The yard stood quiet. Way too still.
Aria's chest felt like it was on fire, her pulse racing fast - yet deep down, she knew the guy after her wasn't merely chasing. He'd planned all of this mess from the start. Leaning into the icy rock behind her, the thud of her heart nearly blocked the far-off thunder rumbling beyond.
Lucien beside her left, Damian on the right - both gliding like hunters built for silence. Each one deadly in their own lane: Lucien steady, icy, fixated like a flame that never flickers out; Damian quick, unyielding, watchful, a face you can't decode. Yet here, up against something bigger than either could handle solo, their force together pressed down - thick tension, risky vibes, sparks in the atmosphere.
Aria gulped. Sweat coated her hands, her fingers shaky. "Uh… what's next?" she said quietly.
Lucien stared across the yard, his gaze locked onto someone - eyes like gathering clouds. "We go now," he murmured. No discussion needed. That was that.
Damian's jaw tightened. "No. We wait for her signal."
Her signal?
Her thoughts spun fast. Yet the stranger's gaze shimmered dim beneath the cloth, while the mark on their arm pulsed like flame. Still, Aria's heart pounded hard. Though some hidden force woke within - warmth threading through her blood, an unseen power she'd only just touched.
Then came the moment.
A burst of warmth. Then a wave of energy. Around her, the air wavered - like molten mirror stuff.
The stranger let out a sharp sound. "She senses something..."
Lucien stepped closer. "Aria, focus! Control it!"
Her fingers barely touched his - but it held her steady, like an anchor tugging her back. "This isn't just possible," he said low, near her ear, "it's gotta happen - no other path."
Her sight wavered. Around her, the yard stretched then shrank like breathing. He shifted - too quick to follow - but her strength sparked right when he got close.
Shadows curled, warped, then burst out near her like a wild shield. The stranger wobbled, nearly knocked off balance from the blast. Lucien's gaze flared - amazed, yet shaky inside. Damian shut his mouth tight, jaw tense.
"It's her," the stranger murmured, tone shaking - not from fright, but some deeper weight, maybe awe, maybe memory. "She's the one. Never anyone else."
Aria's hands trembled. This kind of force was new to her - rough, wild, sharp. Her heartbeat matched its rhythm. Not only did the surge guard her, yet it also pushed forward, eager to hit back against a danger she almost couldn't make out.
Lucien shifted without thinking, stepping near so she'd be behind him. On her opposite side, Damian copied the move - his gaze locked ahead, prepared.
The stranger charged once more. Now, Aria reacted on instinct - her ability sparking alive. Dark tendrils snapped forward, lashing out like snakes, hurling the man back hard. He hit the wall with a crack that rang through the air, sudden and chilling.
Aria panted, each breath shaky. Her heart pounded nonstop. Lucien held her hand tight - sure, shielding, overwhelming with force. Damian touched her shoulder lightly - calm, balancing, taking charge.
"You're not just surviving," Lucien whispered close to her ear. "You're stronger than all of us imagined."
Damian's voice followed, calm but dangerous. "And now they'll know—nothing will hold you back."
The stranger stood up slow, kind of smooth, like the hurt didn't even hit them. Their wrist mark lit up more, jerking wild along with what Aria was putting out.
"You're mine," they hissed, eyes locked on her. "And everything you love will belong to me."
Lucien's jaw clenched. "Not if I have anything to say about it."
Damian's expression hardened. "Not if I have anything to say about it."
Aria's strength surged once more - shadows curling close, wrapping her in a black shield that throbbed with each beat of her heart. A wild rush hit her, something sharp and unclear: terror mixed with control, maybe even hunger beneath it all.
The newcomer stopped dead, a spark of knowing lighting up their gaze.
"You… you've awakened," they whispered. "The one the prophecy warned about…"
Lucien held her hand tighter. Still as a rock, Damian stood firm. While Aria's pulse pounded ahead of her breathing.
The moment it clicked, everything changed: she wasn't that girl stuck between fixations. Instead, she became the power everyone had been expecting. But now - Lucien, Damian, or even the unknown guy - they couldn't predict her moves.
Her eyes lit up just a bit. While shadows twisted, shaking, like they were breathing.
The stranger shifted once more, this time at a crawl, weighing each move, staying alert. Yet hesitation came too late. Aria's strength flared - no thinking needed.
The yard burst into blackness with raw force - a chaos fueled by fixation, panic, because one girl wouldn't play prey.
Lucien beside her, Damian on the other side, both close - fingers nearly touching hers, keeping her steady. Yet none of that stood out anymore. Only she did.
For the first time ever, Aria felt a strange mix of fear and thrill - she wasn't fleeing anymore. Because of that, she knew she wasn't stuck either.
She kept things together.
She'd only started yet.