Mara stepped into the circle with stiff shoulders and an expression caught between defiance and panic. She wasn't fearless — she was loyal. And that loyalty pushed her forward more than courage ever could.
Rafe sat on the floor catching his breath, bruised and sweaty, but his eyes stayed fixed on her.
"You don't have to prove anything," he said softly.
Mara swallowed. "I know… but I want to."
Selene tapped her staff.
"Ready?"
"No," Mara answered honestly, "but do it anyway."
The runes lit up.
The air shifted around her, the same subtle distortion Rafe had endured — tilting the world, warping balance, blurring depth.
Mara's knees buckled immediately.
Rafe almost stood to help, but Selene raised a hand.
"Let her adapt."
Mara clenched her jaw and pushed back to her feet, swaying like someone standing on a ship in a storm. The ground slanted left, then right, then forward.
Rafe shouted, "Focus on one point!"
Mara snapped her gaze to him.
And the trembling stopped.
Selene's eyebrows lifted, impressed.
"Interesting. She stabilizes through emotional anchoring."
Mara didn't understand the words — but she understood Rafe's voice. Every time her vision wavered, every time the floor seemed to tilt beneath her feet, she looked at him again.
And each time, her balance returned.
Selene changed the distortion. The air grew heavier, pressing on her limbs. Mara's breath hitched but she pushed against it, muscles shaking.
Rafe whispered, "You're doing better than I did."
"Don't lie…" Mara muttered, breathless.
"I'm not."
The pressure increased. Mara stumbled, catching herself on her palms. Sweat beaded across her forehead.
Selene circled her slowly.
"You react with your whole body… not analysis, not calculation — instinct. Natural combat intuition."
Mara grit her teeth and forced herself upright again.
"I just… don't want to lose anyone…"
Rafe's chest tightened.
Selene's eyes softened, just briefly.
The distortion intensified a final time. Mara's legs trembled violently, her balance finally giving out—
But instead of falling, she moved.
A roll.A low pivot.A shift of weight.
Her body reacted without thought, adapting perfectly as she dropped into a stable stance despite the warped environment.
Selene froze.
"…That movement. That wasn't random."
Rafe blinked. "What do you mean?"
Selene stepped closer, studying Mara as the distortion faded.
"Mara, where did you learn that roll?"
Mara wiped her brow. "I… I didn't learn anything. My body just… did it."
Selene exhaled slowly.
"That was a practiced evasive maneuver. One used by elite fighters. Something only someone trained from childhood would know."
Mara shook her head, confused.
"I don't remember anything before the orphanage."
Rafe felt a cold weight form in his stomach.
Selene straightened.
"Then someone trained you before your memories begin. Your body remembers what your mind doesn't."
Mara's hands curled into fists.
"Are you saying… I was part of something?"
Selene nodded.
"Yes."
Mara looked down, uncertainty flooding into her expression — fear mixed with the instinctive fear of abandonment.
Rafe stood and stepped toward her.
"Mara," he said softly, "it doesn't matter who you were."
She looked up at him, breathing uneven.
"You don't… think I'm dangerous?"
"You've always protected us," Rafe said. "That's who you are."
Not whoever trained her.Not whoever abandoned her.Not whoever made her fight before she learned to read.
Mara's eyes grew warm.
Selene let them stand there for a moment before speaking again.
"There's more. Her muscle memory isn't just trained — it's aligned. She has a physical affinity."
Rafe blinked. "Meaning?"
"Enhanced body potential," Selene said. "Strength, speed, reflex, balance. She has the foundation of a warrior."
Mara stared at her own hands like they belonged to someone else.
"A-Are you sure?"
"Yes," Selene said. "You will become powerful. Very powerful."
Rafe felt something stir in his chest — pride? Relief? Maybe both.
But Lyn suddenly stirred in her sleep, a soft glow rippling from her skin.
Selene's eyes sharpened.
"She's dreaming again. Something is pulling her."
Mara's expression tightened. "Is it danger?"
Selene shook her head.
"No. It's something… reaching out to her."
Rafe stepped closer to Lyn.
"What kind of dream is that?"
Selene's voice lowered.
"One that awakened children have right before they unlock their second ability."
Rafe and Mara froze.
"Second?" Rafe echoed.
Lyn's breathing quickened, the golden glow intensifying, symbols flickering faintly across her arms like ancient writing.
Selene whispered:
"She's being called."
Mara grabbed Rafe's arm.
"Called by what?"
The air in the cottage shifted.
Windless.Cold.Light rippling from Lyn's skin, brighter and brighter.
Selene took a step back, eyes widening for the first time.
"…This isn't normal. She's awakening something ancient."
Rafe felt something horrible and beautiful at the same time.
"Lyn?" he whispered.
Lyn's eyes opened.
Golden.Blinding.Awake.
And she spoke in a voice that wasn't entirely hers:
"He's coming."
The cottage fell silent.
Rafe froze.
"Who's coming?"
Lyn's gaze drifted toward the door, her voice trembling but sure.
"…Someone who knows your name."