Arwen

As Arwen was approaching the gates of the hospital, the sun had just risen, together with a fatalistic perfume of healing herbs-related incense, which was a preparation used specifically for warding off evil energies. The Ether Hospital was no ordinary building; its walls thrummed with ancient magic, absorbing and dispelling the pain of those who passed within. Arwen was leader of the healers and a member of the Council of Sorcerers; in that place, she had a prime role to play. But on that day, she felt the burden of the larger weight like never before.

Arwen frowned. This spell had been banned centuries before. A sign that the war was taking even darker turns. With a sigh, she positioned her hands over the warrior's chest and began to extract the shadow rooted in his soul. The shadow resisted, briefly materializing as a wraith with red eyes before being dissipated. The effort was immense, but finally, the man fell into a deep sleep, free from the darkness.

Day after day, persistence was the ring of healing and caring: each patient, a fresh narrative of suffering etched in their skin and woven into their intricate essence. Arwen flitted from bedside to bedside with soothing salve on her fingers and comforting words in her mouth. But her soul was a battlefield still. The features of the injured turned indistinctly in front of her eyes, a young sorceress specked with sparking fissures, a warrior consumed by shadow, and many others bearing the soot and scars from a war that appeared never-ending. They served to remind her of the fragility hanging in the balance that kept Aerya going, a fragile variety Arwen found, for her vision of it, barely hanging together.

While her patients' pressing needs demanded her attention, her mind h'art failed not to drift back to a vision, a fragment of a future generic against the foamy breeding grounds of prophecy. The girl, Lya, was a puzzle, a riddle shrouded in mystery. The pale, spectral face had seeped deep into Arwen's waking hours, while the eyes, deep pools full of unknown powers, mirrored a destiny that was both chilling and essential. Unwrapping the whole vision inside her mind in search of clues, and an answer that smirked back at her from behind a corner, would bring no peace to her. She watched, in her mind's eye, the mist circling around Lya, obscuring her shape yet enhancing her being, a beacon amid the swirling chaos of war. She noted that light would seem to take a bend around her, a focal point dancing with unseen powers, a meeting point for wayward threads of fate. And she felt the weight of the girl down within her bones, the knowledge, that something so important was happening: this girl was more than just a player in this war; she was either a mechanism to shatter what was left of the peace or to deliver the coup de grâce.

It was this belief that, fueled by the veiled vision, had urged Arwen to send Eren to Lya, not simply as a guard, but as a guide, an observer, someone who would be able to study the girl, comprehend her feelings, and possibly even protect her from evil powers that were about to rise in the shadows. Arwen was fully aware she was courting catastrophe by equipping such a vital piece of the puzzle in the hands of someone as unpredictable as Eren. Yet, she also knew that it was about time to reveal that the answers her apprehensive heart sought belonged to the very core of Lya.

As the sun began to sink below the horizon, Arwen met with Elric in one of the hospital's inner gardens. The healer tilted his head. "From your expression, I imagine you have something heavy to share."

Arwen sighed and placed her hands on a stone table. "The girl who arrived recently... Lya. She's not just a lost foreigner. She's the key."

Elric remained silent, but his gray eyes gleamed with concern. "Key to what, Arwen?"

The sorceress hesitated. Few knew the truth, and those who knew never dared to speak. "The war between sorcerers and shapeshifters didn't start just because of a power dispute. There's something more. Something that has been hidden for too long. If Lya is here now... it means that the balance is about to collapse."

The wind blew through the trees, as if the earth itself was holding its breath. Elric leaned back, his mind clearly processing the revelation. "Does Eren know?"

"Not yet. But he will find out, sooner or later. And when he does, I fear it will be too late to turn back."

Elric crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed. "How are you monitoring Lya? If she is so important, the Council must want answers."

Arwen set her gaze on the darkening sky. "I have my own means, Elric. But not everything can be foreseen. There are forces in motion that escape even me. Since she arrived, shadow beings have been getting closer and closer, and I feel that there are more spies, if you understand me," Arwen confided, noticing strange marks on the walls, symbols of magical listening.

"Arwen, why haven't you gone to the Council with these concerns yet?" Elric said. "This could become bigger than you can handle."

"Not everyone is trustworthy, you know that. The last time my family trusted... you know what happened," Arwen replied, her hand trembling slightly with the painful memory.

A letter arrives for Arwen and it contained everything Lya and Eren did in the day, so Arwen exclaimed — I told Eren not to get into trouble! What are they doing in Arcana?! — Indignant Arwen abruptly dismisses Elric and leaves towards the Arcana Library.

Upon arriving, Arwen crossed the majestic doors of the Arcana Library, feeling the intense magic of the place. The shelves full of ancient grimoires and parchments almost overshadowed the brilliance of the floating chandeliers. She searched frantically among the tables and corridors, calling for Lya and Eren's names. Arwen's eyes wandered anxiously among the readers and researchers present, but found no sign of the two.

She glided through the library corridors, increasingly impatient. She asked some librarians and students if they had seen the pair, but all denied it. Finally, she reached the forbidden section, a place where only Council members could enter. The heavy doors offered no resistance to the touch of her hand, which quickly drew an opening rune.

Upon entering, expectation turned to frustration. Neither Lya nor Eren were there. She felt a chill run down her spine: where could they be? The shadows in the place seemed denser, almost alive, as if the air itself was conspiring against her. — We have little time, split up! — Arwen shouted, she was not alone, but no one knew exactly who the beings that helped her were.

Arwen knew she needed to find them quickly. Something dangerous was in motion, and every minute lost could be costly and Arwen was not willing to lose, she had already risked a lot and it was not only for her, but for everything she loved and believed in, everyone was in danger.