In a quiet village nestled between rolling hills and a whispering forest, there lived a young woman named Elara. She was known for her radiant smile and boundless energy, but deep within, she carried a heavy burden—a lingering sense of emptiness she couldn’t quite name. One day, while wandering the forest, Elara stumbled upon an ancient, gnarled tree with a hollow trunk. Inside, she found a dusty, leather-bound journal with the words “The Journey Within” etched on its cover. Intrigued, she opened it and found it blank, except for a single sentence on the first page: “To find yourself, you must first lose yourself.” That night, Elara dreamt of a vast, endless desert.…