Under pressure

**Lena**

I was preparing to face something far beyond what any of us had imagined. The connection with the golem left me vulnerable, but at the same time, it was a force I could feel pulsing inside me. However, this power came with a price, and the uncertainty of what it meant for me was something I had yet to fully understand.

Kael stood beside me, his worried eyes watching my every move, always so protective. His presence, even in silence, gave me a sense of security. He understood what was happening, perhaps better than I did, but still, there was something between us that couldn’t be ignored.

“You don’t have to do this alone, Lena,” Kael murmured, his voice soft but filled with emotion. He stepped closer, the warmth of his presence almost touching me, as if he was trying to share the burden I carried.

I turned to him, feeling the warmth of his words. “I know, Kael. But it’s something only I can do.” I tried to smile, but the concern in his eyes stopped me. I knew what he was feeling. The tension between us had been growing, and now, in the midst of all this chaos, it seemed impossible to escape.

Thorne entered the room, his presence immediately commanding the space. He crossed his arms, his eyes fixed on me. “Lena, we need to be sure you’re ready to deal with this. There’s no room for error. If we fail, the golem will destroy us, and the rebels will finish the job.”

There was a stiffness in Thorne’s posture, something that went beyond the war we were facing. He knew, as I did, that the war wasn’t the only battle happening here. His eyes locked with Kael’s, and a heavy silence fell between them, full of unspoken things.

The tension between Thorne and Kael was palpable, and I felt trapped in the middle of something I didn’t know how to resolve. My heart raced as the two men, so different, seemed to be fighting for me in very distinct ways. Thorne, with his authority, always protective but also controlling. Kael, on the other hand, offered a lightness, a space where I could breathe.

“I know what’s at stake,” I replied to Thorne, trying to keep my voice steady. “But you need to trust me. The connection I feel with the golem... it’s something beyond what we can control. I need to follow my instinct, even if it’s risky.”

Thorne clenched his jaw, clearly displeased with my response. “Instinct could lead us to destruction, Lena. This is bigger than any of us. If you fail, it will be the end of everything.”

Thorne’s words were cold, almost calculated, but I knew he was just trying to maintain control. Still, there was something about him that unsettled me—the way he spoke as if I were a piece to be used, a means to an end.

Kael, always attentive, stepped forward. “Thorne, she knows what she’s doing. We need to stop treating her like she’s just a tool. Lena is more than that, and if anyone can handle the golem, it’s her.”

Thorne’s eyes narrowed, and he turned to Kael. “I know she’s capable, Kael. But you’re letting your feelings cloud your judgment.” His words were sharp, and I felt my stomach twist with the tension building.

“I’m not letting my feelings cloud anything,” Kael retorted, his voice sharper than usual. “I’m being realistic. Lena has the power to change the course of this war, and if you can’t see that, then the problem isn’t with her.”

My head spun from their exchange of words. I couldn’t help but feel like I was being pulled in opposite directions, as if each of them was trying to mold me in their own way, rather than trusting what I knew to be true.

“Enough!” my voice cut through the air, surprising both of them. I looked at them, trying to hide the whirlwind of emotions inside me. “This isn’t about the two of you. It’s about what’s happening here, right now. We have a chance to change the course of this battle, but only if we work together.”

Both men fell silent, the weight of my words finally sinking in. I felt the tension between us, but there was no time to deal with these emotional issues now. Something much larger was happening, and I couldn’t afford to be distracted by what was coming.

Thorne took a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing a little. “You’re right, Lena. This is bigger than any of us.” He looked at me with a new respect, but also with something deeper that I couldn’t quite decipher.

Kael nodded, remaining by my side.

The weight of it all was beginning to fall on me. I knew I was at the center of something much bigger than the three of us. The war, the golem, and this growing emotional tension between Kael and Thorne—all of it was piling up on my shoulders. It felt like the fate of the battle hinged on a single move, and that move had to come from me.

I stepped back from the two of them, trying to focus on what really mattered. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the energy of the earth around me. The golem was out there, waiting, like a silent force that only I could understand.

But as my mind tried to reconnect with that creature of stone and earth, something changed. A distant, deep sound reverberated through the ground. The earth beneath us began to tremble. It wasn’t just the golem... there was something more, something ancient and powerful stirring in the depths.

“Did you feel that?” Kael asked, his voice filled with concern.

The ground trembled again, stronger this time, as if the earth itself was responding to the golem’s call. I opened my eyes and looked at them, feeling the panic begin to rise inside me.

“That’s not just the golem,” I murmured, my voice low and full of fear. “Something is awakening... something deeper.”

And then, before any of us could react, a massive crack opened in the ground before us, revealing a dark, bottomless abyss.