Luna was back in a familiar nightmare.

The air was thick and heavy, as if even sound itself was trapped. Every detail of this place returned to her, sharper than she wanted. She hadn’t been here in so long, and yet… it was as if she’d never left. These shadowed scenes had haunted her dreams for years, showing the same unreachable image of her parents, their faces slipping just out of her grasp.

In the dim light, she saw them again—faint outlines shrouded in shadows. Her heart twisted as she remembered how it felt, how small she’d been, carried away while they stayed behind. She could still feel the cold air rushing past her, the world blurring as her rescuer moved swiftly, slipping through shadows like they were nothing. Whoever it was had kept her safe, but the memory of her parents, standing firm as she was taken further and further away, had never left her.

The shadows thickened, closing in until her parents were gone, leaving only a figure cloaked in darkness. She was too engulfed in her loss to truly see the face—just a faint outline, barely noticed in her grief. The figure radiated an aura of strength, calm and commanding, but Luna felt only the hollow ache left by the ones who’d stayed behind. In that moment, she hadn’t thought to wonder who had saved her, only that she was being carried away from everything she knew.

Then, without warning, a voice, quiet but resonant, broke the silence.

"Embrace your power, child. You cannot run from what you are."

The words washed over her, pressing down, filling her chest with a mixture of fear and an odd, unbidden anticipation. Her pulse raced, her body tensing as if bracing for something unknown. The figure lifted a hand, and as it moved closer, a sudden pain flared in Luna’s chest, sharp and searing. The darkness closed in, and she woke with a gasp.

Luna sat up in bed, clutching her chest, her heart pounding as though she had truly been touched by that shadowed hand. She glanced around, disoriented by the pale morning light filtering through her window. She hadn’t had this nightmare in so long—she had almost forgotten how consuming it was, how it left her feeling both empty and charged, as if she were on the edge of something. She whispered to herself, “Just a nightmare,” but the words did nothing to calm her racing mind. The shadowed figure’s message—Embrace your power—lingered, heavy and inescapable.

Despite the lingering effects of the nightmare, Luna forced herself to get ready for her private training session with Elara. She splashed her face with cold water, hoping it might wash away the shadowed figure’s words that still echoed in her mind, faint and relentless. She knew her focus was fractured, but missing a session with Elara felt unthinkable.

On the training grounds, her movements felt heavy, as though her body had become leaden overnight. Drills that usually felt routine now seemed almost insurmountable, her steps dragging as if she were moving through water. She barely noticed her classmates; her focus narrowed to each slow, difficult step forward—until she felt a familiar presence behind her.

“Luna.”

Elara’s voice, steady but soft, cut through the haze clouding Luna’s mind. She turned to see Elara’s discerning gaze, a mix of quiet concern and something else, something unspoken that made Luna’s pulse quicken. Elara stepped closer, her hand resting lightly on Luna’s arm.

“You’re out of it today,” Elara said, her tone warm in a way that Luna wasn’t used to. “How about we take it slower? Maybe a session to ease your mind rather than strain it?”

Caught off guard by Elara’s sensitivity, Luna managed a nod, her throat suddenly dry. “That… might help,” she admitted, a tinge of embarrassment coloring her cheeks, though part of her felt oddly relieved.

Elara guided her through slower, more fluid movements, her instructions calm and patient. Occasionally, she reached over, adjusting Luna’s stance with a closeness that felt almost intimate. Her fingers brushed Luna’s wrist, her voice low and soft as she murmured corrections.

At one point, Luna’s focus slipped, and she stumbled slightly, her footing unsteady. Elara caught her by the shoulders, steadying her. They were close, close enough that Luna could feel the warmth of Elara’s breath against her skin. The look in Elara’s eyes held a steady intensity that made Luna’s heart race, her own breath catching.

“Relax,” Elara said gently, her gaze intense but warm, almost searching. “Don’t bottle up your feelings. If there’s something weighing on you, you can always talk to me.”

Luna felt her heart flutter, the words hanging between them. She knew Elara’s offer was genuine, that beneath her mentor’s disciplined exterior lay someone willing to listen, to understand. She took a shaky breath, her gaze dropping.

“I had a nightmare,” Luna admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “About my parents… about how they… how they died. I used to get these nightmares a lot. They were awful, but they’d been getting better lately. I thought… I thought I was finally moving on.” She paused, the words sticking in her throat as she fought to keep her composure. “But last night, it was like I was back there again. And there was… someone else. A figure, telling me I—” She cut herself off, feeling the weight of the memories pressing down on her.

She tried to brush it off with a half-hearted shrug, but Elara’s hand still rested on her shoulder, firm and grounding. There was a beat of silence, and then, in a rare, unguarded gesture, Elara’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a brief but steady hug. It lasted only a heartbeat, but it was warm and solid, a fleeting comfort that made Luna’s breath hitch.

As she pulled away, Elara’s voice softened, barely a murmur. “Thank you for telling me that,” she said, her gaze steady, unwavering. “Remember, you don’t have to carry this alone.”

Luna managed a faint smile, the tension in her chest easing slightly. “I think I’ll be okay. It’s just… it’s been a while since I’ve had one of those dreams.”

As she spoke, something about Elara’s presence felt strangely comforting in a way that she couldn’t quite place. It was almost like a memory—a shadowy feeling buried under layers of time, a faint recollection of warmth and safety from years ago, in the midst of the chaos that had claimed her parents. She pushed the thought aside, chalking it up to her scrambled emotions, yet couldn’t quite shake the feeling that she’d been… here before. That someone like Elara had held her then, too.

Elara’s fingers lingered a moment longer on her shoulder, her thumb brushing gently over the fabric of Luna’s sleeve. “If it happens again, don’t keep it to yourself. Come find me, anytime.”

Luna nodded, the weight of the nightmare feeling just a little lighter now. She could still feel the warmth of Elara’s embrace lingering on her skin, steady and unshakeable. By the end of the session, her mind was clearer, though the questions swirling around Elara’s intentions—and that strange familiarity—left her feeling both unsettled and… intrigued.

As she left, her thoughts drifted back to the nightmare’s haunting message. But now, tangled up with it was the feeling of Elara’s gaze—steady, warm, and impossible to ignore.

***

After her session with Elara, Luna returned to her dorm, still feeling the warmth of her mentor’s embrace lingering on her shoulders. She took a quick shower to wash off the morning’s training and slipped into her academy uniform, feeling a mix of anticipation and unease about the day ahead. The nightmare still gnawed at her, but her mind kept circling back to Elara’s words—and that strange, nagging sense of familiarity she’d felt.

Stepping outside, Luna spotted Rei waiting near the staircase with her usual warm smile. The morning sunlight glinted off Rei’s silver pendant, making it catch Luna’s eye as she approached.

“Morning, Luna,” Rei greeted her softly. “You look… a little distracted. Everything alright?”

Luna hesitated, briefly wondering if she should mention the nightmare, but she shook her head, managing a smile. “Just a long night. But yeah, I’m okay.”

Rei’s gentle gaze lingered, but she simply nodded, not pressing further. “If you ever want to talk, I’m here.”

Before Luna could respond, Kai’s cheerful voice echoed from down the hall. “Hey, slowpokes!” He jogged over, his grin as bright as ever. “Come on, Nia’s already waiting by the lecture hall. She’s got some ‘new gadget’ she wants to show off. It’s… probably way more exciting to her than it is to us.”

As they walked, Kai fell into step beside Luna, elbowing her lightly. “You look wiped. Don’t tell me you’re still tired from… yesterday’s adventure?” he teased, oblivious to the truth about her training with Elara.

Luna’s heart skipped, and she forced a laugh. “Just… couldn’t sleep.”

Kai shrugged, giving her a sympathetic nod. “Eh, I get it. Too much on your mind can mess with your head. Happened to me last week before our last sparring match. Just try not to nod off during this lecture.” He let out a groan, rolling his eyes. “Rift studies again… as if we haven’t heard enough about how they work.”

“You’re just mad because they’re not teaching anything explosive,” Nia’s voice chimed in as they rounded the corner. She was leaning against the lecture hall doors, twirling a small gadget that looked like a miniature scanner. Her round glasses caught the light, reflecting her keen, inquisitive eyes as she glanced at Kai with a smirk. “If it’s not blowing up or burning down, you’re bored.”

“Exactly,” Kai grinned, crossing his arms. “If I could just skip to the parts where we actually get to use our magic on these rifts, maybe I’d actually stay awake in class.”

Rei chuckled, rolling her eyes as they entered the lecture hall. “You have to understand them before you fight them, Kai. It’s kind of important.”

The professor, an older mage with a serious demeanor and thick, silver-rimmed glasses, began explaining the basics of rift rankings—something they’d heard before, but he seemed intent on hammering it into their minds. From E-ranked rifts, the least dangerous, to the notorious S-ranked ones, rifts varied in their threat level. Most students around them seemed half-tuned out, but Luna’s mind wandered to her recent training session with Elara and the strange worlds hidden within some rifts.

Curiosity got the better of her. She raised her hand, drawing the professor’s attention.

“Yes, Miss Elaric?” His eyebrows lifted, intrigued; Luna wasn’t usually one to ask questions in class.

“Professor… is it possible to create a rift artificially?” Her voice was steady, but her heart raced, partly because she wasn’t sure why she’d asked—and partly because the question had seemed to slip out on its own.

The entire room fell silent, and even Kai and Nia turned to look at her, their expressions shifting from boredom to surprise.

The professor’s expression darkened, and he adjusted his glasses, choosing his words carefully. “Yes, in theory, it is possible to manufacture rifts,” he replied, his tone wary. “However, the process is… unethical, not to mention illegal. Creating a rift would mean tapping into unstable magic sources, often in a way that can cause untold destruction. The risks far outweigh any perceived benefits, and it goes against all principles of safe magical practice.”

He paused, looking over the class with a grave expression. “Many rogue mages who attempted such methods found themselves… let’s say, lost to the very forces they sought to control. Creating a rift is a venture that goes against our code of ethics and is heavily condemned by the academy.”

Luna nodded, absorbing his words, but a seed of curiosity had already taken root. Why did Elara say that yesterday?

The professor continued, pulling up images of rift zones with various levels of instability. “As I was saying,” he resumed, “our main focus today is understanding the energy signatures that correspond to each rift rank. As some of you might already know, the magic within rifts is what defines their level, from E up to S. Our readings show that each rank has a distinct magical pattern.”

Nia leaned in, grinning as she whispered to Luna. "Sounds like he's trying to scare us into not even looking at a rift wrong. Not that any of us are eager to jump into one unprepared."

Luna smiled faintly, though her thoughts were elsewhere, consumed by the unknowns. "It’s just... there’s so much about rifts we don’t know yet," she murmured. "Makes you wonder what we're missing."

Kai rolled his eyes, though his grin softened. "You can keep wondering, Luna. I’ll stick to burning whatever crawls out of those rifts."

Rei gave him a light smack on the arm. "You should care, Kai. One day, all this ‘boring’ info might save your life."

"Maybe..." Kai grumbled, but the grin never left his face.

As the lecture went on, Luna's thoughts drifted, questions swirling in her mind about Elara and the rifts. She tried to focus, but her mind kept returning to what Elara had said yesterday, to her steady presence, her comforting embrace... and that strange, lingering memory of warmth and safety she couldn’t quite place.