The wind grew stronger, shaking the branches of the trees and scattering the dust that lay upon the ground like a gray shroud. Melania felt the cold, though there was nothing around her that could cause it. The path she found herself on grew narrower with each step, and new trials appeared at every turn. The first moments had seemed simple, but now everything began to change, and the darkness became alive, as though it could consume her very thoughts, suffocate her heart.
Before her stood an impenetrable wall, appearing as part of the mountains that vanished into the clouds. This was not just a wall—it was a barrier that separated one reality from another. She could feel its weight, like an invisible chain that shackled her movements. But she did not stop. Inside her grew a sense of determination, and it felt as if the very Earth itself was giving her the strength to continue.
Her footsteps echoed hollowly, as though reverberating in an empty world. It seemed that every movement she made could be the last in this endless void. But right here, at the threshold of this barrier, she understood that the most important choice was not whether to move forward or stop. The choice was whether to remain as she had been, or to let the changes pass through her very being.
Thinking it over, she pulled the parchment from her bag, now her only companion. Glancing at its open surface, she saw another message, this time written in a hand less familiar, yet just as clear and powerful. It was filled with darkness, and the words on it carried the feeling of inevitability.
“To proceed, let go of what was. But remember: not all changes lead to something better. You must understand what it means to take this step. And know this is not a step toward victory. It may be your fall.”
Melania froze, struggling to breathe. This was not just a warning—it was a serious dilemma: to continue, risking her very essence, or leave everything as it was, staying in a safe, though limited, world. Her choice would not only change her, but would also affect the very fabric of time, tearing apart the delicate thread that held everything in balance.
Meanwhile, from the darkness emerged silhouettes, which at first appeared as ghosts, but became clearer with each step, like figures from her past. They approached, bringing with them voices she had once heard in her dreams. They reminded her of her old life, the people she had left behind, the decisions she thought could never be changed.
“You must make a choice,” their collective voice filled the air. “Will you remain who you were, or choose a new reality that has no predictable end?”
Melania took another step, and all the figures fell silent. They looked at her, and each gaze seemed like an image of her former “self,” each hiding a secret of what awaited her.
“I choose to change myself,” she said, without hesitation. Her voice rang out strong, like an echo from the very depths of the darkness.
And then, before her, the dark abyss split open. She saw how her choice tore apart the old world, how the fleeting moment of unease transformed her path. Everything around her began to shift, everything became a different reality, and the darkness started to recede.
The true battle was not beginning here, but in the very heart of her future. And now, as she felt she had left behind what had been familiar to her, she knew—her journey was just beginning.
The choice was made.