She could feel it now—the magic in her blood. Not like a rush. Not violent. But steady, old, and deep. It hummed beneath her skin, curled around her bones like roots in fertile ground.
She raised a hand slowly. At her fingertips, sparks shimmered, soft and silver. The wind bent around her touch, the ground responded to her breath.
She flexed her fingers, and light coiled gently down her palm. It crackled softly like distant thunder.
Her lips parted.
"This is… me?"
She turned her hand over, as if seeing it for the first time. The magic didn't frighten her—but it humbled her. How had Saryel lived with this? Carried this weight from the time she was just a girl?
Power like this didn't rest—it watched. Waited. Demanded.
And yet… it didn't feel foreign.
It felt like coming home.
---
From behind her, Ron blurted, "Okay, I'm sorry, but if she turns into a phoenix or starts glowing brighter than my future, I'm out."
J smacked his arm. "Ron—"
But Samantha laughed. A small sound. A real one.
She turned toward him, and despite everything—the glow, the air pulsing around her—Ron saw her.
Still Sam.
Still the girl who snorted when she laughed too hard. Still the one who stole his fries and left glitter on everything she touched.
"Relax," she said, voice warm. "I'm still me."
Ron tilted his head, wary. "You say that, but you're literally standing there like the wind obeys you."
Samantha tilted her hand and let the wind actually bend around her.
He flinched. "Yup. That's it. I'm making a will."
---
J stayed quiet. She stood a few feet back, arms folded tightly across her chest like she was unsure of where she belonged.
Samantha noticed.
J's eyes searched her—curious, reverent, a little hesitant.
"I don't know if I'm supposed to bow or hug you," J admitted finally.
Sam raised a brow. "What?"
"I mean… you're you. But you're also her. High Priestess. Reclaimer of Light. Soul-forged anchor of the veil." J's voice cracked a little on the last title.
Ron leaned toward her and muttered, "You made that one up."
"I didn't," J hissed back.
Samantha smiled gently.
"You can treat me the same," she said. "I'm still the girl who tripped over her own shoelace and blamed a ghost."
J blinked. Then laughed quietly. "Right. You did do that."
---
Alaric stepped forward, finally.
He'd been silent all this time. Watching. Shoulders squared, hands behind his back—like he was afraid of breaking the moment.
His expression barely shifted as he spoke.
"You came back."
She met his gaze.
And for a moment, nothing else mattered.
His voice was steady, but his eyes burned.
"I wasn't sure you would. I hoped. Prayed. But when you fell… I thought—" He cut himself off. Inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry."
Samantha frowned. "Alaric—"
"Let me say it," he murmured. "Please."
She didn't stop him.
"I should have protected you. Back then. At the tree. I knew something was wrong. I knew, and I hesitated. I let the Council send you alone. I let Ramiel get too close. And when it all crumbled, I wasn't strong enough to stop it."
He didn't look away. His voice trembled, barely.
"I failed you, Saryel."
Silence again.
Then—Sam sighed.
"Shut up."
Alaric blinked. "…what?"
"I said shut up. It wasn't your fault. And it wasn't his either."
Everyone stilled.
Samantha's voice was soft. But certain.
"Ramiel wasn't born broken. He broke over time. And maybe I should've seen it coming. Maybe I did. But no one forced him to become what he did."
Her hands curled into fists.
"Still. That doesn't mean he's beyond stopping."
---
The moment settled.
And then—Ron, again, because, of course, it was Ron—cleared his throat.
"Okay, cool group therapy session. Super productive. Love the healing. But—" he gestured vaguely toward the sky, "—the ground did shake earlier, and I'm like 90% sure that's never a good sign."
J looked up, alarmed. "He's right. The breach. It's still open."
Samantha nodded, serious again.
"It won't stay stable for long. The seal I placed back then—it wasn't meant to last forever."
"Then what do we do?" J asked.
Samantha turned to face the horizon.
The mirror behind her had faded to still glass. The sigils around the grove had begun to pulse faintly again, as if sensing what came next.
"We close it. For good this time."
"And Ramiel?" Alaric asked quietly.
Samantha exhaled. The light around her brightened, flickering faintly like stars waking up.
"He made his choice. I'll face him. And if it comes to it…" she looked down at her hands, "I'll end this."
The air shifted.
No more hesitation. No more waiting.
The world had turned once more.
And now, it was only a matter of time.