Chapter One: The Choice
The city hums with life around her, but Marissa Hale can't hear it. Her world has become a blur, a constant hum in her head. She stands at the edge of the rooftop, feeling the wind tug at her hair, her heartbeat the loudest sound in her ears.
Tonight, everything changes.
"You can't just keep running," Mason's voice cuts through the chaos in her mind, steady and cold.
Marissa looks at him, standing in the doorway, his gaze locked onto hers. His presence fills the space between them, powerful, demanding. He's the one person who knows her, or so she thought. He's the one who's always been there—until now.
"I don't know if I can do it, Mason," she says, her voice shaky, unsure.
"You don't have a choice."
Her breath catches. She knows he's right. She always knew this moment would come. The weight of a prophecy that's haunted her family for generations. The burden she's carried since the day she was born.
A world of magic. A world of power. A world that's slipping out of her control.
"I never wanted this," she whispers, but the words feel empty. She's wanted it, or at least, she's wanted to understand it. She's spent years feeling the pull of something she couldn't explain. And now that it's here, all she wants to do is run.
But she can't.
The prophecy doesn't give her that option.
Mason steps closer, his eyes dark and serious. "The prophecy isn't a choice, Marissa. It's a destiny. And you're the one who has to carry it."
The wind picks up, whipping around them both. It's cold. Too cold. But Marissa can't feel it. She's lost in his words, in the fear of what's to come. What she'll have to do.
"What if I don't want it?" Marissa says, her voice barely a whisper. "What if I refuse?"
Mason's gaze hardens. "Then we lose everything. You, me, the world—it all falls apart."
She wants to scream. She wants to run. But most of all, she wants to forget everything she's been told. Forget the weight of the future that's pressing down on her.
"Why me?" Marissa says, her voice cracking. "Why does it have to be me?"
Mason's expression softens, just for a moment, before the determination returns. "Because you're the one who can change everything. You've always been the one, Marissa."
Her head spins. Her whole life has been a lie, a carefully constructed illusion. No matter how many times she tried to push the truth away, it always found its way back. Now, there's no running from it. There's no avoiding the choice that will define everything.
Marissa looks out over the city, her heart racing. "I can't be the one. Not like this. Not with this power. I'm not ready."
"You don't have to be ready," Mason says, his voice softer now, but just as unyielding. "You just have to make the choice. Because once you do, there's no going back."
The weight of his words presses down on her. She can feel the entire world resting on her shoulders. The decision is hers, but she can't shake the feeling that it was never really hers to make.
"Do you trust me?" Mason asks, his eyes searching hers.
She hesitates, the world spinning around her. She wants to trust him. She needs to. But this choice... it's too big.
"I don't know," she says, the truth slipping from her lips before she can stop it. "I'm scared, Mason."
"I know." He reaches out, brushing her cheek lightly with his fingertips. "But you're stronger than you think. You always have been."
Marissa closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. The prophecy. The magic. Her future. It's all out of her hands. But she still has a choice.
She opens her eyes, meeting Mason's gaze. "Then I'll choose. I have to."