The storm came at dawn.
No gentle warning, no slow drizzle or sleepy thunder. Just a sky that cracked open like a curse and let fury pour through. The clouds twisted in unnatural spirals, glowing faintly with violet light. Rain slashed sideways across the courtyard. Trees bowed like they were praying.
Rose stood at the window of her dormitory, watching it all with her hand pressed to the glass.
"It's not a normal storm," she said quietly.
Nimbus perched on her shoulder, fluffing his damp feathers. "You think?"
Lightning split the clouds in a pattern—once, twice, three times—like a sigil being drawn in the sky. Magic shimmered in the air. Her skin buzzed with it, like the world had turned into a wire and she was the current.
It knew her. The storm. It was calling her name in a voice made of thunder.
Rose turned away from the window. "I have to go to the ritual grounds."
"Very sane. Extremely safe," Nimbus muttered, but followed anyway.
Outside, the wind fought every step she took, howling through the stone arches like laughter. Students were being ushered indoors by frantic professors. Wards flared along the perimeter, casting faint blue shields against the worst of the tempest.
Rose ignored them all and marched toward the East Tower.
Belladoma was already there, hair whipped into dark ribbons by the gale, her cloak snapping like a banner. She didn't look surprised to see Rose. She only stepped aside to let her into the ritual circle.
"You feel it too," Rose said, breath catching in the wind.
"It's not just a storm," Belladoma replied. "It's a presence. A force."
Rose touched a cracked rune on the stones beneath her feet. The same circle from her mother's letters. "It's part of me, isn't it? The other half."
Belladoma didn't speak for a moment. "When your mother cast the Binding, she couldn't control all of it. She split the Brimstone storm in two. One part into you. The other was left behind—feral, growing."
"And now it's come back," Rose whispered.
Lightning arced overhead, and this time it didn't strike at random—it followed her movement. The clouds above swirled tighter, centering over the ritual circle.
"Can it be controlled?" she asked.
Belladoma met her eyes. "Not controlled. But maybe... united."
Rose's heart pounded.
She felt the storm inside her awaken, eager, hungry. It recognized its twin above and surged toward it. Her fingers sparked, magic bleeding through her skin. She had never felt so alive. Or so terrified.
"I don't know what'll happen if I let it in."
Belladoma stepped closer. "Then I'll be here to pull you out."
They stood together, the wind howling around them.
Rose closed her eyes and breathed in the lightning.
"Okay," she whispered. "Let's see what I become."