The afternoon sun streams through Riverside High's west windows, casting long shadows across the empty hallway. Almost empty. Three figures huddle near the lockers, their shoulders tense, faces twisted in sneers as they corner a smaller student. They don't notice Adrian watching from around the corner, his thin frame pressed against the cool metal lockers.
Just walk away, he tells himself. It's not your problem. But his feet are already moving.
"Hey!" Adrian's voice cracks slightly, but he straightens his spine, trying to channel the confidence he's seen Riley display countless times. "Leave them alone."
The bullies turn, and for a moment, genuine fear flashes across their faces. Adrian's chest swells with pride. Maybe he's finally becoming intimidating-
"Behind you," one of the bullies whispers, and they scatter like leaves in the wind.
"What was that about?" Adrian mutters, then freezes as a shadow falls over him. He turns slowly to find Valerie, her athletic frame blocking the hallway light, trademark scowl firmly in place.
The smaller student takes advantage of the moment to slip away, leaving Adrian standing awkwardly between an amused Valerie and the now-empty hallway.
"You know," Valerie says, crossing her arms, "for someone so smart, you can be pretty dense sometimes."
Adrian's cheeks flush. "What do you mean?"
"They weren't scared of you, genius. They-"
"Were terrified!" A new voice booms down the hallway. Riley rounds the corner, his broad shoulders nearly filling the space, varsity jacket catching the afternoon light. "Man, Adrian, you should have seen their faces when they ran past me. What did you do?"
Valerie snorts, but before she can explain, the shadows in the hallway seem to... shift. It's subtle, just a flicker, but all three of them notice. The temperature drops several degrees.
"Did you guys..." Riley starts.
"Yeah," Adrian whispers, watching as the shadows slowly return to normal. "That was weird."
Valerie shakes her head, trying to dismiss the uneasy feeling. "Probably just clouds passing over the sun or something." But her voice lacks its usual certainty.
Riley pulls out his phone, checking the time. "I should head to practice, but..." he hesitates, which isn't like him at all. "Does anyone else feel like we should... I don't know, meet up later?"
"The graveyard," Adrian says suddenly, then blinks in surprise at his own words. "Why did I say that?"
Valerie stares at Adrian. "The graveyard? You mean the old one past Miller's Woods?" She frowns, but something in her expression suggests she understands the strange pull.
"This is crazy," Riley says, running a hand through his hair. "We can't just go hanging out in graveyards because of some weird feeling." The football captain's usual confidence wavers. "Coach will kill me if I skip practice..."
A notification chimes simultaneously on all three phones. They pull them out, exchanging confused glances.
[Unknown Number]: When shadows stretch and candles light, three must walk where spirits sleep.
"Okay, that's creepy," Adrian mutters, but his fingers are already typing a response. The message shows as undeliverable. "Anyone else?"
"Same," Valerie says, her scowl deepening. "And before either of you ask - no, I didn't set this up."
The hallway shadows flicker again, longer this time, and a cold breeze that shouldn't be possible indoors rustles through their clothes.
The walk home is unusually quiet. Even Valerie, who typically fills silence with sharp commentary, seems lost in thought. They split up to change and drop off their school bags, agreeing to meet at the corner of Maple and Fifth in an hour.
Riley stands in his bedroom, staring at his reflection in the full-length mirror. At 6'2", his athletic build usually gives him confidence, but something feels... off. Like he's looking at a temporary version of himself. He shakes his head, grabbing his letterman jacket.
"Going out?" Dana calls from her room as he passes.
"Yeah, meeting Val and Adrian," he answers, then hesitates. For a moment, he considers telling his sister about the strange message, the shadows, the pull toward the graveyard. Instead, he just says, "Don't wait up."
At the meeting spot, Adrian arrives first, then Valerie. Riley shows up last, still in his practice gear.
"Couldn't skip completely," he explains, adjusting his gym bag. "Told Coach I wasn't feeling well after a few drills."
The sun hangs low on the horizon, painting the sky in deep oranges and purples. The shadows seem to point toward Miller's Woods like arrows.
"This is stupid," Valerie announces, but she's already walking in that direction. "If we die, I'm haunting both of you."
"Technically," Adrian starts, falling into step beside her, "if we all die, we'd all be ghosts, so-"
"Shut up, Adrian."
Riley follows behind them, his usual easy smile replaced with something more uncertain. The woods grow darker with each step, the familiar path somehow different in the fading light.
Riley checks his phone again, shoulders tense. "Practice can wait. Something's happening, and..." he pauses, looking at his friends. "I think we need to be there for it."
"Together," Adrian adds quietly.
Valerie rolls her eyes, but nods. "Fine. But if this is some elaborate prank, I'm punching both of you."
The trees seem to lean inward as they walk, creating a natural tunnel that guides them deeper into Miller's Woods. Branches creak overhead despite the lack of wind, and their footsteps sound muffled against the leaf-strewn path.
"Anyone else notice we're the only ones out here?" Adrian whispers, breaking a silence that had stretched for several minutes. "Usually there are at least a few joggers or dog walkers."
Riley checks his phone, frowning at the screen. "No signal. And it's only 6:30, but it feels later."
"Because it's getting darker," Valerie says, pointing ahead. Dark clouds have gathered above the graveyard, visible through gaps in the canopy. They seem to swirl slowly, like water circling a drain.
The graveyard's wrought iron gates come into view, rust-spotted and ancient. But something's different. Warm light flickers between the bars - dozens of candles, their flames perfectly still despite the increasing wind that whips through the teens' clothes.
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"Those weren't here this morning," Adrian says. "I walk past here every day."
"How do you know?" Riley asks, then blinks in confusion. "Sorry, that was weird. Of course you walk past here. I just... for a second, I couldn't remember..."
Valerie pushes the gate open, the hinges silent when they should screech. Candlelight creates a path between the gravestones, leading toward the center of the cemetery where a circular clearing waits. The flames don't flicker, don't bend in the wind that's now strong enough to make the trees groan.
"We shouldn't be here," Riley says, but his feet keep moving forward. "This isn't normal."
"Nothing about today is normal," Valerie responds, her usual edge softened by wonder. "The shadows, the message, that weird moment in the hallway... it's all connected."
They reach the clearing's edge. The candles form a perfect circle, their light revealing symbols etched into the ground - curves and angles that seem to shift when viewed directly.
The wind stops.
The clouds above them spiral faster.
Adrian steps forward, drawn by something he can't explain. "There's writing here." He kneels beside one of the candles, squinting at the ground. "It says..."
A sound like thunder splits the air, but it comes from below, not above. The symbols flare with brilliant light, and the ground beneath their feet begins to tremble.
"Run!" Riley shouts, reaching for his friends, but his fingers pass through empty air as the world twists around them. The graveyard stretches like a reflection in disturbed water, the candles' light streaking into ribbons of gold.
The last thing any of them hear is a woman's voice, clear as crystal: "I am sorry, my warriors. But your world needs you."
Then darkness takes them, and they fall through the space between worlds.
The darkness dissolves into a sea of stars, infinite and breathtaking. The three teens float in the cosmic void, their bodies weightless among constellations and swirling nebulae. Below them, above them, in every direction, the universe stretches endlessly.
"Is... is everyone okay?" Riley's voice sounds strange here, like it's coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Define okay," Valerie responds, trying to orient herself in the starlit space. "Because floating in space seems pretty far from-"
Pink mist begins to coalesce before them, shimmering like stardust. It spirals upward, taking shape until a colossal figure towers above them - a woman, fourteen feet tall, with flowing pink curls that move as if underwater. Her presence fills the cosmic void with a warm, rosy glow.
"Welcome, my chosen warriors," her voice matches the one they heard in the graveyard, but now it carries the weight of divinity. "I am Lady Amara, and I apologize for the abrupt arrival." Her eyes, like pink diamonds, study each of them in turn. "But time grows short, and shadows grow long."
Adrian tries to speak, but no words come. Riley stares open-mouthed at the goddess, while Valerie manages to find her voice first.
"What... what is this place? Why are we here?"
Lady Amara waves her hand, and constellations shift around them, forming images of a world consumed by darkness. "This is the space between worlds - my sanctuary since the Shadow Monarch forced us gods into hiding. Your world and mine are connected by threads of fate, and now both face a terrible threat."
The cosmic scene changes, showing a figure wreathed in living shadows. "He was once a simple dark mage, but his power grew beyond control. Now he suppresses the gods themselves, leaving only small safe zones where our power still holds." Her expression darkens. "And soon, his shadow will reach your world too."
"Why us?" Riley finally asks, his usual confidence small in the face of such power.
Lady Amara's smile is both kind and sad. "Because you three possess something rare - hearts that balance light and shadow. But to fight this evil, you must accept both gift and curse. Power always demands a price."
The pink mist swirls more intensely around her as she raises her hands. "I offer you the chance to become warriors of two worlds. To gain power beyond mortal limits. But know this - each gift comes with a curse, and your choices here will change you forever."
The cosmic void shimmers as Lady Amara gestures, and six distinct paths of starlight materialize before them. Each path glows with different colors, representing the six warrior classes.
"Before you lie six paths," Lady Amara's voice echoes through space. "The Tank, master of defense and protection. The Assassin, wielder of stealth and precision. The Healer, bearer of restoration and life. The Ranger, commander of distance and accuracy. The Mage, channeler of arcane forces. And the Swordsman, master of blade and combat."
Images form in the starlight: A towering warrior with a heart marking their chest, a lithe figure shrouded in shadow with a heart on their neck, a feminine form radiating healing light, an archer perfectly poised among nature, a spellcaster wielding raw magic, and a skilled warrior with blade in hand.
"Choose carefully," she continues. "For while all paths are open, your hearts will resonate with the one meant for you. But know this - each power carries its curse. The Tank feels the pain of those they protect. The Assassin fades from memory when eyes turn away. The Healer must embrace a form far from their own. The Ranger becomes one with nature's harsh embrace. The Mage and Swordsman..." she pauses, her pink eyes flickering with something like sorrow, "their paths await others yet to come."
Valerie steps forward first, drawn to the Tank's path despite herself. Adrian's gaze fixes on the Assassin's shadowy form. Riley stares at the Healer's path, conflict clear on his face as he realizes what that choice will mean.
"Remember," Lady Amara's voice grows solemn, "once chosen, there is no turning back. Your gifts will protect two worlds, but your curses will remind you of the price of power."
Valerie steps forward first, her eyes fixed on the Tank's path. The starlight shows visions of all the fights she's had to hold back in, all the times she's wanted to unleash her full strength but couldn't risk the consequences. "With this power, I can finally fight without holding back. No one can stop me if I can't die easily."
Adrian moves toward the Assassin's trail, shadows seeming to reach for him. He sees every time he's been pushed around, every moment he wished he could disappear from danger. "If no one can find me, no one can hurt me. I'll never be vulnerable again."
Riley stands before the Healer's path, seeing only the power to help others. The starlight shows healing magic, restoration, life itself - but notably, not the form that comes with it. "In games, the healer keeps everyone alive. With everything getting weird lately, we need that more than another fighter."
"Your choices reveal your hearts," Lady Amara says, though there's a hint of something - concern? amusement? - in her voice. "But remember, every gift demands its price."
"Your choices reveal your true hearts," Lady Amara's voice fills the cosmic void. "But remember - these gifts come with bonds that cannot be broken. Tank, you will bear the pain of those you protect, feeling every wound they suffer. Assassin, the world will forget you exist the moment they look away, leaving only your teammates to remember. And Healer," she pauses, her pink eyes full of both compassion and steel, "you will wear a form far from your own, bewitching those around you with a beauty that is both gift and curse."
The three friends look at each other one last time - memorizing these last moments of who they were.
They step into the light.
The transformation begins with pain - searing, burning, reshaping pain. Valerie feels her body hardening, muscles and bones becoming like steel, a heart mark burning itself into her chest. She grows taller, stronger, her very skin becoming a shield.
Adrian's form becomes lighter, shadows wrapping around him like a second skin, a heart marking searing into the back of his neck. He feels himself becoming something that slides between sight and memory, present but unseen.
Riley's transformation is the most dramatic. His broad, athletic form begins to shift and change, becoming smaller, lighter, curved. Long hair spills down his back, his features softening, changing, until the reflection in the cosmic void shows a beautiful young woman with a heart mark glowing just above her heart.
Status windows materialize before each of them:
[Tank]
Name: Valerie
Level: 1
Special Ability: Guardian's Sacrifice
Curse Active: Pain Link Established
[Assassin]
Name: Adrian
Level: 1
Special Ability: Shadow Step
Curse Active: Memory Fade Engaged
[Healer]
Name: Riley
Level: 1
Special Ability: Life's Touch
Curse Active: Divine Beauty
"The pact is sealed," Lady Amara declares, her massive form beginning to fade into the star-filled void. "When you wake, you will be in my world. Find the safe zones. Learn to use your powers.
The cosmic void begins to spin around them, stars blurring into streaks of light.
"Wait!" Valerie calls out. "How do we-"
But they're already falling, tumbling through space and reality. The last thing they see is their reflections in the cosmic void - three strangers wearing their names looking back at them.
Then darkness takes them again, but this time, they fall in different directions.