New Identity

The energy from the battle between Elara and Simon grew so intense that the sky above Silverthorne turned a dusky red.

The thunderstorm began to flash uncontrollably, and every lightning bolt that hit the ground made the ruins of the city tremble, as if the old city was also feeling the tension that was overflowing between the two.

The wind picked up speed and slowly became a tornado ready to sweep away anything in its path. 

Grace could only stare in dismay, realising that this clash was too strong even for her.

"Elara!" shouted Grace, trying to reach her niece who was at the centre of the energy vortex. "You must retreat! This city will be destroyed if you keep fighting!"

However, Elara no longer heard anything. Her focus was completely centred on Simon, who was now smiling slyly despite the growing number of wounds on his body.

Behind his cold face, Elara could feel Simon's fear, a fear that was hidden behind every word he said. They both knew this was a decisive battle.

"Are you ready for the end, little Blaise?" Simon raised both hands, gathering the black energy that swirled more and more swiftly around him. "I assure you that you will die very quickly and painlessly, unlike the way your mother met her death."

Elara just stared at him unflinchingly. "There will be no end as you imagine, Simon. You will fall-and I will give it all back."

Simon laughed mockingly at the sentence after sentence that escaped from Elara's small lips who believed that he would not lose to Simon this quickly.

The two of them exchanged spells, the power they unleashed increasing by the second. 

With the final attack, Elara and Simon unleashed their ultimate power in a wave of energy so powerful that it was as if time itself stopped.

Elara's blue light collided with Simon's darkness, creating a powerful explosion that shook Silverthorne to its foundations.., 

Stone walls cracked, trees fell, and buildings that had stood for thousands of years collapsed one by one.

"Elara! No!" Grace leapt towards Elara to pull her out of the energy vortex, but the impact of the force was too great. 

The three of them-Elara, Grace, and Simon-flung out of the old city, past the protective barrier that had been keeping Silverthorne from the outside world. Grace held her niece's hand tightly so that Elara would not be separated from her. 

When Elara's body hit the hard ground, everything became a blur. The sounds around her vanished, as if drowned in a thick fog that clouded her memory.

The pain was like a wave that tore through her mind, bringing the most important parts of her slowly disappearing. 

The image of Marie's face, her mother's smile, the face of Grace the aunt who always accompanied her after her mother died, even the name and visual of the old town of Silverthorne slowly disappeared from Elara's memory, erased along with her fading consciousness.

Time passed. In a village far away from Silverthorne, a woman stared at a young girl lying weakly on a simple wooden bed.

The child was found by the riverbank with a body full of wounds and a face that seemed to recognise no one, not even herself.

The woman, Grace Rowan, cared for Elara lovingly, fortunately the woman who had always accompanied Elara did not suffer from amnesia when she bounced from Silverthorne. 

"Raven, child," called Grace, who had decided to change their identities one day, as the girl stared out the

 out the window with a blank stare. "Do you remember where you came from?"

Elara, who had now changed her name to Raven, shook her head slowly. "I... I don't even remember my name. Much more than that." Her face looked blank, like she was keeping a secret locked deep inside.

However, even though she forgot everything, every night, strange dreams always came to haunt her.

In her dream, there were flashes of blue light, the ruins of a city that felt familiar, and voices calling her name.

There were vague figures, including a man with cold eyes that radiated hatred.

Every time she woke up from the dream, her heart pounded, but nothing was clear.

Years later, in the same place but very different. A man in a formal suit was ringing a bell on the front lawn of York University's dormitory. 

His eyes stared intently as a black luxury car entered the courtyard and stopped near the entrance of the building. 

Two women got out of the car. A middle-aged woman walked to the back of the car and opened the boot.

"All grades must be A's, right, Grace? I promise you," said a young girl as she followed her to the trunk. 

"Tsk, there's no need for that, darling. I don't really care about grades," Grace replied with a smile. 

"Ah, yeah, right. At least "Don't forget to socialise", right?" continued the girl with a wry smile on her lips.

"Making friends is an important thing in life, dear Raven even though it's a difficult thing because we always have to move around. Now try to socialise if you get the chance."

Raven exhaled her breath. The look on her face showed that she did not like hearing the request of the woman in front of her. 

Grace stared intently at Raven's beautiful bead. Her feelings were mixed. After a few moments of silence, Grace responded to Raven's behaviour. 

"Try it, sweetheart because I won't be here forever."

Not wanting to disappoint the woman in front of her, Raven chose to divert the conversation, "Sorry, I have to go now."

"Wisdom comes in many forms, not just from studying. You know that, right?"

Raven who already didn't want to listen any further about having to socialise again changed the topic by saying that she really had to leave right now. 

"Wait a minute." Grace took something out of her jacket pocket and handed it to Raven, "This."

"Grace is this...?" asked Raven dangling.