The beast's roar shook the very foundation of the tomb, its thunderous voice reverberating through Amina's bones. The walls around her began to crack once more, the sound like the breaking of something ancient and irreplaceable. She steadied herself, knowing full well that there was no turning back now.
The figure before her—this being that claimed to be what she might become—stood motionless, the shadows swirling at its feet, drawing closer with every passing second.
"You are mistaken if you think this is just about Valec," the figure said, its voice chillingly calm. "It is about you, Amina. It is about what you are capable of, and what you will choose to do with that power."
Amina's pulse quickened. "Power? I didn't ask for any of this. I never wanted this."
The figure's eyes glittered, an eerie light flickering in the depths. "You did not choose it, no. But you are the one who has been awakened, who has been called forth to face what is inevitable. And now, you must choose."
Amina clenched her fists, feeling the pulse of energy inside her, the magic that had been awakened within her when the tomb had first shifted. She had never known a power like this—never known the danger of it, the weight that came with it.
"I can't stop it," Amina whispered, her voice hoarse. "I can't stop what's coming."
The figure tilted its head, its expression unreadable. "You misunderstand. It is not about stopping it. It is about understanding it."
The shadows around the figure surged forward, like the tide crashing against a cliff. For a moment, Amina saw flashes of faces, of memories—her own, and those she had not lived. Faces of people she loved. People she had lost.
Her heart tightened. What is this? she thought, the connection between herself and the darkness growing stronger.
"You are linked to the past," the figure continued, its voice low and haunting. "But you must not let the past control you. You must not let it be your chains."
Amina swallowed, fighting the urge to flee. "But I—what am I supposed to do? How can I fix this?"
The figure smiled, but it was a smile filled with sorrow. "You cannot fix it, Amina. The time for fixing is over. The only thing left to do is choose. Choose who you will be in this new world. Will you stand with the beast, with the chaos that it brings? Or will you walk away from the flames, leaving them to consume you?"
Amina shook her head, trying to understand. Her heart was racing, the weight of the decision pressing on her chest like a thousand stones. The flames... the beast... everything is a part of me. She felt as though she were standing at the edge of a precipice, one step away from falling into the abyss.
But there was something else—a pull, a whisper of hope deep within her that she could not ignore.
"You don't have to choose this, Amina," the figure said gently, almost as if it were speaking to a child. "You don't have to let this consume you. The choice is always yours, even now."
Amina closed her eyes, trying to focus. She could hear the beast's growls, louder now, echoing in her mind. She could feel the energy inside her thrumming, growing stronger, threatening to break free. The shadows reached out, but the figure stood firm, watching her with those endless eyes.
Her heart pounded in her chest, and in the stillness of the tomb, Amina heard the faintest whisper of her own voice.
"Choose me."
It was a memory, a plea, a cry from the past, or perhaps a message from the future. She didn't know. All she knew was that the time to make a decision had come.
Amina looked at the figure, the figure that was her future—her potential. It had shown her the dark path, but it had also offered her a glimpse of something else. Something more.
"I don't want to become you," Amina said, her voice trembling with the force of the words. "I don't want to lose myself in all of this."
The figure's expression softened, and for a moment, Amina thought she saw a flicker of regret in its eyes. "Then you must walk a different path, Amina. One that is yours and yours alone."
The shadows that had been swirling around them slowly receded, retreating back into the darkness from which they had come. The tomb trembled once more, but now, it was not the rage of the beast, but the deep, pulsing energy of something else—a new force. A force that Amina was beginning to understand.
"Do you know what it means to truly let go?" the figure asked softly.
Amina didn't know how to answer. She only knew that she was standing on the edge of something far greater than herself.
The ground beneath her feet cracked, but this time, it wasn't the destruction of the tomb. It was the birth of something new. A new reality, shaped by her choices.
"You will face him," the figure said. "Valec. The beast. You will face them all, not with force, but with understanding. Only then will you have the strength to stand in the fire and emerge unburned."
The shadows disappeared entirely, and Amina was left standing alone—no longer a prisoner to the tomb, no longer a slave to the past.
The beast's growl echoed in the distance, but Amina stood firm, the flames around her flickering but not consuming her.
The choice had been made.