Chapter 5: Shadows of the Future

The void around her swirled, shifting and changing, and Aurelia felt the familiar weight of dread settle over her. The Veil was not done with her yet. She braced herself as the darkness gave way to a new scene, a future she had not yet lived but feared all the same.

She found herself in Lysandra again, but the city was different. The once bustling streets were eerily silent, the buildings crumbling and overgrown with vines. The sky was a sickly shade of green, and the air was thick with ash and smoke. Fires burned in the distance, their flames licking at the sky.

Aurelia walked through the empty streets, her footsteps echoing in the silence. Her heart raced as she took in the devastation around her. This wasn’t the future she had fought for. This was a nightmare.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before her, standing in the middle of the street. Aurelia’s breath caught in her throat as she recognized the figure—it was her. But this version of herself was different. Her face was gaunt, her eyes hollow and filled with a terrible, cold resolve. Her hands were stained with blood, and in one of them, she held the Veil.

“This is your future,” the other Aurelia said, her voice cold and emotionless. “If you continue down this path, this is what awaits you.”

Aurelia shook her head, stepping back in horror. “No. This isn’t me. This isn’t what I want.”

The other Aurelia tilted her head, a cruel smile playing on her lips. “You can’t escape fate. You can’t change what’s already been written.”