The sun had not yet risen with Jain and Lyra left the Mirror Grove. The mist clung to their boots like memory, reluctant to let them go. In Jain's hand, the seer's stone glowed softly, its surface etched with shifting runes that pulsed like a hearbeat. The mark on his neck respond in kind. burning faintly beneath his collar.
"Any idea where it's taking us?" Lyra asked, breaking the silence.
"North, " Jain said. "I can feel it pulling. And burning."
They followed the whisper of the stone through forgotten paths and forest trails grown thick with roots and shadows. The world seemed quieter now, as if holding its breath. Birds did not sing. Leaves did not rustle. Even the wind dared not speak.
By midday, the glow of the stone brightened, casting thin lines of silver light across Jain's fingers. The mark on his neck seared with sudden heat.
He staggered,
"Jain?"
He braced himself against a tree, breath shallow. The pain wasn't just heat—it was calling. Something old, familiar, like waking up to a name you hadn't heard since birth.
Lyra knelt beside him. "Is it close?"
"Yes. But I don't know if it's safe."
The forest thinned ahead. They came to a clearing marked by scorched earth and twisted stone. The remnant of a cottage lay broken in the center, its ruins still warm. The seer's stone pulsed brightly.
Suddenly a blast of raw force surged toward them.
Jain shoved Lyra aside as fire erupted through the trees.
A voice rang out—panicked, young. "Stay away! I won't let you take me!"
From the smoke, a figure emerged—a young man in his early twenties, eyes wide with fear, Hads crackling with unstable energy. Behind him, two others, a girl with wind swirling around her like an armor and a tall youth whose hands bled blue flame.
"They're Gifted," Lyra whispered. "But... they're new."
Jain held up his hands. "We're not your enemies. you were just awakened. We're here to help."
The boy shouted again, another wave of power surging forward Wild and uncontrolled.
The mark on Jain's neck blazed.
Time slowed.
He saw the fire curling through the air, the frightened faces frozen in the moment. The power within him roared awake.
He vanished and reappeared behind the attackers.
with a burst of energy, he pushed the fire away, redirecting the winds with a sweep of his hand. the air bent to his will. folding and twisting through the fabric of the moment.
Time resumed.
The three stumbled back, confused and awestruck.
Jain's eyes glowed faintly. "I didn't come to fight. But i will defend myself."
The girl stepped forward, wind dying around her shoulders. "You... stopped time. How?"
"i don't know. it just happened."
The boy looked at the stone Jain held. "It started glowing when you got close. That's when we felt different. Like something broke inside. Like something opened."
Lyra stepped forward. "That means you're newly awakened. Some of the Gifted have always known what they are. Others are just discovering it. But all of you are connected. And we need you. The world needs you."
The tall youth finally spoke. His voice was rough but steady. "You're the vessel. I felt it in my bones. The darkness...it's already circling you."
Jain lowered the stone. "Three of the four remain. you're one of them. Maybe all of you. But we don't have time to be unsure. we need to move."
The youth nodded slowly. "I'm Kael. He's Rian. And the kid is Siera. We don't know what's happening. but... we'll come. For now."
That night, they cramped in the hollow of a broken hill, firelight dancing on weary faces. Jain sat apart, the stone beside him, its light dim but steady.
Lyra approached. "You unlocked something today."
"Or it unlocked me," he said quietly. "Time, space. I moved through both like water. it scares me."
"It should," Lyra replied. "But you're still you. And you didn't use it to hurt anyone."
He looked at the others, now sleeping uneasily. "I just hope that's enough"
The fire burned low. Only embers remained, flickering softly in the hush before dawn.
Jain stood, quietly slipping away from the others. The seer's stone was cold now, tucked in his satchel, but the mark on his neck still tingled like a whisper against his skin. He moved past the edge of camp, into the trees, where shadows clung thick between the trunks. The world was still, save for the occasional crack of a settling branch.
He stopped by a fallen log and unbuckled his belt, sighing. Relief.
"You always disappear when it gets quiet," came lyra's voice from behind.
Jain startled, nearly tripping over his own feet. He fumbled with his belt. "Lyra—what the hell—can i not get two seconds of peace?"
She laughed softly, stepping closer. "Relax. I wasn't spying. Just... making sure you're okay."
"I'm peeing, Lyra,"
"Yeah, I noticed."
He turned, trying to play off the awkwardness. "I'm fine. Just needed air."
She stepped closer, her face unreadable in the pale light. "You scared me today. That time-slip thing? you could've torn yourself apart. Or worse."
"But I didn't"
"No," she said, "you didn't."
There was a pause, thick with things unsaid.
The she kissed him.
it was sudden and fierce, her hand at the back of his neck, fingers brushing the edge of the mark that still hummed faintly. Jain froze for half a second, the kissed her back—hungry, confused, like trying to hold onto something solid in a world unraveling.
They pulled apart slowly, breath mingling.
"That wasn't because you're the vessel, "Lyra said, voice low. "That was because you're still you."
Jain swallowed, pulse loud in his ears. "Not sure how much longer I will be."
Lyra leaned her forehead against his. "Then let's hold onto what we've got. For as long as we can."
In the distance, another howl split the air—closer this time.
They broke apart.
But the fire between them hadn't cooled.