The mist curled around her feet as Inladaa stepped forward, her fingers grazing the ancient stone that glowed faintly under the morning light. The air shimmered — a soft hum echoing like a forgotten song.
Her breath quickened, but not from fear.
It was the feeling of awakening.
> "So this is it," she murmured, her voice trembling like a prayer. "The beginning."
A faint wind stirred the hem of her robe, carrying with it the scent of wild jasmine and the faraway toll of temple bells. Every sound, every beam of light, seemed to whisper her name — Inladaa…
And then, the silence broke.
From the trees at the edge of the path came a low rustle. A shadow moved — graceful, deliberate.
Inladaa turned sharply, her pulse drumming in her ears. Out from the mist emerged a tall figure clad in travel-worn garments, a silver charm dangling from his neck. His eyes, dark as obsidian, met hers — calm, yet knowing.
> "You've heard the call too," he said softly. "Haven't you?"
Inladaa hesitated, clutching the pendant she wore — the one she'd found in the ruins of the old temple.
> "I… I don't even know what it means," she replied. "Only that I had to follow it."
The man nodded slowly, stepping closer until the light between them seemed to pulse with a strange warmth.
> "Then our paths are bound," he whispered. "Once you set foot on this road, there's no turning back."
A soft shiver ran down her spine. The morning mist seemed to thicken, swirling into shapes that weren't quite natural — faces in the fog, echoes of a world unseen.
And yet… she smiled.
> "I don't want to go back," she said quietly. "Not anymore."
The man's lips curved, half in admiration, half in sorrow.
> "Then come," he said. "The first trial awaits."
Together they stepped into the veil of mist, where sunlight no longer reached — and where destiny began to breathe.