**Deep in the heart of a forgotten land, there was a forest that whispered secrets only at midnight**.

A curious girl named Enos Azerial had always been drawn to its mysteries. One night, when she heard her name carried on the wind through the trees, she could no longer resist. With hesitant steps and a heart full of questions, she followed the voice deep into the forest.

The trees grew denser as she walked, their ancient trunks twisted with time. Eventually, Enos came upon a silent, glassy lake, perfectly still and glowing faintly under the moonlight.

Its waters were so clear they mirrored the sky above. Beneath the surface, she saw a stunning fish with glimmering scales that shimmered like starlight. Spellbound, she knelt down to touch it.

The moment her fingers met the surface, the ground beneath her shifted. She slipped and fell into the icy water. Darkness closed in, and her consciousness faded into the depths.

When she awoke, she found herself lying on soft moss beneath a dome of glowing crystals. The air was filled with floating lanterns, and luminous vines trailed along the curved walls. Ethereal music drifted through the space, gentle as a lullaby.

Disoriented and afraid, Enos sat up quickly. “What...?” she whispered, her voice unsteady. She looked around frantically until a calm, deep voice echoed through the cavern.

She turned to find a tall figure approaching—a male elf with long, silver hair that fell past his shoulders and eyes that shimmered like molten gold. He was dressed in robes that rippled like liquid starlight, and an aura of quiet power surrounded him.

“Do not be afraid,” he said, his voice like wind through leaves. “You were chosen by the Lake of Glass. Only those with a forgotten destiny may enter the Realm of Echo.”

Enos stared at him in disbelief. “Please… can you explain it? I just... don’t understand anything. Who are you? Where am I?”

The elf knelt beside her, his gaze kind. “I am Kaelen of the Echo Court, guardian of this realm,” he replied gently. “You are in a place that exists between memory and time—a sanctuary for truths that have been buried, even from their own bearers.”

Enos shook her head slowly. “But I’m just an ordinary girl…”

Kaelen’s lips curved into a faint smile. “No, Enos Azerial. You are anything but ordinary. The lake called to you because a part of your past—your true past—was lost. And now, this realm has opened to help you find it again.”

As he spoke, the cavern shimmered with soft light, and a distant bell echoed faintly, like a heartbeat in the air. Rising to his feet, Kaelen extended a hand toward her once more.

“Come. The forest may have whispered, but now the truth is ready to speak.

She hesitantly reached for his extended hand, her fingers brushing against his with uncertainty. The moment their hands touched, a gentle warmth flowed through her, like sunlight piercing through mist.

Kaelen led her across a bridge of woven light that formed beneath their feet with every step. The cavern around them seemed to shift and breathe, alive with silent stories waiting to be awakened.

“So… what should I do?” Enos asked, her voice small, yet steady.

Kaelen glanced at her, his expression thoughtful. “You must reclaim the fragments of your forgotten self. They are scattered across this realm—locked within echoes, hidden behind illusions, and guarded by memories you once tried to leave behind.”

Enos furrowed her brow. “Why would I forget who I am?”

Kaelen’s golden eyes darkened slightly. “Because pain can bury truth. And the deeper the hurt, the harder it is to remember. But without your whole self, this world—and perhaps your own—may never heal.”

As they walked deeper into the glowing path, the air thickened, the lights around them dimmed, and a soft hum began to rise from the shadows.

Suddenly, Kaelen stopped. “The first echo lies ahead,” he said. “But be warned—echoes are not just memories… they are trials.”

Taking a deep breath that trembled at the edges, Enos stepped forward into the growing mist. The bridge of light beneath her faded with each step, and soon, the soft glow of the cavern was swallowed by a cold, silvery fog.

She turned back—instinctively seeking Kaelen—but he was gone. The mist had devoured everything behind her. There was no bridge. No crystals. No floating lanterns. Just silence.

“Kaelen?” she called out, but her voice sounded small and muffled, as though the mist itself refused to carry sound.

Panic scratched at her throat, but she forced herself to move. This is a trial, she reminded herself. I have to keep going.

Shapes began to form in the fog. Blurred outlines. Faint flickers. And then—suddenly—she was no longer alone.

She stood in the middle of a crumbling village, its streets lined with broken lanterns and empty homes. The air was thick with sorrow. At the far end of the road, a child stood motionless, staring directly at her.

Enos's heart dropped.

The child had her face.

As Enos crept closer, her footsteps silent on the cracked cobblestones, she realized something strange—her younger self wasn’t truly seeing her at all. The girl’s wide, glassy eyes were fixed on something behind Enos. Her lips trembled, and her small hands clenched into fists.

A sudden chill raced down Enos’s spine.

Slowly, heart thudding in her ears, she turned around.

Behind her stood a towering shadow—shapeless at first, but then it began to morph. From the mist, limbs emerged. Long and spindly. Its eyes—if they could be called eyes—were hollow voids, like holes torn in the world itself. The air around it crackled with grief.

It wasn’t just a creature.

It was a memory.

Kaelen’s words echoed faintly in her mind: “Echoes are not just memories… they are trials.”

The shadow took a step forward, and the ground beneath Enos trembled.

As the creature crept closer, its shape growing more defined with every step, Enos’s eyes darted back to the younger version of herself. Something had changed.

The trembling had stopped.

Her younger self now stood tall—unnaturally still—her expression eerily calm. In her right hand, a slender wand shimmered into existence, formed from light and smoke, its tip glowing faintly like the last ember of a dying star. Her eyes, once wide with fear, now gleamed with a strange power—an ancient fire Enos didn’t remember ever having.

The child raised the wand without a word.

The shadow stopped.

The fog rippled violently, and a deep groan echoed through the ruined village. The creature hissed, its form flickering like it feared what the girl had become.

Enos took a step back, caught between awe and fear.

Is that really… me? she wondered.

Or something I left behind?

Then, the child spoke—her voice layered, old and young at once.

"You gave me away when you chose to forget."

She turned her head slowly to face Enos, eyes blazing.

"Now take me back... or be lost to the echo forever."

Enos stepped forward, her heartbeat thundering in her chest—but her steps were steady now. The fear, the confusion, the weight of not knowing… it all led to this moment.

She knelt in front of her younger self, who watched her with unreadable eyes.

Reaching out, Enos gently placed her hand on the child's head. Her voice, though soft, rang with resolve.

"I accept."

In that instant, a blinding light burst from the child's chest, flooding the broken village in radiant gold. The shadow behind them let out a piercing shriek as it dissolved into mist, unraveling like smoke caught in wind.

The world around them shattered—not violently, but gently, like glass returning to sand.

The two forms—child and present—merged into one as the light engulfed them both. Memories rushed in: laughter once forgotten, pain once buried, and strength once denied. Enos saw her past not as weakness, but as the foundation of who she truly was.

When the light faded, Enos stood alone.

But something was different.

She felt whole.

A low hum returned to the air, and the glowing path of woven light reformed beneath her feet. A familiar voice spoke from behind.

"You faced your first echo," Kaelen said, appearing from the mist. His golden eyes shone with something close to pride.

"And you reclaimed what was lost. The Realm of Echo has begun to remember you."

With a newfound clarity in her eyes, Enos stepped forward, her posture no longer cautious but confident—grounded. The weight that had once dragged behind her was gone, replaced by a steady strength she hadn't known she possessed.

The wand—no longer flickering but solid and luminous—rested firmly in her hand as though it had always belonged there. She held it high and whispered, with power in her voice:

"Let’s complete this puzzle that I had once forgotten and hidden."

She took another step, her eyes narrowing at the path ahead.

"Let’s face this fear."

The Realm of Echo responded.

The mist cleared, revealing a vast hall of mirrors—some cracked, others whole—each reflecting not just her image, but versions of her. Enos as a child, Enos broken, Enos strong, angry, brave, quiet… dozens of selves she had lived, buried, denied.

Kaelen stood at the threshold. “The Mirror Hall will not show you illusions,” he warned. “Only truths. Some will beg to be embraced. Others—to be destroyed.”

Enos didn’t falter. “I’m not running anymore.”

As she stepped into the Hall, the mirrors rippled. One by one, they began to speak—not with voices, but with emotions, memories, and flashes of moments long buried.

The second echo was about to begin.

Enos stood still in the center of the Mirror Hall, her wand lowered at her side, eyes scanning the shifting reflections. Each mirror rippled with light and memory—versions of herself frozen in moments long past.

One mirror showed her sobbing beneath storm clouds.

Another, laughing uncontrollably beside someone she could no longer name.

One showed her running away.

Another, standing tall with a crown of flame.

Some versions smiled with kindness. Others stared back with resentment, anger… even hatred.