Yuri struggled to her feet, her heart pounding in her chest. All around her stretched a silent, gloomy, almost unreal landscape. The sky was a static gray, as if time had stopped flowing. The branches of skeletal trees seemed to point toward her, like judging fingers.

  Then, from the shadows, a figure emerged.

  Tall, elegant, in a black gown laced with amethyst veins. Her long dark hair swayed as if moved by a wind Yuri could not feel. And the eyes... those violet eyes seemed to look right through her, digging into her fears and memories.

  Yuri took a step back.

  "Who are you?" she asked, trying to sound braver than she felt.

  The woman smiled, a tone blending charm and danger.

  "My name is Kayla. And you, little stranger, have just entered the World of Shadows."

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  "What...? Shadows? Is this a dream?"

  "No. It's much more real than the world you've left behind."

  Yuri looked around with wide eyes. Every detail—the cold she felt on her arms, the acrid smell of the earth—was vivid, tangible.

  "Why am I here? Why me?"

  Kayla stepped closer, her steps as silent as snow.

  "You were chosen. By whom, or by what, you don't yet understand. But the fact that you're here... means you have a role to play."

  "A role? In what, exactly?"

  The witch raised her gaze to the horizon. A dark tower loomed in the distance, shrouded in black clouds.

  "What remains of this world is under the yoke of the Dark King. His power grows, corrupting everything. The kingdoms fall one by one. If no one stops him... everything will end."

  "And you think I can do that? I... I’m just a normal girl!"

  "Perhaps. Or perhaps you are what we need. A stranger, free from the constraints of this world. Someone who can change fate."

  Kayla extended her hand toward Yuri.

  "Come. I will teach you to survive here. To fight. To become what you are destined to be."

  Yuri stared at that hand for a moment. A thousand questions flooded her mind, but none had an answer.

  Finally, she took a deep breath and grasped the witch's hand.

  A dark warmth ran through her arm. But for the first time... she didn’t feel alone.