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Destiny Awakened

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Awakening

Seraphina awoke to the chirping of forest birds and rays of sunlight filtering down through branches overhead. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the greenery surrounding her, though she couldn't recall how she arrived in this glen. Unease stirred within as she realized she didn't know where, or even who, she was.

She sat up and surveyed herself. Mail armor encased her slender frame, and she felt the weight of a longsword at her hip. Her skin bore scars of past battles unknown to her. As her fingers brushed over the hilt, she sensed restless energy pulsing within it that both beckoned and alarmed her.

Seraphina rose, her legs unsteady yet strong. She ventured forward, brushed aside low-hanging vines, and emerged from the trees into a sun-drenched glade. A brook bubbled nearby. She knelt to scoop up its cool water, quenching a thirst she hadn't known she felt.

Her thoughts drifted like clouds, dissipating as winds of confusion scattered them. Suddenly, footsteps crunched the grass behind them. She turned to find a cloaked man studying her with kind eyes that crinkled at the edges. His hands emerged from flowing sleeves to hold up empty palms in a placating gesture.

"Greetings. My name is Solomon, and you are safe here. Might I approach?" His tone flowed mellow and calm, befitting one accustomed to imparting wisdom.

Seraphina nodded mutely, allowing him to draw near. She struggled to voice her distress through the roar of unanswered questions within. Thankfully, Solomon sensed her turmoil.

"Your memory confounds you, but it is not lost. Finding purpose will unveil the past. Come, let us seek answers together." His gentle assurance eased her ragged nerves.

He guided her through colorful glades as birdsong soothed frayed awareness. Gradually relaxing under noon's warm light, Seraphina began to glimpse fleeting images from the fog of forgottenness—a gleaming citadel, whispered prayers in her childhood voice, flashes of battles shielding others from harm. Perhaps Solomon could clarify her visions and aid her recovery.

When they reached a trickling stream, Solomon beckoned her to sit. He spoke of the realm of Etherea, divided between the kingdom of Radiance, defended by her righteous predecessors, and Shadowfall, whose ruler ambitioned to seize all. Through stories spanning eras, Seraphina's innate calling began to illuminate like dawn breaking over the horizon. She sensed a vital role awaited fulfillment, though its purpose remained veiled.

Night fell as Solomon described prophetic scriptures describing the God of the universe called "El Shaddai," who defeated "The Lord of Shadows" through his sacrifice of himself, freeing people from death and sin. Those who repent of their wickedness and place their faith in him are adopted into his family as children of light. Seraphina gazed into flickering flames, wondering if she had been summoned from amnesia's depths for reasons beyond her reckoning. Her quest to confront Shadowfall's lord on the morrow seemed fated yet fearful. Yet with Solomon beside her, strength and purpose awakened where only mysteries had lain. When dawn unveiled the splendor of a new day, her journey to fulfill her destiny in Etherea would commence.