a chilly embrace that made everything feel a bit haunting. Vaela pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders and kep

ausing every now and then as the memory of the previous night hung heavily in their minds. Vaela couldn't shake the feeling that something about her had changed

d, signaling for them to stop. Vaela's heart raced as they froze in their spots. She could sense so

?" he asked, his v

knot tightening in her

ied, his voice jus

unged down at them. Wolves-wild, rough, and fierce-descended with menacing snarl

eeth and metal. Vaela barely had time to react when one of the rogues lunged at her. She tw

er as she tumbled down the slope, landing hard on the ground. The impact knocked the wi

She wanted to respond, to tell him she was okay, but all she could do was struggle a

her grip effortlessly. It growled menacingly, pushing down on h

d reds and golds-blasting outward with a force that threw the rogue back, away from her

ing poised and ready, but now the rogues were watching

ping carefully toward her, his expr

la stuttered, still ree

gged gray, with countless scars marking his body. He shifted smoothly into huma

he demanded, gl

plied, mustering her coura

eyes narrowed. "Stormriven. From Duskwind,"

n churn within her. He studied her intently for a moment bef

s they complied. Kael blinked

toward Vaela. "Come close

reached a valley that felt almost lost to time. Crumbling statues and dilapidated wat

ire pits, where wary eyes watched them approach-some curious, others fill

mall tent. The warmth inside contrasted sharply with the cold a

the small fire. "Once upon a time, I

r arms defensively. "Why didn't you

you might be, you're not just normal. That light that erupted fr

row raised. "We didn't come

forest is shifting. The air is wrong, charged with something awake

t argue w

"You have power. It's raw and untrained. If you ke

voice filled with urgen

t of skepticism was evident in his ton

th him, determinatio

it didn't quite reach his ey

e warriors of various types-rogues with hardened expressions and sharp instincts. Beside Tho

ing toward her. "She has the gift

"You hold a storm within you," she murmured, her voice soft yet intense. "It's

und. "Then teach me

y. "That's contingent on whe

Vaela declared,

training

sparring matches, intense meditation-Mira taught her to truly feel the magic, while Thorne s

ts, frustration bubbled over, and she screamed at her own limitati

e, mocking her as her heart shattered. But not anymore. She would rise to be

wer surged anew, but this time she guided it. Flames danced f

ly, and Thorne nodded in approval.

Mira's voice cut through the air.

, defiance in her g

hin the trees, something ob