RENA : Shadows Awaken

Rena was gasping for air, her chest heaving violently as the energy within her refused to subside. The strange silence surrounding her, like a bubble isolating her from the party in the background, felt almost supernatural. She clenched her fists, trying to contain the burning force threatening to overwhelm her.

Lucas cautiously approached, his eyes fixed on Rena's, attempting to ignore the aura of light still emanating from her. His lips trembled slightly before he found the courage to speak.

**"Rena, listen to me… You need to calm down. Breathe."**

But his words seemed to slide off her, like water on stone. Lucas's voice was barely a whisper against the storm raging within her. Her thoughts whirled, caught between the incomprehensible events that had just unfolded and a visceral fear. She looked up at Lucas with pleading eyes, but within that plea was an ancient rage, foreign to her own heart.

**"I… I don't know what's happening to me, Lucas… It's like… something inside me is waking up…"**

Lucas placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder. The moment he touched her, he felt a jolt—not painful, but deeply unsettling, as though he was directly touching a long-buried truth. He withdrew his hand abruptly, his eyes wide.

**"It's… ancient, Rena. Very ancient. It's not you waking up… It's them."**

Rena stared at him, her brow furrowed. **"Them?"** Her voice trembled but carried a hint of defiance. **"Who are they, Lucas? What do you know?"**

Before he could answer, a loud thud sounded behind them. Dereck, who had collapsed earlier, stumbled back to his feet, his eyes filled with fear. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. His face turned pale as he shakily pointed at Rena.

**"Y-you're a monster…"** he stammered before turning and running into the crowd.

Rena might have felt relief at his departure, but her heart clenched instead. **A monster?** Was that what she had become? A wave of sadness washed over her, briefly drowning out her anger. She looked down at her trembling hands, still warm with the energy she didn't understand.

Lucas, still by her side, observed the scene intently. His gaze was filled with both compassion and a seriousness she had never seen before.

**"Rena, we have to leave. Now."**

She looked up at him. **"Why? What's happening, Lucas? Why me?"**

He gently took her arm, this time without hesitation. **"This isn't the place for questions. These people… They won't understand. And if anyone else sees what Dereck saw, it could end badly."**

Despite her instinct to stay and demand answers, Rena nodded. She knew Lucas was right. The ancient whispers she had heard during her transformation still echoed in her mind, like a distant call from another world.

They slipped away from the party, leaving behind the glow of string lights and the carefree laughter of the guests. Once outside, the biting cold of the night seemed to sharpen Rena's senses. She took a deep breath, trying to regain control.

Once they were far from the crowd, Lucas abruptly stopped and pulled out his phone. Intrigued, Rena watched him.

**"What are you doing?"** she asked, her voice still shaky.

Lucas didn't answer immediately. His fingers moved swiftly across the screen, and then he murmured in the ancient language Rena had spoken earlier:

**"Asha varial, detra nox. Goddess awakened. Absolute emergency. Reinforcements needed immediately."**

His deep, solemn voice echoed in the night air like an incantation. Rena took a step back, her eyes wide. She had understood a few words, but the rest eluded her.

**"Lucas… what was that language?"** she asked, her breath quickening. **"Why did I speak it? Why do you?"**

He turned to her slowly, slipping his phone back into his pocket. His expression was both grave and reverent.

**"That language, Rena, is the tongue of the Ancients. Of those who, like you, carry the mark. It doesn't belong to this world but to something far greater."**

She furrowed her brows, crossing her arms as if to shield herself from a truth too vast to comprehend. **"And you? How do you know this language?"**

Lucas sighed. **"Because I'm one of them. A guardian. My role is to watch over those like you, those who bear the mark. But you, Rena… you're different. You're not just a bearer. You are…"**

He hesitated, then bowed slightly before her, his eyes gleaming with devotion. **"Zaviel arina… a goddess."**

Rena stood frozen, the word reverberating within her like a powerful echo. **"A goddess?"** she whispered, incredulous. **"That's ridiculous, Lucas! I'm just a normal girl!"**

Lucas shook his head. **"No, Rena. Nothing about you is ordinary. The tattoo on your back, that light, those words… all of it points to you being far more than you realize. And if the shadows have been waiting for you, it's because they know who you are."**

Rena's breathing quickened. **"The shadows… They're coming for me, aren't they?"**

Lucas nodded. **"Yes. But you won't be alone. Reinforcements will arrive soon. They'll protect you as much as they can."**

She stepped back, her gaze lost in the night. **"What if I don't want this life? What if I refuse?"**

Lucas stepped closer, gently placing a calming hand on her shoulder. **"You can refuse. But your power won't leave you. And if you don't accept it… the shadows will take you."**

Rena clenched her fists, her thoughts spiraling into uncontrollable chaos. In the distance, at the edge of the forest bordering the party, two yellow eyes pierced the darkness, watching the pair with unsettling intent.

At the edge of the forest, the shadows seemed thicker, almost alive. The twisted trunks formed grotesque silhouettes, while a silvery mist crawled slowly across the ground. The silence, heavy and oppressive, was broken only by a distant murmur, a guttural sound that seemed to come from the very depths of the woods.

Then, in the midst of the dark, two yellow eyes gleamed, fixed and menacing. Their glow cut through the night's veil, vibrating with cold, unrelenting intelligence. A shadowy figure, both human and monstrous, moved smoothly, like a shadow slipping between the trees.

The branches, like claws, appeared to stretch toward Rena, drawn to the lingering glow of her tattoo. There, in the deep darkness, something waited, still but hungry, ready to awaken. A foreboding omen that made the air around them shiver.