Training began the next morning.
It was brutal.
Elara learned that the magic in her blood woke the moment Arin's curse dissolved. Now it pulsed inside her—wild, untrained, dangerous.
She felt its pull every time she closed her eyes. It was a storm inside her veins, whispering of power and temptation.
The oracle guided her through the ancient arts.
Channeling.
Binding.
Controlling.
She practiced from dawn to dusk, pushing her body beyond exhaustion. Every day she collapsed onto the stone floor, shaking, drenched in sweat.
Every day she rose again.
Because the shadows grew stronger.
Because she felt their hunger.
Because she refused to let another soul suffer as Arin did.
Still, at night, the truth pierced her like a needle:
Arin did not know her.
Arin did not wait for her.
Arin lived somewhere in the forest, building a life she was no longer part of.
And she—
She fought a war he would never remember she once died for.
On the thirty-third night of training, the air split with a scream.
Elara jerked upright.
The oracle rushed to her side. "It's time. The shadows have found a host."
Elara's stomach dropped. "Who?!"
The oracle closed her eyes, sensing the twisting energy.
"Arin."
Elara's world tilted.
"No," she whispered. "No. No, this can't be happening."
"He is not cursed," the oracle clarified. "But the shadows are drawn to familiar blood. They cling to the remnants of the bond."
Elara grabbed her cloak.
"I'm going to him."
"You are not ready," the oracle warned.
"I don't care!"
She ran—through the ruins, through the forest, through memories that tore her apart. Her heart pounded with every step, driven by fear and something deeper than destiny.
At last, she reached the wooden cabin.
Light flickered violently inside.
"Elara," the oracle said behind her, breathless. "Wait—"
But Elara pushed the door open.
And froze.
Arin knelt in the center of the room, clutching his head, surrounded by swirling black smoke.
He looked up at her.
Not with empty eyes.
Not with confusion.
But with terror.
"Elara…" he gasped. "I don't know why—but I called your name. I don't even know you, and yet—"
The shadows lashed out.
Elara sprang forward.
"ARIN!"