Alisha's senses returned in fragments—sound first, then light, then the dull ringing in her skull. She gasped, pulling in a breath that tasted like cold moonlight and dust. When she opened her eyes, the world felt… different. Sharper. Bigger.
She was lying on the ground beside the Moonstone pedestal. Its silver glow had dimmed into a rhythmic pulse, like a giant creature breathing slowly.
Her arms tingled. Her fingertips still shimmered faintly, as if the light had burrowed beneath her skin.
"Alisha!"
Rowan sprinted to her, drop-kneeing beside her with urgency that cracked through his usual calm. "Look at me. Are you conscious? Any pain? Dizziness?"
She blinked. "I'm… fine. Just overwhelmed."
The Emperor approached in silence, his face unreadable, but his eyes—sharp as shattered crystal—swept over her carefully. "Stand," he instructed.
Her legs wobbled as Rowan helped her up.
The chamber was a disaster.
Shadow-creatures lay dissolved into smudges of ink-like residue. Cracks spider-webbed across the marble floor from where the Moonstone had surged. Moonlight dust still floated through the air, drifting gently like silver ash.
"You stabilized the Moonblood," the Emperor said at last. "Far earlier than expected."
Alisha's heart thudded. "Is that good?"
"It means you're strong," Rowan said softly. "Stronger than you realize."
But the Emperor wasn't smiling.
"The Moonstone pulse wasn't random," he said. "It was a response."
Alisha frowned. "A response to what?"
He turned to the stone. "Not what. Who. Large forces respond to one another. When you awakened, your presence must have flared across the magical field."
Rowan's jaw tightened. "Like a beacon."
Alisha's stomach knotted. "A beacon… to who?"
The Emperor met her eyes.
"To the one who once sought to destroy your mother. And who has been waiting for her successor."His expression darkened."The Shadow King."
A cold weight dropped in Alisha's chest.
Before she could speak, the Moonstone flickered—violently. Its light jumped, pulsed, then sputtered as if something had brushed against it from afar.
Rowan reacted instantly, hand moving to the runes at his belt. "That wasn't normal."
"No," the Emperor said quietly. "It means he felt her."
Alisha's throat tightened. "Felt… me? From where? How far is he?"
"Far enough to be ancient," Rowan murmured, "and close enough to be dangerous."
The Emperor folded his hands behind him. "Your awakening has started a chain reaction. You must be prepared. This is just the first tremor."
Alisha stared at the Moonstone. Its glow—once comforting—now felt like a countdown ticking inside her chest.
"Then what happens next?" she whispered.
The Emperor looked at her with eyes heavy as a prophecy.
"War," he said. "And your training begins at dawn."