Bound by Fate

Chapter 1: The Awakening

The dream began the same way every night.

Lily stood at the edge of a vast battlefield, the scent of burning wood and the metallic tang of blood filling the air. The world around her was a mix of chaos and desolation: soldiers locked in battle, the sky churning with dark clouds, and a distant rumble of thunder. Yet, no matter how terrifying the scene was, Lily felt a strange sense of belonging—like this was where she was meant to be.

In the center of the battlefield, two men stood facing each other; swords raised, eyes filled with something far more dangerous than hatred. One had sharp, calculating eyes, his features hardened by years of war, while the other burned with fury, his hands trembling with barely restrained rage. Between them stood a woman, her form flickering like a mirage, her face obscured by the glowing light surrounding her. Lily felt a pull toward the woman, an instinctual knowledge that this was vital, but she didn’t understand why.

A name echoed in her mind, soft yet commanding. Elara.

The woman’s voice—her voice—reverberated in Lily’s head. She wanted to move closer, to reach the woman who seemed to call out to her, but her feet were rooted in place. She could only watch as the woman—Elara—spoke, her words too distant to hear, but the emotion in her voice apparent: anger, sorrow, betrayal.

Suddenly, the sky cracked open, and darkness swept across the battlefield. The earth trembled beneath Lily’s feet, and the two men looked up, panic flashing in their eyes. Elara fell to the ground, her light extinguished, and the world around her exploded into chaos.

Lily woke with a start, her breath catching in her throat. She sat up in bed, her heart racing, her skin clammy with sweat. The room was dark, except for the faint moonlight slipping through the blinds. Her hands shook as she reached for the glass of water on her nightstand, but the unease lingered even as the cool liquid touched her lips.

The dreams were becoming more frequent. And more vivid.

For weeks, she had been haunted by these visions, but no matter how often they came, she could never make sense of them. At first, she had dismissed them as nightmares, her overactive imagination conjuring up wild scenes from too many late-night fantasy novels. But now, they felt different. Too real.

Pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders, Lily tried to shake the lingering tension. She stared out the window at the quiet city streets below, watching the occasional car pass. It was just a dream, she told herself, nothing more. She had been stressed lately—between her demanding job and the general exhaustion of life—it was no wonder her mind was playing tricks on her while she slept.

But as she lay back down, her mind drifted to the figures in her dream. The woman, Elara, who always seemed so familiar. And the two men—their faces were etched into her memory, yet she had no idea who they were. Why did they feel important? Why did their conflict feel so… personal?

Lily sighed and rubbed her temples. There was no use in trying to make sense of it. The dreams would pass, just like they always did. All she needed was rest.

The following day, Lily sat at the breakfast table, a half-empty cup of coffee in front of her as she absentmindedly stared at her laptop screen. Work emails scrolled past her eyes, but her mind was elsewhere, still caught in the remnants of her dream. She had spent most of the night tossing and turning, trying and failing to get back to sleep. The fatigue weighed heavily on her, making it difficult to focus on the mundane tasks of her job as a freelance editor.

"Maybe I need a break," she muttered, siping her now-lukewarm coffee. She had been pushing herself too hard lately, staying late to meet deadlines and neglecting any semblance of social life. It was no wonder her subconscious was acting out, filling her head with these bizarre dreams.

But even as she told herself that, a part of her couldn’t let it go. The name Elara had stuck with her, nagging at the back of her mind. It felt like more than just a random name her brain had concocted. It was something… familiar as if she had heard it before.

With a sigh, Lily closed her laptop and pushed it aside. She needed to clear her head, and sitting here staring at work wouldn’t help. She decided to walk, hoping the fresh air would clarify her.

The streets outside were bustling with the usual morning activity—people rushing to work, the occasional dog walker, and the honking of cars as they navigated the busy roads. Lily made her way through the familiar neighborhood, the early autumn air cool against her skin. But even as she tried to focus on her surroundings, her mind kept drifting back to her dreams.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were more than just her imagination. There was a depth to them, a sense of history as if she remembered something long forgotten rather than creating a fantasy in her sleep. But that was ridiculous. She had never believed in things like past lives or destiny. She was practical and grounded. Dreams were just dreams.

Weren’t they?

As Lily rounded a corner, a small bookstore caught her eye. She hadn’t been there in years, but something about it called to her now, as if an invisible thread was pulling her in. Without thinking, she crossed the street and pushed open the door.

The shop was dimly lit, the smell of old books and leather filling the air. It was the kind of place that felt timeless, where the past and present seemed to blend. Lily wandered through the aisles, her fingers brushing over the spines of ancient tomes and forgotten volumes. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for—if anything—but something kept urging her forward.

Then, tucked away in a dusty corner, she saw an old book with a worn leather cover, its title nearly faded from age. Her heart skipped a beat as she pulled it from the shelf. "The Lost Chronicles of Elara."

The name sent a chill down her spine.

She flipped open the book, her fingers trembling slightly as she scanned the first few pages. It was a collection of ancient myths and stories about a powerful sorceress named Elara and her two immortal guardians—warriors who had fought beside her for centuries. As she read, the story's details sent a wave of recognition through her.

It was the story from her dreams.

The sorceress, the warriors, the battle—the betrayal, the curse, the immortality—were all there, laid out in vivid detail. Lily’s heart raced as she realized that this wasn’t just a coincidence. Somehow, impossibly, the dreams she had been having were connected to this story—this ancient tale of magic and fate.

But how?

Suddenly, the bookstore door creaked open, and a gust of wind swept through the room. Lily looked up, her breath catching in her throat, as two men stepped inside. They were tall and imposing, their presence commanding the space around them. Though she had never seen them before, Lily recognized them immediately.

They were the men from her dreams.

Draven and Kael.

The air seemed to crackle with tension as they approached. Their eyes locked on her as if they had finally found what they had been searching for.

"You’re here," Draven said, his voice deep and filled with certainty. "Elara."

Lily’s world tilted on its axis, the weight of their words crashing down on her. Everything she had dismissed as fantasy was suddenly real, and she was at the center of it. Her past, destiny, and very identity were all bound to these two men and the fate that had tied them together centuries ago.

And now, there was no escaping it.

As Lily stood frozen in the bookstore, the total weight of her destiny crashing down on her, she knew one thing: her life would never be the same again. The dreams had been a warning, a glimpse of the past about to repeat itself. But this time, the choice would be hers.

And whatever decision she made, it would change everything.