The awakening of the abyss

 (Chapter 31:Mira's pov) 

 The air was sharp with the scent of damp earth as I stepped onto the training grounds. Dawn had barely broken, the sky still clinging to the last remnants of night. A thin mist curled around my feet, eerie in the half-light.

 Lorenzo stood in the center of the clearing, waiting. His dark cloak billowed slightly as the wind moved through the trees. He looked untouched by the cold, by the early hour—by anything at all.

 "You're late," he said, his voice carrying through the silence.

 I tightened my grip on the hilt of my dagger. "You'll live."

 His lips twitched, but he said nothing. Instead, he moved, vanishing from where he stood. My body tensed—too late. The next second, he was behind me. I turned just as he struck, barely managing to block his attack. My arm tingled from the impact.

 "You're sluggish," he murmured, stepping back. "Again."

 I took a steadying breath and attacked, pushing my speed, my strength—but something was wrong.

 The world blurred. For a second, it felt like my body wasn't mine. The weight of the dagger in my hand was unfamiliar, distant. My vision flickered, darkening at the edges.

 And then—

 I wasn't on the training grounds anymore.

 I stood in a twisted forest, the trees skeletal and black against a crimson sky. Fog clung to the ground, thick as smoke, curling around my ankles like living things. The air smelled of something burnt—charred wood, scorched earth.

 A whisper crawled through the silence.

 "Mira..."

 I turned sharply, my pulse hammering. The shadows shifted between the trees, forming shapes that faded as quickly as they appeared. Something was watching me.

 Then—pain.

 A searing, unbearable fire burned into my back, as if something had been carved into my skin. I gasped, falling to my knees, my hands digging into the ashen soil. My breath came in ragged gulps, my heartbeat erratic.

 "She is awakening."

 The voice was soft, chilling, too close.

 "She belongs to us."

 Darkness surged forward, swallowing me whole.

 Then—light.

 I was back.

 The training grounds spun around me as I blinked, struggling to breathe. I was on the ground, my fingers buried in the dirt, my skin damp with sweat.

 Lorenzo loomed over me, his face unreadable, but his eyes—his eyes held something dangerous.

 He was afraid.

 "What happened?" His voice was steady, but it wasn't a question. It was a demand.

 I swallowed hard, but my throat felt raw. "I—I don't know."

 That was a lie.

 I had felt it.

 Something inside me had awakened. And it was still watching.