It was late at night when Arya returned.
Sara rushed to the door before she even knocked. The moment Arya stepped in, Sara threw her arms around her. Rohan stood behind her, his eyes full of relief.
"You're okay," Sara whispered.
Arya smiled faintly. "I promised I would be."
"What did you find?" Rohan asked.
Arya held out a small glowing stone. It pulsed gently, like it had a heartbeat of its own.
"This," she said, "is called the Heart of Truth."
Sara stepped back and stared at it. "What does it do?"
Arya looked at her seriously. "It shows you who you really are — not what others say you are, not what blood has given you, but the truth inside your soul."
Sara reached for it, but Arya pulled back. "Are you ready to see that truth, Sara? Because once you do… you can't unsee it."
Sara swallowed hard. "Yes. I have to know."
Arya handed her the glowing stone.
The moment it touched Sara's palm, a surge of energy shot through her. The world blurred. The house faded. Rohan and Arya disappeared.
Sara opened her eyes.
She was standing in a strange place — a forest of silver trees, with stars glowing between the leaves. A soft wind brushed her skin. It was quiet… but it didn't feel empty.
Then she saw them.
Three versions of herself.
One was in wolf form, eyes glowing, running wild beneath the moon.
One was a vampire, dressed in black, eyes red, standing tall in the shadows.
And the third… looked like her. Normal. Human. But with golden eyes and fangs, glowing softly.
"Who are you?" Sara asked.
"We are you," they said together. "The wolf. The vampire. The girl caught between."
"I don't want to choose," Sara whispered. "I want to be all of me."
The human version smiled. "Then be the bridge. Be the one who doesn't belong… but brings them all together."
"But what if they don't accept me?" Sara asked.
The vampire version stepped forward. "Then you make your own path."
The wolf howled — not in pain, but in power.
Sara's heart beat fast. She felt fire in her chest, thunder in her blood.
Suddenly, the forest vanished.
She opened her eyes.
Rohan caught her as she fell back. Arya rushed forward.
"Sara!" they both called out.
She blinked slowly. "I saw them… the parts of me. They were all me."
Arya smiled. "And now you know. You don't have to choose one. You can be all of you."
Rohan hugged her tightly. "We're so proud of you."
Sara's hands were glowing faintly — not red, not gold… but a soft white light.
"I feel stronger," she said. "But something's coming. I can feel it."
Arya nodded. "We all can. The Noctis are closer now."
Sara stood up. "Then let them come."
In a hidden temple far away, the leader of the Noctis slammed his hand down on a black stone table.
"She touched the Heart of Truth," he hissed. "The balance is shifting."
A robed figure stepped forward. "Do we attack now?"
"No," he said coldly. "We send her a message. A warning."
"What kind of warning?"
He smiled darkly.
"Pain."
The next morning felt too quiet.
Birds didn't sing. The trees didn't sway. Even the wind seemed afraid to move.
Sara woke up with a strange feeling in her chest — as if something dark had touched her dreams.
She went downstairs. Arya and Rohan were already awake, their faces tense. On the table lay a small wooden box, wrapped in black vines.
"It was left outside our door," Rohan said.
Arya had not opened it. "It carries dark magic. Very old."
Sara stepped forward. "They're warning us."
Arya gently cut the vines with a silver blade. The box creaked open slowly.
Inside was a single object.
A lock of long silver hair, tied with a black ribbon.
Sara's breath caught. "That's… from Alina. The wolf elder."
Arya nodded. "This is their message. The Noctis have reached the clan."
Rohan looked grim. "They want you to be afraid."
But Sara wasn't shaking. She stared at the hair, her jaw clenched.
"They're hurting others to get to me."
Arya touched her arm. "They know you're the key. You've awakened. They want to break you before you discover your full power."
Rohan added, "Or worse — twist you to their side."
Sara looked up at them both. "Then we need to warn the wolves."
That night, Sara went to Viraj.
She met him at the edge of the forest, near the river they used to sit beside.
When he saw her face, he knew something was wrong.
"What happened?"
She showed him the lock of hair. "They got to Alina."
Viraj's eyes widened. "No…"
"I need to speak to the clan," Sara said. "We have to stand together. The Noctis are coming for us all."
Viraj looked unsure. "Many of them don't trust vampires. They won't trust you either if they know Arya and Rohan raised you."
"I don't care," Sara said. "This is bigger than blood. Bigger than fear. If they don't unite now, they'll be wiped out."
Viraj nodded. "I'll take you to them. But be ready. Not all of them will welcome you."
Later that night, Sara stood once again in the middle of the forest, but this time she didn't feel lost.
She stood tall, her eyes calm, her voice steady.
"They are coming," she said. "They already attacked your leader. You may not trust me. But I carry the blood of both vampire and werewolf. I know what it means to be hunted from both sides. And I say this — if we don't stand together now, none of us will survive."
The wolves were silent.
Then an older warrior stepped forward. "She's right."
Another growled softly. "She's one of us. And not. But maybe that's what we need."
Viraj stood beside her. "She's the one Diviya died to protect."
Finally, a voice rose from the back. "Let her lead."
Sara's eyes widened. "What?"
"You are born of both worlds," the warrior said. "Maybe it's time for someone like you to guide us into a new one."
Sara didn't know what to say. She felt the weight of their eyes, their trust, their hope.
"I'm not a leader," she whispered.
Viraj smiled beside her. "You just became one."
Far away, the Noctis leader stared into a dark mirror.
"She speaks," he whispered, voice dripping with venom. "She thinks she can unite them."
He turned to a figure cloaked in smoke. "Go to her. Break her. Twist her power. Bring her to me."
The figure bowed and vanished into the shadows.
And the war truly began.