"Break the seal. Free the Sight. Become what was lost."
A searing pain shot through her skull, and Aria screamed.
Her vision exploded into light—colors she had never seen, shapes that twisted and morphed, reality itself unraveling.
And then—
She saw.
Not just the present.
Not just the past.
But the threads of fate themselves, woven into a tapestry of infinite possibilities.
Every choice. Every outcome.
Every truth.
Her mind reeled.
It was too much.
She couldn't contain it.
Her body convulsed, her breath ragged. She could feel herself unraveling, her soul stretching too thin—
"Control it."
A voice, sharp as steel, cut through the chaos.
Aria gasped, her vision flickering.
"Focus."
She clawed at the overwhelming storm of knowledge, trying to grasp onto something—anything.
And then—
Stillness.
The flood of visions slowed, the swirling chaos settling into something clearer.
She was still standing.
Her body was whole.
And when she looked up, she was back in the ruined temple.
The altar stood before her, its runes glowing softly.
But something had changed.
Her eyes burned with new awareness.
She had crossed the threshold.
The training had begun.
Aria staggered back from the altar, her breath coming in short gasps. Her skin tingled as if a current of energy ran just beneath its surface. Everything felt… different.
The whispers had faded, but their weight lingered in her mind.
She had seen things—fragments of futures, echoes of the past, and something more, something she couldn't yet name.
Was this what it meant to awaken?
A sharp gust of wind cut through the ruins, and Aria shivered. The hooded figure was gone, but the lesson remained.
She clenched her fists, forcing herself to stand taller.
She had wanted this—needed this.
But now that the door had opened, she wasn't sure she could close it again.
The next few days passed in a blur of restless visions and exhaustion.
Every time she closed her eyes, she was somewhere else—trapped in memories that weren't hers, watching events unfold that she didn't understand.
Sometimes she saw people she recognized—villagers from her past, faces she had long forgotten.
Other times, she saw creatures—shadowy things with hollow eyes, watching her from the edges of her dreams.
But the worst were the glimpses of herself.
Versions of Aria she didn't recognize—some standing in triumph, others broken and bleeding.
She didn't know which of them she was destined to become.
And that terrified her.
One night, she sat by the temple ruins, trying to steady her thoughts. The fire she had built crackled softly, casting long shadows over the broken stone.
She had spent the day testing her abilities, pushing herself further than before.
At first, she had tried to call forth a vision on command—to control the Sight instead of letting it control her.
It hadn't been easy.
The first few attempts left her dizzy, disoriented.
But then she had tried focusing on a single question.
"Where did my power come from?"
The answer had come in flashes.
A woman, standing in a place Aria didn't recognize. Her face was hidden, but Aria felt her presence—an undeniable connection.
The woman had reached out, her voice distant, like an echo across time.
"Find me."
And then, the vision had shattered.
Aria exhaled sharply, pressing a hand to her temple.
The woman had to be one of her ancestors—the one who had first made the contract with the Sight.
If she could find her…
Maybe she could find a way to break it.
A rustling sound snapped her out of her thoughts.
Aria tensed, her fingers inching toward the dagger at her belt.
The night was quiet.
Too quiet.
She rose slowly, scanning the darkness beyond the ruins.
Then—movement.
Something shifted between the trees, just beyond the firelight.
Aria's heart pounded.
She wasn't alone.
A low growl echoed through the air.
She barely had time to react before it lunged.
A creature burst from the shadows—a hulking mass of sinew and darkness, its eyes glowing like embers.
Aria dodged, rolling across the ground as its claws sliced through empty air.
She hit the ground hard, but she didn't hesitate.
In one swift motion, she drew her dagger and turned to face the creature.
It was unlike anything she had seen before—its form shifting, rippling like liquid shadow.
But there was something familiar about it.
Her visions.
She had seen creatures like this before.
The realization sent a chill down her spine.
They were coming for her.
Her powers were growing, and they could sense it.
Aria tightened her grip on the dagger.
She had two choices—run or fight.
And she was tired of running.
The creature lunged again.
This time, she was ready.
She dodged to the side, twisting her body just in time to slice through its shadowed form.
A sharp hiss filled the air, and the creature recoiled.
It could be hurt.
That meant it could be killed.
Aria took a breath, centering herself.
She wasn't just a frightened girl anymore.
She had power.
And for the first time, she was learning how to use it.
The battle wasn't over.
But this was only the beginning.