Alina woke abruptly to the harsh blare of her alarm clock, its insistent ringing cutting through the heavy fog of sleep. She groaned softly, feeling more exhausted than rested. Dreams filled with palaces, shadowy figures, and cryptic warnings lingered at the edges of her consciousness, unsettling her deeply.
Shaking off the strange feeling, she quickly prepared for work, desperately clinging to the comfort of routine. As she left her apartment building, the bustling city streets seemed oddly charged, as if the atmosphere itself had shifted subtly overnight.
Entering the café, she greeted Mei with a forced smile, hoping her friend wouldn't notice the lingering tension in her posture.
"You look terrible," Mei said bluntly, handing her an apron. "Still those weird dreams?"
"Yes," Alina admitted reluctantly. "But they're just dreams, right?"
Mei eyed her carefully but nodded. "Just dreams."
Yet even as she spoke, a loud crash sounded from outside, followed by the screeching of tires and panicked shouts. Both women rushed to the window to see a crowd forming rapidly around a scene of chaos—two cars had collided dramatically, glass and metal littering the street.
"Stay here," Mei warned, stepping toward the door.
Ignoring the advice, Alina hurried out onto the sidewalk, compelled by an instinct she didn't understand. Amidst the chaos, her pendant suddenly burned hot against her chest, startling her. She pulled it out quickly, gasping at the faint glow emanating from within the gem.
Before she could process this anomaly, she felt a sharp tug on her arm, spinning her around. An unfamiliar man, eyes obscured by a hood, gripped her wrist tightly.
"It's time," he hissed urgently, voice low and harsh. "You cannot hide any longer."
"Who are you?" Alina demanded, panic surging through her veins. She struggled against his hold, heart pounding wildly.
"Someone who knows your true path," he replied cryptically, leaning closer, voice dropping dangerously low. "They're watching. And they're coming."
"Let go!" she shouted, wrenching free from his grip, stumbling backward into Mei's protective embrace.
The man stepped back into the crowd, swiftly disappearing from view. Alina stood shaking, her pendant cooling slowly against her skin, leaving behind only confusion and dread.
"Alina, are you alright?" Mei asked, her voice thick with concern.
"I—I don't know," Alina stammered, glancing at the chaos around them, feeling a certainty settle heavily in her chest:
Her world was changing, rapidly and irrevocably, pulled toward something unknown yet inescapably powerful. Fate had found her, and it would not let her go easily.