Chapter 15: The Shadows of the Past.

As I stood in Elara's cottage, surrounded by the warm glow of candles and the soft hum of ancient magic, I felt the weight of the past bearing down upon me. Elara's eyes seemed to bore into my soul, as if she could see the deepest, darkest corners of my heart.

"The truth is not always easy to hear," Elara said, her voice low and husky. "But it is necessary. Necessary for healing, necessary for growth."

I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. I was ready to hear the truth, no matter how difficult it might be.

Elara's eyes seemed to cloud over, as if she was gazing into a distant past. "You were born with a gift," she said. "A gift of magic, of power. But it was a gift that was not understood, not appreciated."

As she spoke, the air seemed to vibrate with an otherworldly energy, and I felt myself being pulled back into the past. I saw myself as a child, playing in a sun-drenched meadow, laughing and carefree. But as I grew older, the laughter faded, replaced by fear and uncertainty.

"They didn't understand me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "They didn't know what to do with me."

Elara's eyes snapped back into focus, and she reached out, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "You were not alone," she said. "There were others like you, others with the same gift. But they were hunted, persecuted. Forced to hide their true nature."

As she spoke, the shadows in the room seemed to deepen, growing darker and more menacing. I felt a sense of foreboding wash over me, as if I was standing on the edge of a precipice, staring into the abyss.

"What happened to them?" I asked, my voice shaking with emotion.

Elara's eyes seemed to cloud over once more, and she spoke in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "They were destroyed," she said. "Hunted down and destroyed. But you, Sophia, you were different. You were special."

As she spoke, the room seemed to grow colder, the shadows deepening and twisting around us. I felt a sense of fear wash over me, as if I was staring into the face of something ancient and evil.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Elara's eyes snapped back into focus, and she spoke in a voice that was low and husky. "You were chosen," she said. "Chosen for a great purpose, a purpose that only you can fulfill."

As she spoke, the room seemed to grow darker, the shadows deepening and twisting around us. I felt a sense of foreboding wash over me, as if I was standing on the edge of a precipice, staring into the abyss.

And then, everything went black.