Shattered Note

ree: The P

locked on his. Panic surged through him, sharp and overwhelming. He tried to move,

ing inside him shifted. A surge of heat shot through his chest, and suddenly, his fear melted away, replaced by a strange sense of

than it had been in years. He felt... alive. The numbness that had controlled him for so long was gone.

its form shifting like smoke, but solid enough to be dangerous. Aether scrambled to his feet, his hear

e focused on the heat in his chest, letting it spread through his body. He could feel the

deafening roar as it was thrown backward, crashing into the stone wall with a th

a how he had done that, but it was real. His emotions-they were co

d to get out of this cavern before the monster recovered. His eyes darted around, searching f

eet, the creature's growls echoing behind him. The light grew brighter as he neared, and soon, he found h

, but he didn't stop. The tunnel was long and dark, the air cool and damp,

he bright light. He found himself in a wide, open field, the sky above a strange mix of purples and golds. The peac

The adrenaline from the fight still surged through his veins, but something else filled

clear. This world, wherever it was, didn't follow the rules of the one he had left behind. Here,

erent. Here, your emotions are part of you again." She had been right, but she had also warned him. There were da

, and he needed them fast. But before he could figur

survi

from before standing just a few steps away. Her glowing ey

ed, his voice rough with exhaustion

is a world where emotions have power. The feelings you've

ng to understand. "That thi

man said simply. "The

nk. "So this is s

The emotions you thought were gone are still within you, waiting to be unlocked. Bu

ng-his family, his friends, even his humanity. And now, he was being told that his emo

f this," he said, his voice

e our path, Aether. But you've been given a second

now what to do, what to believe. All he knew was that he didn't t

ther's heart skipped a beat as the familiar rumbling sound echoed through the air. He tur

he asked, his voic

next challenge is coming. And t

ld protest, the sky above began to darken, the clouds swirling in an unnatural pattern

e power within him stirring again, stronger this time, more intense. His emotio