Alina stood on the rooftop of her apartment building, gripping the cold metal railing as she gazed up at the sky. The Eclipse of Dragons had begun. The moon, now fully veiled in shadow, cast an eerie crimson glow over the cityscape.
She wasn't the only one watching. Across balconies, open rooftops, and busy streets, people marvelled at the celestial event. Yet, while they saw only a rare astronomical wonder, Alina felt something else—something pulling at the edges of reality.
Her pendant vibrated against her skin. She clutched it instinctively, gasping at the heat radiating from the gem. It pulsed, in rhythm with her racing heartbeat, glowing with an otherworldly light.
A gust of wind swept across the rooftop, impossibly strong. Alina staggered backward, her hair whipping wildly around her face. The sky above twisted — clouds coiling unnaturally, as if something immense was stirring within them. Then, the whispers returned.
Countless voices, layered over one another, speaking an ancient language she somehow understood:
The time has come… The gate must open…
Alina's pulse thundered in her ears. The wind turned into a howling storm, whipping debris into the air. Around her, the city seemed to blur, its lights warping and stretching like reflections on water. A deep tremor rumbled through the ground beneath her feet.
"What's happening?!" she cried, stumbling to her knees.
The pendant flared blindingly bright. Then, the sky cracked.
A blinding fissure of golden-white light split across the heavens. Energy surged from it, wrapping around Alina's body, pulling her toward it. She screamed, grabbing onto the railing, but it was futile—the force was too strong.
"No—!" she gasped, but the words were lost to the roaring tempest.
The light consumed her, reality fracturing into a kaleidoscope of colour and shadow. She felt herself falling—through time, through space, through something vast and unknowable. Fragments of visions flickered before her eyes—a grand palace, corridors draped in silk, hands reaching out for her, a name whispered on the wind.
Then—
Silence.
Alina's eyes snapped open to find herself lying on her back, staring up at an unfamiliar sky. The air smelled different—fresh, earthy, untouched by pollution. The weight of the city was gone.
Slowly, she sat up, her fingers pressing into damp grass. Around her, towering trees loomed, their leaves rustling softly in the wind. Mist curled along the ground, weaving between the roots and rocks like living tendrils.
She wasn't home anymore.
Alina's breath shuddered in her chest as realization settled in.
She had crossed over.