Three years passed, but the orphanage never felt the same after Kael left.
Aria grew older, quieter, stronger on the outside—but inside, she remained the girl by the window, waiting for footsteps that never returned. Every night, she whispered his name like a prayer, afraid that if she stopped, he might disappear completely.
Life hardened her.
She learned how to endure hunger without crying.
How to smile while breaking inside.
How to pretend she wasn't still waiting for someone who had promised forever.
But promises don't always survive the world.
One night, long after the others had fallen asleep, Aria felt it again—that strange heat beneath her chest. It wasn't illness. It wasn't fear. It was something alive, restless, burning quietly like anember starved of air.
She pressed her hand to her heart, breathing sharply.
"Not now… please," she whispered.
The walls around her creaked.
The lantern on the table flickered violently.
Aria froze.
The flame bent toward her—as if pulled by an unseen force.
Her breath hitched.
The air trembled.
And then—
The lantern shattered.
Glass exploded outward, but none of it touched her. Every shard stopped mid-air, suspended around her trembling body like time itself had bowed.Aria screamed.
The shards dropped.
She collapsed to the floor, gasping, tears soaking into the cold wood beneath her.
"What… am I?" she sobbed.
By morning, the matron looked at her differently. People always did when fear replaced kindness. Whispers followed her through the halls.
She's cursed.
She's dangerous.
She's not normal.
That same day, soldiers arrived.
Not ordinary soldiers.
Their uniforms bore the same symbol that had once sealed Kael's letter.
Aria knew instantly.
Her knees weakened
One of them stepped forward, eyes sharp, voice cold.
"We've been searching for you," he said. "The girl who carries dormant power."
She backed away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He smiled—a smile without warmth.
"You will."
They reached for her.
Fear flooded her chest, and with it came the memory of Kael's voice.
No matter what happens… my heart will always find you.
Something broke inside her.
No—something opened.
The ground cracked.
Wind roared through the room.
The soldierswere thrown backward like broken dolls.
Aria stood shaking, light blazing from her eyes, tears streaming down her face as power she never asked for answered her pain.
"I won't let you take me," she whispered, her voice trembling yet unyielding. "Not anymore."
And somewhere far away, in a place ruled by blood and authority, Kael dropped to one knee—his heart pounding violently, his chest burning with a familiar ache.
"She's awakened," he breathed.
For the first time since he left her in the rain, Kael smiled through tears.
The girl he loved had stepped into the storm.
And the world would never be the same.