I had a restless night.
My dreams were plagued with shadows that stretched and curled around me, their shapes shifting, twisting, creeping closer no matter how hard I tried to pull away.
Crows circled above, their dark wings slicing through the sky, their cries sharp and endless, echoing in my skull like an omen I couldn't decipher.
And then, amidst the darkness, I saw them: piercing, cold eyes staring straight through me, eyes that held no warmth, no recognition, only something distant and menacing.
I wanted to look away, to move, to run, but I couldn't. The weight of their gaze held me still, pinned in place as the darkness thickened around me. And just when I thought I couldn't bear it any longer, the color shifted, the coldness giving way to something far too familiar, stormy gray, deep and consuming, eyes I had seen a thousand times before.
Riven.
He stood before me, his face unreadable, his hands lifting, fingers reaching forward, as if to cup my face, as if to pull me closer. For a moment, I let him. For a moment, I wanted to.
But the second his touch grazed my skin, everything changed.
The warmth I expected never came; instead, a creeping cold slithered down my arms, spreading through me like poison. Tendrils of darkness seeped from him, twisting around me, curling at my throat, wrapping tight around my limbs, pulling me in. My breath caught, but before I could say anything, before I could pull away, before I could even ask what was happening, he pushed me.
The ground beneath me vanished, and I was falling, crashing into icy water, the force of it knocking the air from my lungs. I gasped, but no breath came, only the sting of water rushing in, filling my chest, suffocating me from the inside out. I tried to claw my way to the surface, but the shadows were stronger, tightening around me, dragging me deeper, deeper, until all I could see was darkness.
Above me, Riven stood at the water's edge, watching.
Unmoving. Unflinching. The storm in his eyes raging, but his expression eerily calm.
I reached for him, desperate, but he never reached back.
And as the shadows swallowed me whole, as the last trace of light disappeared, the only thing I could think was, he let me drown.
I gasped awake, my chest heaving, coughing and spluttering like invisible hands had been wrapped around my throat, squeezing the air from my lungs.
I pushed myself upright, dizzy, disoriented. My body felt wrong, my limbs heavy, my pulse hammering in my ears.
I stumbled out of bed, my legs trembling beneath me, unsteady. The room felt too small, the air too thin. My hands found the wall, fingers pressing against it as I forced myself forward.
The tightness in my chest refused to fade. I needed air. I needed water.
I barely registered my own movements as I staggered out of my room, down the hall, then the stairs, gripping the railing like it was the only thing keeping me upright.
By the time I reached the kitchen, my hands were shaking.
I grabbed a glass, nearly knocking it over in my rush, and poured water with unsteady fingers.
The first sip barely touched the suffocating dryness in my throat. I drank again, faster, each gulp desperate, as if I could flush away the lingering sensation of drowning.
But even as the cool liquid ran down my throat, something inside me remained unsettled.
Like I hadn't truly woken up at all.
I made my way to the living room, each step unsteady, my body still shaken from the lingering grip of the dream. Or whatever it was.
Collapsing onto the couch, I pulled my legs to my chest, my arms wrapping tightly around myself. I felt cold. Not the kind that came from the cool air of the morning but something deeper, something rooted inside me.
I rubbed my arms, trying to chase away the chill, but it refused to leave.
My gaze drifted toward the tall floor-to-ceiling windows, where the darkness still lingered, the faintest hint of dawn beginning to creep across the horizon. The sky was shifting, colors bleeding into one another, a slow, quiet transformation.
I wished I could say the same for myself.
What was happening to me? I couldn't make sense of it.
Everything felt like it was happening all at once: fast, relentless, suffocating.
I could barely wrap my head around it, let alone figure out what to handle first.
The intruders. The Council. The visions. The shadows. The warnings. The nightmare. Riven.
It was too much. All of it.
And it was frustrating.
Frustrating because I had no answers.
Frustrating because the more I tried to piece it together, the more it unraveled in my hands.
Frustrating because deep down, in some place I didn't want to acknowledge, I had a terrible feeling that this was just the beginning.
I closed my eyes, trying to quiet the storm in my head, but it was useless. Everything pressed in at once, suffocating, relentless.
I barely registered the presence beside me until the couch dipped, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I opened my eyes to find Lara sitting next to me, a steaming mug extended in my direction. The faint scent of Solaris Brew curled through the air, warm and familiar.
I took it, murmuring a quiet, "Thanks," before settling back against the cushions.
Neither of us spoke as we sipped our drinks, watching as Elarion's sun slowly made its ascent, bleeding light into the sky.
After a while, Lara nudged my leg with hers. "You okay?"
I stared into the contents of my mug, watching the liquid swirl as I struggled to put my feelings into words. "I don't know, Lara."
I exhaled, rubbing a hand down my face. "It's all too much. Too much happening, and I feel like I'm drowning in the middle of it all. Nothing makes sense, and all I get are cryptic answers, like that actually helps."
I lifted my gaze to hers, voice edged with frustration. "You would know something about that, wouldn't you?"
Lara's expression faltered. She lowered her gaze, running a fingertip along the rim of her mug. She exhaled heavily before turning to me.
"I wish I could give you all the answers you're looking for, Athens. Make it easier for you. But I don't think you understand. You aren't the only one with unanswered questions, you know?"
The last part stunned me into silence. Of all the things I expected her to say, this wasn't one of them. I had been so consumed by my own search for the truth, so wrapped up in the suffocating weight of everything I didn't know, that I hadn't stopped to realize Lara was searching for something, too.
A quiet understanding settled between us, the kind that didn't need words, the kind that spoke to the things we weren't saying. Secrets neither of us were willing to share.
But it wasn't enough.
Because even as I looked at her, a quiet unease settled deep in my chest, a nagging thought I couldn't shake. Was she searching in the right places? Who was she trusting to give her the answers she needed?
I reached over, intertwining my fingers with hers, gripping just enough to keep her here, just enough to make her hear me.
"Lara, please. Promise me you'll be careful. I don't know what it is you're looking for, but don't go searching in places you can't come back from."
Lara squeezed my hand, firm, unwavering, her expression unreadable. "I promise you, Athens. I know what I'm doing. Please, I just need you to trust me."
Trust.
That was the second time this week someone had asked for my trust without giving me a reason to.
She looked at me expectantly, her grip tightening, as if she needed something from me, as if my faith in her was the only thing holding her together.
I searched her gaze, waiting for the reassurance that she wasn't walking into something she wouldn't be able to escape.
But it never came.
And still, I nodded.
I nodded, hoping with all my heart that Riven kept his word and saved Lara from whatever she had gotten herself into.
Lara sighed, her entire posture softening with relief. And just like that, she was back to her usual self.
She tapped my leg twice before standing up, stretching her arms over her head. "Come on, get dressed. We're going on our weekend run."
I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift. "Wait, what?"
But she was already collecting our mugs, disappearing into the kitchen without another word.
I sat there for a moment, processing how quickly she could switch back, how easily she could pretend everything was fine when it clearly wasn't.
Then, with a sigh, I rose to my feet, rolling my shoulders back as I made my way toward the stairs.
Lara was already halfway up when she turned to glance at me. "Hurry up, Athens!"
She drummed her fingers against the railing in a random, rhythmic beat before laughing and sprinting the rest of the way to her room.
I couldn't help but laugh at her antics.
But beneath that laughter, something else lingered.
Because now I saw it, the invisible burden she carried, the weight she never let anyone see.
She hid it well, buried it beneath her loudness, her chaos, her endless distractions.
But today, for the first time, I saw it for what it was.
And that was dangerous.
Because if I could see through her mask, who else could?
I pulled on my workout gear, quietly making a promise to myself.
I might not have the answers she was looking for, but I would be here for her.
I would be the support she could lean on while she navigated her own path.
Even if mine was falling apart beneath my feet.
I met Lara outside, where she was already mid-stretch, twisted into one of her overly complicated poses, looking far too motivated for a Sunday morning run.
I smirked as I walked past her, reaching out and poking her in the ribs.
Lara yelped, arms flailing as she lost her balance, crashing flat onto her ass.
"You bitch!" she shrieked.
I burst out laughing, completely unapologetic, while stepping into place to start my warm-up routine.
Lara huffed dramatically as she pushed herself back to her feet, brushing dirt off her shorts with an exaggerated flair.
For a second, she looked almost composed, until the corner of her mouth curled into a wicked smirk, sharp and full of promise.
"You better start running, Athens."
My eyes widened. "Lara, don't you dare..."
She lunged.
Before I could even finish my warm-up routine, I was bolting into the forest, feet pounding against the earth, diving between the trees as laughter bubbled in my throat.
I could hear her behind me, gaining speed, her footsteps light, precise, sharp.
I zigzagged through the trees, making it more difficult for her to catch me, ducking low branches, kicking off tree trunks to change direction at the last second.
But let's face it, Lara was no ordinary runner. She was a fully transformed magical prodigy now.
She was faster. Stronger. Sharper.
And she was gaining on me.
I pushed forward, running as fast as my legs could carry me, until suddenly, I realized I couldn't hear her footsteps anymore.
The sound of pursuit, the crunch of leaves, the steady rhythm of her chase: gone.
The absence of it hit me like a wall.
I slowed to a stop, breathing heavily as I turned back, my pulse thrumming in my ears.
"Lara?"
Silence.
The forest stretched behind me, empty, too empty.
The only sounds that reached me were the distant chirping of iridescents and the soft whisper of leaves swaying in the wind.
I swallowed, scanning my surroundings, my heartbeat climbing. "Lara, come on, this isn't funny!"
Still nothing.
A cold chill crawled down my spine, my muscles tensing.
Something wasn't right.
I took a step back, my breath catching.
"Boo, bitch!" A voice slithered into my ear, inches away from my skin.
I screamed, my heart plummeting straight into my stomach.
I whirled around, hands clenched into fists, my pulse hammering, only to find Lara, bent over at the waist, howling with laughter.
She was wheezing, clutching her stomach, practically doubled over at my expense.
I stared at her, my brain still catching up, my pulse still hammering like I had run straight into danger instead of her stupid prank.
Oh.
She was going to pay for that.
I didn't hesitate.
Before she could react, I lunged.
Lara yelped, but I was already on her, tackling her to the ground with zero remorse. She hit the earth with a muffled thud, her laughter breaking into a breathless shriek as I pinned her down.
"You absolute menace," I hissed, straddling her as I dug my fingers into her sides, relentlessly tickling her with no mercy.
"A-Athens, stop!" she gasped between laughs, thrashing beneath me, her limbs flailing as she tried to push me off.
I only tickled her harder. "Oh, you want me to stop? After that?"
Lara was crying with laughter now, kicking her legs out in wild desperation. "I'm..sorry! Please!"
I huffed, grinning despite myself, before finally relenting and rolling off of her, dropping onto my back beside her on the soft, moss-covered earth.
For a moment, we just lay there, breathless.
The sun had fully risen now, its golden light filtering through the trees, casting long shadows around us.
Lara exhaled a deep, content sigh, her arm flopping onto the ground beside me. "Okay, I deserved that."
I turned my head to look at her, still catching my breath. "You think?"
She chuckled, tilting her head toward me. "You should've seen your face."
I groaned, covering my face with my hands. "I hate you."
Lara snorted. "Lies. You love me."
I peeked through my fingers at her, rolling my eyes. "Barely."
She grinned. "Still counts."
I huffed, letting my hands drop, staring up at the sky.
The air was crisp, fresh with the lingering chill of the morning. The forest felt peaceful again.
At least, for now.
But that feeling from earlier, the one that had unsettled me wasn't entirely gone.
And somehow, I didn't think it had anything to do with Lara's prank.