No." He stepped closer, blocking the shadow's angle, his presence like a shield. "There are more sentinels. And they're tracking you."
I shook my head, disbelief and terror twisting inside me. "Why me? Why now?"
"Because your life isn't normal anymore. And because whoever, or whatever, is behind this… they've been waiting for you to awaken."
My stomach churned. "Awaken?"
"Yes," he said softly. "Something inside you… something you haven't seen yet. Something powerful."
I swallowed, voice barely audible. "Powerful? Like… what? Magic?"
Kade's eyes darkened. "Like the kind that kills."
I took a step back, almost stumbling. "I… I'm not..."
"You are," he interrupted. "I can see it in you, Elara. Even if you can't. And so can them."
The room pulsed around me. The shadows seemed thicker, heavier, almost aware. My chest tightened. My head spun.
I glanced toward the flickering figure again. It was back, floating in the same impossible stance, silent, observing.
"I… I don't even know what I'm supposed to do!" I whispered, panic rising.
Kade's hand landed on my shoulder, grounding. "You survive. That's all for now. Stay with me. Do exactly as I say. Don't look at them. Don't provoke them. Don't move unless I tell you to."
I wanted to argue, to scream, to demand answers, but I felt the weight of his presence. Solid. Fierce. Protective.
And in that instant, I realized… I had no choice.
No choice but to trust him.
Even though I didn't know why.
Even though everything inside me screamed not to.
I nodded slowly, trembling. "Okay."
Kade's eyes softened slightly. "Good. Because this isn't over. Not by a long shot."
The shadows in the room didn't vanish. They lingered. Waiting. Silent. Watching.
I hugged myself, shivering, as the reality hit me full force: my life as I knew it was gone.
Completely.
And whatever was coming… was only the beginning.
The shadows didn't move.
They waited.
And I could feel their patience pressing into me, like a weight on my chest.
Kade kept his hand on my shoulder, grounding me. "Elara, listen to me. Whatever happens, don't panic. Keep calm. You can do this."
"Do what?" I whispered. "I don't even know what's happening to me!"
He released my shoulder and stepped back, giving me just enough space to see the faint shimmer of the shadows around the room. "You're about to find out. And it's going to be frightening, but necessary."
I stared at him, heart hammering. "Necessary? Necessary for what?"
Kade exhaled, dark eyes glinting. "To survive."
Before I could respond, the air in the room shifted. A hum, low and vibrating, filled the space. My stomach twisted with fear. The shadows flinched, like something had activated inside me.
"What… what is happening?" I stammered.
"You're responding." Kade said, his voice steady but intense. "You felt it, didn't you?"
Felt what? My skin tingled, every hair on my body standing at attention. My heartbeat was erratic, but beneath the fear, I felt… power. Electric. Raw. Pulsing under my skin like fire caged inside me.
"I… I don't know what you mean."
"You do," Kade said quietly, watching me with an intensity that made my pulse spike. "You just don't understand it yet."
A wave of heat burst through my chest, spreading like wildfire. The shadows recoiled as if afraid. A low hiss escaped the room, echoing off the walls, and I realized, the shadows weren't just waiting. They were testing me.
I clenched my fists instinctively. Something inside me snapped, almost like recognition. The hum intensified, vibrating through my bones. My eyes involuntarily narrowed, and when I looked at the shadows… they shivered.
"Did you see that?" I whispered, voice shaking.
Kade's jaw tightened. "Yes. You just… did it."
"Did what?" I demanded. My hands trembled. "I didn't do anything!"
"You just forced them back." Kade's voice was low, but I could feel the weight behind it. "Do you feel it? That power?"
I closed my eyes, trying to calm the chaotic energy in my chest. But the hum pulsed stronger. My body was alive with it. Alive in a way I had never felt before.
"They… they were afraid of me," I whispered, opening my eyes to find the shadows retreating to the corners.
Kade nodded. "Good. Very good. That's the first step."
"Step to what?!" Panic flared. "I don't even know what this is!"
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "It's part of you. The thing that makes you different. Special. Dangerous. The thing they're hunting you for."
I wanted to scream, to cry, to run. But my body felt heavier. Stronger. It was as though some ancient part of me had finally stirred awake.
"Dangerous?" I repeated. "I'm dangerous?"
"You don't know the half of it yet," Kade said. "But I'll teach you. And I'll protect you. Whatever happens next, you are not alone."
I wanted to believe him, but fear had me frozen in place. "But the shadows… the thing outside… it knows me. It knows my name. What if it comes back?"
Kade reached for my hand, steadying me. "Then you'll face it. Together. And next time… you'll fight."
I swallowed hard, a strange warmth spreading in my chest at his words. Together.
The shadows lingered in the corners, hesitant now. They didn't attack. They waited. Watching. Patient. Like predators aware that the prey had teeth it didn't know it had.
I clenched my jaw. Something fierce stirred inside me, coiling like a serpent ready to strike. And for the first time in my life, I didn't feel entirely helpless.
"What… what are you going to teach me?" I asked, voice shaking but determined.
"Everything," Kade said quietly. "How to control it. How to use it. How to survive. How to make them regret ever hunting you."
I swallowed. My pulse was racing. My body still pulsed with raw energy, wild and untamed. And as much as I was terrified, I felt the smallest flicker of excitement, too.
The shadows didn't move.
But I knew, they would.
And when they did… I wouldn't be the same girl they thought they were chasing.
Not anymore.