The morning sun barely peeked through the thick mist as Ariana stepped out of the training grounds, the weight of her own confusion pressing down on her chest. Her body ached from the earlier training session, but it wasn't the physical exhaustion that made her feel drained—it was the gnawing uncertainty in her mind. The power she had been struggling to control, the runes on her wrists, the mysterious words from the figure in the alley—all of it was like a puzzle missing pieces, and she was left with more questions than answers.

She had to know more. She had to understand who she really was, what had happened to her in the past, and why the Gateways—those ancient portals—seemed so attuned to her. But where could she go to find these answers? Who could she trust to help her make sense of the fragments of her memories?