The yard trembled under Aria's surge. Yet shadows writhed, creeping like beasts, wrapping tight round the outsider, pushing them slowly backward. Air carried that sharp sting of lightning close on thunder, while each thud in her ribs sounded off like battle beats.
Lucien beside her, Damian on the other side - both coiled tight like springs about to snap. Yet suddenly it hit her: she didn't require backup. Not now. Power pulsed in her blood, wild and sharp, moving when she willed it.
The stranger's hood slipped off, showing a pointed face; their eyes lit up just like Aria's dark traces - strangely close to what she'd started feeling lately.
"You… you're her," the stranger hissed, voice trembling with a mix of fear and awe. "The one we were warned about. The one… we cannot control."
Aria's pulse spiked. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
A twisted smile crept across the stranger's face. "You don't remember, do you? Your mother's death, the files, the whispers in the dark… All of it was for this moment. You were meant to awaken now. You… are the key to everything."
Lucien's hand brushed hers. "Aria, ignore them. Focus on your power. You can end this."
Damian's eyes burned with intensity. "Do not hold back. Not for them. Not for anyone."
Aria breathed in slow. Then shadows shot out - twisting into jagged snake-like forms, wrapping the stranger tight, almost alive. Her fingers flicked, and ripples of black force rolled forward, warping the yard into a dreamlike clash where light jumped and darkness crawled.
The stranger fought back, yet nothing worked. Aria woke up fully - this moment built from old strength she never saw coming.
"You think you can control me?" Aria's voice cut through the chaos, cold and fierce. "You were wrong. You never had a chance."
The outsider's face twitched - only a bit - then they snapped, lifting their arms. Not lightning, but dark force ripped out, sharp and wild; yet Aria blocked it without trying. The clashing darkness burst apart, flaring into sparks that tore through the night with raw brightness.
Lucien moved closer, his presence grounding her. "Aria… don't forget. You have us too. Together, nothing can touch you."
Damian mirrored his words with a low growl. "Protect her? No. Follow her. She leads now. She decides."
The words echoed through Aria, bringing a sharp, scary kind of understanding. Now, at last, she sensed her power's pull - neither stuck between fixations nor shaped by old wounds, yet fierce like thunder rolling on its own.
A last burst sent her shadows slamming ahead in a heavy rush. So hard they hurled the stranger backward - smack into the yard's stone edge, cracking loud as shattered panes. Clouds of grit and broken bits spun through the open space, making both stagger at first.
Aria moved ahead, the air buzzing around her like it was breathing on its own. Her eyes locked onto the figure - the hood dropped fully now - and suddenly, there he was: a face pulled straight from those buried documents, the one that kept showing up when she tried to sleep.
"Mom..." Aria breathed out, shock mixed with anger. "You're behind this?"
The figure smirked, and something in their eyes flickered with recognition, almost respect. "Not her, Aria. Me. I was the one orchestrating everything. Your awakening… I ensured it. I made sure you would be strong enough to survive tonight."
Aria's knees trembled. "You… you killed her?"
"No," the stranger said softly, almost tenderly. "I protected her. But the world had to be prepared for you. And now… you are ready."
The yard went quiet, darkness twisting close like living smoke, her strength huge - too big to ignore. Beside her stood Lucien and Damian, staring hard, hearts split between wonder and dread - noticing she wasn't the same person anymore. Their old friend? Gone.
"You… can't stop me," the stranger whispered, stepping closer. "But I can teach you. Show you the truth. The power you hold… it's bigger than anyone knows."
Aria's gaze hardened. "I don't need your guidance. I decide now. No one controls me. Not you, not them, not anyone."
Then she shot out one last burst of dark force. The unknown figure got hurled back, stuck inside a writhing mass of blackness. Aria gasped for air, her heartbeat racing, matching the beat of her magic.
Lucien moved near, speaking soft, like he was stunned. "Aria... wow, you're something else."
Damian's fingers touched her hand once more, pulling her back, holding her firm. You go first - he said - everyone else comes after. No matter what
Aria sensed a rush, one she'd always blocked out - sudden liberty. Raw strength. Firm grip on things. Then came it again… that sharp spark of picking her own path.
The outsider fought through the dark, eyes flashing defiance - yet Aria just grinned, cold, fierce, still on top.
"This ends now," she whispered.
The yard shook. Lightning lit up the dark sky. Yet this surge of strength stayed right where she wanted it.
At last, Aria wasn't that girl stuck between two fixations anymore. Now she was the chaos itself - so everything changed from that point on.