Screams from the Abyss

The Seeker's Path

The dawn light filtered through the curtains of Aria's room, casting a soft, golden glow over the scattered objects on her desk. She had barely slept, her mind too full of the revelations and challenges that lay ahead to allow for more than a few fitful hours of rest.

With a groan, Aria pushed herself up from the chair where she had slumped in exhaustion, her neck and back aching from the awkward position. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the fog of fatigue that clung to her thoughts like cobwebs.

"Okay, Aria," she muttered to herself, her voice rough with sleep. "Time to face the day, and whatever cosmic craziness it decides to throw at you."

She glanced down at the pendant that still hung around her neck, its blue stone now dark and dormant. The events of the previous night seemed almost like a dream in the cold light of morning, a fantasy born of too much stress and too little sleep.

But the objects on her desk were all too real, as was the voice that had spoken to her through