The forest holds its breath.
Zara stands between May and the creature, her posture steady, her voice calm—but her eyes…
Her eyes aren't human.
Not anymore.
The glowing symbol within them twists like living fire, ancient and sharp, etched into her irises like a seal no mortal should carry.
May can barely process it.
"Zara… what is that?" she whispers.
Zara doesn't look at her.
She keeps her focus locked on the creature of smoke.
"It's what kept it asleep," Zara murmurs.
"And what it wants to destroy."
The creature laughs—or what sounds like a laugh.
Its form ripples, smoke stretching into spines.
"Little guardian," it whispers, "the seal is broken. You cannot—"
Zara lifts her hand.
The air cracks like lightning.
The creature recoils violently, its silhouette glitching like a shadow torn from a wall.
Nathel staggers forward, fingers digging into the dirt as he fights to stay conscious.
"Zara," he rasps, "don't do it. You'll burn out the mark—"
Zara's jaw clenches.
"That's the point."
May's breath stops.
"Burn out?" she chokes. "Zara, what does that mean—?!"
But Zara still won't turn toward her.
Her voice stays steady, controlled, but May can hear the tremor beneath it.
"It means I won't be here long if I use this."
"No—" May steps forward, grabbing her arm.
Zara jerks her head slightly—just enough to meet May's gaze for a heartbeat.
Her eyes flicker with warmth. Grief. Resolve.
"This thing has been hunting Nathel since before he was born," Zara says softly.
"It forced his bond asleep. It broke his spirit. It nearly erased him."
Her stare deepens, voice dropping.
"And now it wants you."
May feels the world tilt.
"But… why me?"
The creature answers for her.
"Because your soul echoes his."
A pause. A low, vibrating growl.
"Because you carry the missing half."
Nathel's head snaps up, horror in his eyes.
"Don't listen to it—!"
But it's too late.
The words sink into her bones.
The missing half.
The bond wasn't just romantic.
Wasn't just mystical.
It was fundamental.
Part of her was tied to him in a way that made her existence… dangerous.
Zara presses May back gently.
"I'll handle this," she whispers.
"No." May shakes her head fiercely. "You'll die."
Zara smirks—tired, sad, fond.
"You always underestimate me."
Nathel manages to rise, stumbling toward them.
"Zara, we do this together," he insists. "You don't get to sacrifice yourself."
Zara finally looks at him.
Really looks.
"Nathel… you gave me a place to belong when everything else was falling apart."
A thin smile.
"Let me return the favour."
Before either May or Nathel can react, Zara slams her palms together—
And the forest erupts with blinding gold light.
The creature screeches, its form splintering like shattered smoke.
May is thrown backward, Nathel with her, the air vibrating with overwhelming force.
Zara stands at the center of the storm, the symbol in her eyes blazing bright enough to tear open the dark.
The creature shrieks—
"YOU WILL BREAK WITH IT!"
Zara screams back—
"THEN LET ME BREAK!"
The symbol explodes.
Light swallows everything.
For a moment—
There is no forest.
No night.
No sound.
Only a single, echoing truth:
Someone just shattered the seal.
And the world will never be the same again.