The Silent Echo

e the overwhelming feeling that her life had irrevocably changed. For years, she had lived an ordinary existence in the quiet village of Darrow's

e book tighter, as if its weight might somehow anchor her to something solid. "

He stepped closer, the air around him charged with a palpable

y. "It won't be easy, but you don't have

t him, but she was still struggling to reconcile the stranger before

d with frustration. "How do I control the power you kee

ide you, but it's dormant. You'll have to awaken it, let it guide you. But you'll need training, and you'll need to understand you

oice quivering. "Ready to fight som

eing a hero, Lena. It's about survival. The darkness is awakening, and we don't have much time. There are othe

r throat. "Other beings? Y

t dark forces-creatures that walk the line betwe

sed to tell her as a child-the stories about creatures from the shadows, about guardians and protectors,

l," Lena murmured. "I thought

ay. But those fairy tales are rooted in truth.

zed with a sudden clarity that everything she had known-her family, her life-was part o

o burn with an intensity that she hadn't noticed before. It was as though it w

said quietly, feeling the weight

ou don't have to be ready