When Elara woke up this time, she was not alone, but this state of not being alone did not feel like a shared presence as before. It was more like two beings standing in the same room with different intentions. The body belonged to her, but control stood on a line so thin it could slip at any moment. When she opened her eyes, the metal walls were still there, but this place no longer felt like just a prison. It felt more like a space where something was waiting to come out. And that thing might not be Elara herself.

When the sound of footsteps approached, Elara did not lift her head. She did not need to look to know who it was. When Adrian entered, the energy in the room shifted. This change was not only the effect of an external presence; the thing inside reacted as well. When Elara felt this, her breathing slowed involuntarily. This reaction did not belong to her.

Adrian caught this difference instantly. His eyes moved across Elara’s face, but what he was actually looking at was not the face, but the movement behind it. "You are different today," he said, his voice calm, but with an unmistakable curiosity beneath it.

Elara wanted to respond, but before her lips could move, the thing inside her acted faster. Her eyes trembled for a moment, and her gaze shifted. This change was not small. It was as if a curtain had been pulled back and someone else had begun looking through.

Adrian had been waiting for this. "Elara," he said, but this was not an address. This was a test. This time, an answer came. But the voice was not Elara’s. It carried the same tone, came from the same mouth, but the rhythm of the words was different. Older, more patient, and heavier.

"Do not use her name so easily," the voice said. The room fell completely silent for a moment. There was no fear on Adrian’s face. On the contrary, there was the satisfaction of someone who had been waiting for this moment. He took a step closer. "Finally," he said in a low voice. "We can talk to you."

Elara was inside. She saw everything. But control was not in her hands. This did not feel like disappearing; it felt like leaving the driver’s seat to someone else. When she tried to intervene, she realized her body was not responding.

Adrian tilted his head slightly. "How long have you been here?" he asked. This question did not sound like it was asked to a human. It was a question directed at a being. The answer did not delay. "Longer than you can measure," the same voice said. The words came out slowly, deliberately.

Adrian’s eyes lit up. At this point, there was no turning back. He was no longer acting like a scientist, but like a collector. "The prophecy," he said. "You know it." Elara’s body slightly tilted its head. This gesture was not familiar. It was older. More... like a storyteller. "You were always told it like a story," the voice said. "Before sleep, when you were children, so you would not be afraid."

Adrian said nothing. He was listening. And the Moon spirit continued to speak. "For centuries," it said, "before the creatures learned to forget, parents would tell their children a story at night. There was a light in the sky, standing alone. This light did not only watch. It chose. And the one it chose would be condemned to carry its own light."

When Elara heard this story inside, her heart began to race. This story... felt familiar. But she could not remember it. "In this story," the voice continued, "the chosen one was never ready. Because being ready was not enough to carry this power. That person would break. Fall apart. And then... like a phoenix rising from its ashes, the process would begin again."

Adrian took another step closer. The distance between them was almost gone. "And that person..." he said. "Elara."

There was a silence. This time, the answer was clearer. "She is only part of the cycle," said the Moon spirit. This sentence triggered something inside Adrian. This was no longer research. This was something to be possessed. There was nothing left in his eyes trying to hide that.

"Can I separate her?" he asked. The question was direct, unfiltered. "You... from her." The question made the room heavier. When Elara heard this inside, panic rose. This time she was truly afraid. Because this was not just a threat. It felt like something that could actually happen.

The Moon spirit did not respond. But Elara’s body trembled. Adrian took this as an answer. He stepped back and turned toward the devices. "Prepare," he said to the officers outside. "We will initiate a deeper separation protocol." This sentence was proof that he had completely crossed ethical boundaries.

Elara wanted to scream inside. This time, she was not only facing the loss of control, but the possibility of losing her existence. But no sound came out. The Moon spirit felt this fear. And for the first time... it did not retreat. "Not yet," it said in the same calm tone. But this sentence felt like it was not meant for Adrian, but for Elara. This was not protection. This was the postponement of a decision.

In the forest, the wind had grown harsher. The air moving through the trees felt like a sign of something approaching. Rowan and Kael stood in the same space, but the distance between them was far greater than anything physical.

Rowan was the first to speak. "I cannot find her alone." This was a sentence of acceptance. Not weakness, but realism.

Kael stood without taking his eyes off him. There was still anger inside him. But that anger had shifted direction. It was no longer aimed at Rowan, but at the absence where Elara should have been. "Neither can I," Kael said. These two words shifted the balance between them. They did not speak for a while. This silence was not conflict. It was a postponed reckoning.

Rowan took a deep breath. "Until we find her," he said, "I will work with you." Kael slightly inclined his head. "Until we find her," he repeated. This was the beginning of an alliance, definitely not the beginning of a friendship.

But this alliance did not feel clean or light. Both of their pasts, their packs, and everything they had left behind and lost stood behind this decision. And this weight... was not an easy one to carry.

Kael turned his back. "The road is long," he said. Rowan began walking beside him. "And this time, we are not alone." But both of them knew.

This walk together... was not only a rescue journey, but also the beginning of a reckoning.

And somewhere far away, behind metal walls, Elara was no longer just herself.

But she was not completely lost either.

Not yet..