That evening, after reading the letter, Cassie could no longer ignore the truth slowly weaving itself around her. Her gaze often drifted into space, as if Maria's words were engraved in her thoughts, shaking her balance. The puzzle pieces were there, right before her eyes, but she couldn't assemble them.
Sky and Mel had quickly noticed her silence, her lack of energy. But they hadn't dared ask questions. There was something in the air, an invisible shiver distancing them from each other, despite their physical closeness.
Cassie sat at the living room table, a cold coffee in front of her, staring at the crumpled letter. The manor suddenly felt larger, heavier. Its walls, once protective, now seemed to stifle her. She heard footsteps behind her but didn't turn around.
_"So, are you finally going to tell us what you found?" Sky's voice, calm but laced with concern, broke the silence.
Cassie laid the letter on the table.
_"It's not what I thought. It's… more complicated."
Mel entered as well, casting a glance at the two girls.
_"What do you mean, 'more complicated'? Did you find a hidden message or something?"
She shrugged, but a slight sly smile curled her lips. Cassie suddenly stood, her chair screeching loudly against the floor.
_"No, not a hidden message. But… there are things I still can't explain. What I do know is that Maria knew things—things I didn't even know about myself."
Her words fell like stones—heavy with meaning—and Sky took a small step back, arms crossed.
_"So what, you're going to tell us we're all tied to this story, but we were raised in ignorance?"
Cassie stared at her intensely, her gaze piercing.
_"You don't know what it's like, Sky. To grow up not knowing. To feel like everything around you is an illusion. I always felt like I didn't belong in this family. In this life."
A silence followed. Mel finally seemed to grasp the truth hiding behind Cassie's words.
_"But why? Why us, why this manor? Why now?"
Cassie sighed, short of breath.
_"I don't know, but Maria said something in her letter… what was broken by the light can only be rebuilt by the shadow. You don't understand, but it's tied to our powers."
Mel frowned.
_"Our powers?" She turned to Sky, trying to understand. "Why is she talking about light and shadow?"
Cassie shook her head, frustrated.
_"I don't have all the answers. But I know our fate is tied to something much bigger—something neither you nor I can fully grasp yet."
Just then, the front door slammed shut. A loud thud, almost threatening. The three girls turned toward the door, hearts pounding faster.
Cassie rushed toward the entrance, scanning the darkness outside. No one.
_"Who is it?" asked Sky, her voice edged with nerves.
_"Don't worry, I'll go check."
Cassie opened the door slowly, her eyes searching the night. But there was no one. Only the wind. And yet, a chilling sensation ran through her, as if someone was watching her.
She stood there, hands on the doorframe, heart pounding, an eerie intuition creeping in.
_"It's probably nothing," she said, though the feeling of being watched lingered.
The other girls turned and headed back inside.
Cassie had stepped into the garden, her senses on high alert. She scanned the darkness, looking for any sign of movement. The air was cold, and everything seemed strangely still, yet a sense of unease grew with each step she took. As if something—or someone—was watching her from the shadows.
The silence was almost complete, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the breeze. She moved a little further, a shiver running down her spine. Every fiber of her being told her she was not alone.
As she was about to turn back, a cold mist rose from the ground, enveloping the space around her. She squinted, trying to make sense of what was happening. The mist, so thick and dark, froze her in place. Her thoughts blurred, and a strange pressure grew on her chest, as if the air around her had grown heavier.
She tried to scream, but no sound left her throat. The ground gave way beneath her, and before she could react, an invisible force grabbed her, pulling her backward into the shadow of the night.
Cassie tried to fight back, but it felt as though the mist itself wrapped around her, choking her, keeping her from breathing. Her heart raced, her mind whirled. Flashes of images and sensations rushed through her head, but all remained vague.
She felt a presence behind her, but when she turned her head, there was nothing. Nothing but the black mist tightening around her. She closed her eyes, trying to focus, but the air thinned with every breath she tried to take. Her limbs were numb.
A cold breath brushed the back of her neck, and before she could react, a searing pain shot through her, as if the very air had become a blade. Cassie collapsed to her knees, the ground giving way beneath her. And then, everything went black.
When the muffled sounds through the mist faded, Sky and Mel rushed out of the house, alerted by a strange noise that had suddenly filled the air. The wind had died down, and a sort of palpable tension settled around them. They exchanged a worried glance, each feeling inexplicably drawn outside—where something unexplainable had just occurred.
_"Did you hear that?" asked Sky, her voice cracking with anxiety.
_"Yeah… but what was it?" Mel replied, scanning the area, her eyes frantically searching for clues. The garden seemed calm—too calm. The darkness wrapped around them like an oppressive cloak. Yet there was no sign of Cassie.
_"She was right here just a minute ago..." murmured Sky, heading toward the still-open door. She ran her hand along the frame, a chilling sensation coursing through her. She stepped out quickly, with Mel close behind.
No sign of Cassie. No scream, no struggle. Silence reigned.
_"She couldn't have gone off on her own, not like that," said Mel, heading for the living room. She noticed Cassie's phone still on the coffee table, screen glowing. A shiver ran through her. It was as if Cassie had vanished into thin air, leaving only her phone behind.
Sky approached the phone and picked it up, her fingers hesitating to tap the screen.
_"She can't just disappear like this..." she said, deep worry in her eyes. "Something's not right."
The two girls turned to the open garden door. They stepped outside carefully, scanning the area. No signs of a struggle. The ground was untouched—no footprints. And though the mist had cleared, it left behind a strange sensation, like a memory of what had just happened—without any concrete evidence.
_"She couldn't have left alone..." whispered Sky. "Something took her. Or someone. And we didn't hear a thing."
Mel shuddered, casting one last glance at the house before heading back inside.
"We have to find her, Sky. No matter what's happening, we have to understand what's going on."
(A few minutes later)
Mel sat in the living room, watching the heavy silence around her. Her anxiety grew with every minute that passed, with no news from Alaric. He didn't have a phone, and she had no real way of contacting him. She felt lost—alone in a situation that seemed more and more out of control.
Her thoughts swirled. Everything felt like it was accelerating, spinning out of their grasp. She knew Alaric would show up when he deemed it necessary. But when, exactly, would that be? And why did everything always have to happen so urgently?
Sky suddenly entered the room, her eyes half-shut, clearly tired.
_"Still no news?"
Mel looked at her and shook her head.
_"Nothing… He doesn't have a phone, so I'm… completely disconnected from all this."
Sky sat beside her, frowning.
_"That's kind of weird, right? Alaric must have some way to contact us. Or to find us."
Mel shrugged.
_"I don't know anymore… It's like he's deliberately staying hidden. Like always. And it's driving me crazy."
Suddenly, a cool breeze swept through the room, lightly lifting the curtains. The temperature dropped instantly, and Mel froze. That feeling—she knew it too well. Something was happening.
Sky looked around, concerned.
_"Do you… feel that too?"
Mel didn't answer. She stood up suddenly, instinctively heading toward the door.
_"I'll go check, maybe..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a figure appeared in the shadows. Alaric materialized in the room, just as silently as he had disappeared earlier. He was there, before them, without a sound, his piercing blue eyes fixed on Mel and Sky with an intensity that left little room for discussion.
Sky stood up quickly, fists clenched.
_"Alaric. Where were you? Why didn't you step in sooner?"
Alaric looked at her calmly.
_"I was here. Just not in the way you expected. I'm afraid you're not ready for what's coming."
His tone was calm, almost wise, but carried a weight that hinted at the magnitude of events to come.
_"Ready?!" Mel snapped, her voice trembling with frustration. "We've done everything to prepare, and you… you just stand there, watching us struggle without helping!"
Alaric sighed.
_"You must accept the truth. The Triade Solis does not yield to your expectations. You do not decide when it awakens. It chooses you."
Sky, calmer, stepped forward.
_"But why didn't you guide us sooner? Why so many secrets, Alaric?"
_"Because you don't understand the scale of what's ahead," he replied, watching them both. "The powers awakening in you are strong, but you must be ready to control them. The world will not bend to your will. You must accept your role."
Mel clenched her fists.
_"Accept this role? We didn't even choose this! Why us?"
Alaric looked at her for a moment, then answered with a seriousness that chilled the air around them.
_"Because you are tied to this prophecy. Your destiny is beyond what you can imagine. You will have to protect the world from the forces that seek to destroy it. And the forces that are chasing you will not remain in the shadows."
_"And you're here to guide us through this chaos?" Sky asked, her tone sharp, still glaring at him.
_"I'll be here when you need me," he replied in a softer tone. "But know that you have everything you need to overcome the trials. But you must accept who you are before you can do that."
_"Speaking of needing help, we need you, Alaric..." Sky interrupted. "Cassie is missing... it's been hours since we've heard from her. We don't know much, but we're almost certain it's related to magic."
_"What? And you didn't tell me sooner?" Mel swallowed hard. "We wanted to, but you were playing the mysterious advisor as always."
Alaric stared at them for a long moment. _"Alright... I have a magical radar with me, it will help us gather more information about what happened. Take me to the scene of the disappearance."
The girls led him to the garden without saying another word. Alaric took out his old device and began scanning every corner.
He finally broke the silence.
_"Are you sure she was here?"
_"About... we don't know much, we were inside, Alaric..." Mel replied.
Suddenly, his device made a sharp click.
_"Bam... there are indeed magical residues... and not just any kind, a powerful magic. Look at this... there... there was a fog here."
_"A kind of magical fog?" Sky asked.
_"Not just that..." He stood up, looking worried.
_"What? What's happening?" Mel asked. _"Who... who could want to harm Cassie like this?"
Alaric just sighed before speaking...
_"This kind of magic is mostly found with the witches of Outra. Their power isn't really fog, but control over dust."
_"Dust?" Sky said, laughing. "That's a ridiculous and pointless power."
_"Normally, yes... but there's one of those witches who stands out."
_"Uh..."
_"It must be just one person... Nyra..."
Sky and Mel stood there, in heavy silence, Alaric's words echoing in their minds.