As Aethel began to understand her connection to Inanna, strange things started to happen. Dark shadows flickered at the edge of her vision, and whispers echoed in her ears, not the soft ones from the library, but cold, harsh whispers.

  One night, while Aethel was alone in her room, a dark figure materialized from the shadows. It had glowing red eyes and a chilling presence.

  "You cannot escape your destiny, Star-Eyed One," the figure hissed. "The shadows are rising."

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  Aethel felt a surge of fear, but also a flicker of anger. "Who are you?" she demanded.

  "We are the ones who seek to claim what is ours," the figure said, its voice like the scraping of metal. "The power of the heavens will be ours."

  The figure lunged at her, and Aethel instinctively raised her hand. A golden light erupted from her palm, pushing the figure back into the shadows.

  It hissed in pain, then vanished, leaving Aethel trembling. She knew that the ancient evil had awakened, and that she was the only one who could stop it.