(Lisa's POV)
The council chamber was imposing, luminae leaders watching me with varying expressions. The woman who spoke earlier stepped forward, her silver hair cascading down her robe.
The hall felt impossibly large, the ceiling disappearing into shadows above the towering columns. Soft light poured through tall windows along the walls, reflecting off the polished stone floor and the strange glowing symbols carved into it.
Every step I took echoed.
And every single person in the chamber was watching me.
Some leaned forward with curiosity. Others whispered quietly to the person beside them. A few simply stared with cold calculation.
I suddenly felt very small standing in the center of it all.
"Lisa, you've been... difficult to find," she said, her voice like silk.
Her tone wasn't accusing.
If anything, it sounded almost amused.
I shifted my weight slightly, still trying to process everything that had happened in the last hour.
The park.
The warehouse.
The strange room with Alex.
And now this.
A council of people who apparently knew more about me than I knew about myself.
I glanced around instinctively, searching the crowd for any familiar face.
"Where's Susan? David?"
The thought of them being somewhere else—possibly in danger—made my chest tighten.
The woman smiled, a hint of warmth in her eyes. "Safe. For now."
For now?
That didn't exactly make me feel better.
Before I could ask anything else, movement appeared beside me.
Alex appeared beside me, expression tight. "Elena brought you, didn't she?"
His sudden presence startled me, but also brought a strange sense of relief.
At least someone here wasn't a complete stranger.
The woman nodded calmly.
"Yes. Lisa, you're central to a prophecy. A luminae with your power can shift realities... permanently."
The words rippled through the chamber like a stone dropped into water.
A murmur rippled through the council. Some looked concerned, others intrigued.
Several members leaned closer together, whispering urgently.
One older man adjusted his glasses while studying me like I was some rare experiment.
Another woman crossed her arms, clearly skeptical.
Elena stepped forward from the edge of the chamber, her coat flowing slightly as she moved.
Elena stepped forward, eyes intense. "But there's a cost. Using your power risks... everything."
I swallowed.
That word again.
Everything.
I felt a weight settle on my shoulders. "What do you mean?"
My voice sounded smaller than I intended.
Elena's expression didn't soften.
Elena's gaze didn't waver. "You could unravel realities. Or save them. The choice is yours."
Save realities.
Or destroy them.
No pressure, right?
The council woman stepped closer to me, folding her hands neatly in front of her.
The council woman nodded. "We need you to choose. Join us, control your power... or risk being... contained."
Contained?
The word landed like ice in my stomach.
Contained meant trapped.
Locked away.
A prisoner.
Contained? The word sent a shiver down my spine.
Suddenly the chamber didn't feel quite so welcoming anymore.
Before I could respond—
A loud bang echoed from the far end of the hall.
The giant chamber doors rattled violently.
David burst in, eyes wild. "No! You can't—"
Relief surged through me at the sight of him.
But before he could take more than two steps—
A deep humming sound filled the room.
Several council members raised their hands at once.
Golden light surged between them like a barrier.
The council sealed him out, a collective hum of power. I felt a pang, worried for him.
David slammed his hand against the invisible wall, his voice muffled behind it.
I couldn't hear what he was shouting anymore.
The woman leaned closer to me now, her calm expression returning.
The woman leaned in, her eyes piercing. "Decision, Lisa. Now."
The humming energy inside my chest began to pulse again.
Stronger.
Faster.
Like something inside me was reacting to the pressure in the room.
I thought about Susan waiting somewhere, probably worried out of her mind.
I thought about David trying to break through the council barrier.
And I thought about the strange power I'd felt all day.
The sparks.
The humming.
The way reality itself seemed to bend around me.
If I ran from this…
Would it just keep happening?
The words left my mouth before I could second-guess them.
"I'll do it," I said, trying to sound brave.
The reaction from the council was immediate.
The council smiled, a mix of relief and calculation.
Some nodded approvingly.
Others looked satisfied in a way that made me slightly uneasy.
Elena stepped forward and held out a small crystal.
It glowed faintly with soft white light.
Elena handed me a crystal.
"Then let's unlock your power."
My fingers hesitated for only a second before touching it.
The crystal touched my skin.
The world blurred...
Light exploded across my vision.
The chamber disappeared.
And suddenly—
I was somewhere else.
Or… somewhere *else-when*.
And I saw it.
A future.
Broken.
Cities crumbling.
Buildings collapsing into dust.
The sky torn open by streaks of impossible light.
People screaming, running through shattered streets.
And in the center of it all—
Me.
Standing amidst the destruction, power surging through my body like a storm.
The air around me twisted and fractured like cracked glass.
Reality itself bending.
Breaking.
Or a choice.
To stop it.
The vision shifted again.
Another possibility.
Fragments of moments flashed before my eyes.
David smiling across a cafeteria table.
Susan laughing while scrolling through her phone.
The strange humming energy growing stronger inside me.
The vision shattered.
I gasped, stumbling slightly as the council chamber rushed back into focus.
The crystal slipped from my fingers but Alex caught it quickly.
The council leaned in. "Lisa?"
Dozens of eyes stared at me again.
Waiting.
Judging.
My voice came out rough but steady.
My voice was mine. "I need... one thing."
The silver-haired woman tilted her head slightly.
"What's that?" Elena asked, eyes narrowed.
I looked at her.
Then at the rest of the council.
The energy inside me stirred again, warmer now.
Stronger.
"I want the truth."
The room stilled.
The woman's smile faded.
For the first time, uncertainty crossed her face.
"What truth?" she asked, voice cautious.
I leaned forward slightly, feeling the strange power humming beneath my skin.
"Why me?"
The council exchanged glances.
Whispers moved through the chamber again.
Elena's eyes flashed with something unreadable.
And suddenly—
A thunderous crash echoed across the hall.
The massive chamber doors exploded inward.
And the chamber doors burst open.