Elina's Crossroads

 Elina sat quietly on the couch, her mind a whirlwind of recent, bewildering events. Here she was, in the living room of the enigmatic yet undeniably handsome teenager who had rescued her. It all felt surreal, like a scene from a book she might have illustrated but never expected to live.

 She pondered her own identity. Known as a prodigious artist despite her young age, Elina often considered herself rather plain-looking. Of Middle Eastern descent, she didn't see the glamour in her appearance that others might. Standing just a little over 160 cm, her medium-length, wavy brown hair framed her face, complementing her auburn eyes and milky white skin. She wasn't what you'd call glamorous, but there was a certain cuteness about her that others often noticed.

 But back to her current predicament. The last few days had been anything but ordinary. It all started with dreams, vivid and unsettling, where her paintings seemed to spring to life. At first, she brushed them off, but as the dreams grew more intense, a nagging feeling began to creep up on her. Something was changing within her, something subtle yet undeniable. A medical check-up revealed nothing unusual, yet the sensation only intensified.

 Elina longed to share her concerns, to seek advice or comfort, but her social circle was virtually non-existent. It wasn't a fact she was proud of, but she had no close friends to confide in about personal matters.

 It all changed for Elina shortly after her unsettling dreams began. One morning, she awoke to find herself standing before a colossal canvas. The painting was complete, unmistakably her style, but she had no memory of conceptualizing or even starting it. It was a piece that should have taken weeks if not months, yet there it was, finished as if by magic in a single night. Initially bewildered and then scared, her emotions soon transformed into excitement and anticipation.

 Elina had always believed in the supernatural, although she'd never encountered it firsthand. This phenomenon, this inexplicable completion of her painting, seemed to be the extraordinary event she had subconsciously longed for. Despite her usual timid demeanor, curiosity bubbled within her, irresistible and consuming. She began to investigate, determined to unravel the mystery behind the overnight masterpiece.

 It was a decision she'd soon come to regret. Her pursuit of the supernatural led her to a strange and dangerous place filled with monstrous creatures. If it hadn't been for their two saviors, she and the others who had been unwittingly dragged into the dungeon would surely have perished.

 Elina sat there, trying to piece together the whirlwind of events that had turned her world upside down. Everything that happened after her encounter with the supernatural was so bewildering that even now she struggled to grasp it all. 

 She sighed, sinking deeper into the couch, her thoughts swirling. "Is Liam alright?" she murmured to herself, the image of him smiling reassuringly at her just before that sudden betrayal played on a loop in her mind.

 She'd been in this place for over a day with no news of Liam. Her worry was palpable, a tight knot in her chest. Just as she was about to lose herself in her thoughts again, the room's silence was broken. One of the walls split open to reveal an elevator, its doors sliding apart to unveil Liam and Aurora, hand in hand, stepping out as if from a scene in a spy movie.

 Elina paused, her astonishment at the sight momentarily breaking her out of her reverie. But then, as Liam's presence registered fully, she hurried to her feet, eager to address him. However, in her typical, awkward fashion, her movement was too hasty. She tripped over her own feet and tumbled down, face first, onto the floor.

 Liam approached Elina, extending a hand to help her up. Elina, still flustered, managed to get to her feet but, in a stroke of ungainly luck, tripped over her own feet once again, this time ending up in Liam's arms. She looked up, his face mere inches from hers, and her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. In a frantic attempt to distance herself, she tried to step away, only to trip yet again. This time, Liam caught her with a chuckle and a slight shake of his head. 

 "Miss Elina, please take deep breaths and try to calm down," he advised with a bittersweet laugh.

 From the sidelines, Aurora watched the scene unfold with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. 

 "This human is quite entertaining," she commented, her chuckle filling the room. Elina's face turned an even brighter red if that was possible, and she wished the couch would just swallow her up.

 Liam suggested they all take a seat. Elina, now slightly more composed but with her cheeks still glowing, nodded in agreement. They settled down, Liam and Aurora on the opposite couch. Elina opened her mouth to speak, a thousand words at the tip of her tongue, but nothing came out. It didn't matter; Liam seemed to understand her unspoken concern.

 "I'm sorry for worrying you," he said, his voice gentle and reassuring. "But I'm alright now." 

 Elina studied him, searching for any sign of injury. Finding none, she leaned back into the couch, a tangible sense of relief washing over her. With Liam safe, it felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from her heart.

 Suddenly, with an uncharacteristic burst of energy, she exclaimed, "That's right!" Her curiosity, momentarily overshadowed by her concern, bubbled to the surface. "Why did Gregory attack you at the last moment?" she asked, her voice a mix of bewilderment and indignation.

 Liam and Aurora exchanged a glance, a silent agreement passing between them.

 Liam shared the core of the story with Elina, omitting some details but conveying that the entire incident was designed to pull him into the dungeon. Elina listened with rapt attention, her mind whirling with disbelief. The revelation that Gregory, the seemingly gruff yet protective old man, was nothing more than a magical puppet left her reeling. She paused, trying to make sense of it all. "How is that possible?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion. "He seemed so real, so human."

 Liam could only offer a bitter shake of his head. "Magic is a bewildering thing," he admitted. "Even we don't understand the concept." They sat in a momentary silence, each lost in their thoughts about the mysterious and often baffling world of magic.

 Breaking the silence, Liam addressed her. "Miss Elina—" But he was quickly interrupted by a flustered Elina, who, stammering, insisted there was no need for formalities.

 Liam smiled. "Alright then, Elina," he acquiesced. "I'm just as puzzled about why you're here. I didn't expect to find you in all this mess."

 Liam had assumed that ordinary people caught up in the magical incident would have their memories altered, made to forget everything. He wasn't sure how the magical world remained hidden, but erasing someone's memory with magic probably wasn't too difficult. Elina, clearly still trying to piece together her own thoughts, finally began to explain what happened after she was pushed through the portal.

 "After you pushed me into the portal," she started, her voice a blend of confusion and relief, "I appeared back in the warehouse where a group of people were waiting, including Ms Evelyn."

 It seems she became acquainted with Evelyn as well.

 Her hands fidgeted as she continued, "I was so worried about you, Liam. I told them everything that happened inside the dungeon and pleaded for them to help you."

 Liam, having seen Aurora's recording, knew up to this point, but what came next was new to him. After her plea, Elina and the others were whisked away to some unknown place. Aurora had tried to track them with a drone, but they vanished into thin air.

 She hesitated, her eyes darting away as if trying to find the right words. "I was separated from the others," she finally continued, "and they didn't tell me much, just that I had undergone something called 'awakening.' They said it wouldn't be easy for me to continue living a normal life."

 She paused for a moment, clearly still confused about this information.

 "In the end, they gave me two options: to follow them or go with you, Liam. They didn't explain anything more than that." Her voice trailed off, leaving a heavy silence in its wake.

 What were Evelyn and the mysterious girl's true objectives? Why would they give Elina the choice to go with Liam? And what did this 'awakening' entail? Was Elina now in possession of some newfound magical ability that put her in danger?

 As the weight of these questions hung in the air, Aurora, ever the disruptor of heavy atmospheres, chimed in. "Elina," she began, her voice clear and intriguing, "I have a proposition for you."

 Elina, who had been so absorbed in her thoughts, turned her attention to Aurora. It was impossible not to be drawn to her. She was one of the most beautiful girls she had ever seen.

 Aurora's striking goth-loli dress and her beautiful silver hair styled in two pigtails made her an extraordinary sight. Even Elina, despite the chaos swirling inside her, couldn't help but be drawn to her.

 Aurora's smile widened, and the words that followed caught both Elina and Liam off guard. 

 Looking directly at Elina, her voice laced with a hint of mischief, Aurora asked, "How would you feel about becoming a fixer?"