My violet-silver eyes darted to the door. Temporal anomaly? Elemental cascade? This person knew things. Things I definitely didn't. And they weren't going away.
With a shaky breath, I unlocked the door, pulling it open just a crack. Standing in my dimly lit hallway was a woman. She was tall, impossibly elegant even in what looked like practical, dark traveling clothes. Her face was serene, framed by long, braided hair the color of moonlight. And her eyes… her eyes were a deep, luminous Sapphire Blue, like polished gems, radiating an ancient calm. A Hydro-Weaver, I instinctively thought, remembering the vague, half-forgotten lore from some dusty old book I'd skimmed once. But she felt like more than just a Weaver. She felt like… power. Controlled. Ancient.
"Hello, Cassandra," she said, her voice soft, yet it seemed to fill the hallway, pushing back against the lingering chaos in my apartment. Her sapphire eyes scanned my face, then flickered to my arm, lingering on the pulsing tattoo. A faint, knowing smile touched her lips. "Happy eighteenth birthday."
"You… you know about this?" I stammered, gesturing wildly at the disaster behind me. "You know what the hell just happened?"
She stepped past me, her movements fluid and silent, her gaze taking in the shattered lamp, the gushing pipe, the cracked, icy window. She didn't flinch, didn't even seem surprised. Just a quiet, assessing look.
"Indeed," she replied, turning back to me, her sapphire eyes softening. "My name is Violet. And yes, I know what just happened. You awakened. You are a Fae Witch, Cassandra. An Elarian."
My jaw dropped. "A… a Fae Witch? You mean, like, broomsticks and pointy hats? Because I'm pretty sure I just broke my lamp with my voice, not a spellbook."
Violet chuckled, a low, melodic sound. "Not quite broomsticks, though some of us do enjoy a good flight. And yes, your voice. It is the Voice of Manifestation. It is how we, the Fae Witches, 'sing' our will into existence. It is not a spell, as mortals understand it. It is a command to reality itself."
She walked over to the gushing pipe, her hand outstretched. Her sapphire eyes glowed faintly. "Water. Cease," she spoke, her voice calm and clear, a simple, elegant command.
The gushing torrent from the pipe didn't just stop; it reversed. The water sucked back into the pipe with a soft, slurping sound, and the burst section of the pipe slowly, almost magically, sealed itself, leaving no trace of the damage. My jaw dropped further. Elemental Manipulation. Effortless.
"How… how did you do that?" I whispered, utterly dumbfounded.
"By speaking my will," Violet replied, turning to me. "Just as you did. Though yours was… a little less refined." She gestured to the shattered lamp and the cracked window. "An Echo Blast and Reality Distortion, followed by an uncontrolled burst of Elemental Manipulation. Quite the debut, dear one."
"Uncontrolled is an understatement," I mumbled, still staring at the now-perfect pipe. "I just wanted Mittens to shut up. And then everything went to hell."
Violet's smile was gentle. "Your emotions, Cassandra, are the key to your power. They are the fuel for your Voice. And at your awakening, when your latent power bursts forth, it is often tied to the strongest emotion of that moment. In your case, a rather potent blend of exhaustion and irritation, it seems."
"So, I'm basically a walking, talking emotional time bomb?" I asked, a fresh wave of dread washing over me. "Great. Just what I needed. My therapist is going to have a field day with this."
Violet's sapphire eyes held a knowing glint. "You are more than that, Cassandra. Most Fae Witches are born with the potential for three to four forms of the Voice. Mastering even one takes years. You, however… you manifested all seven. And your power is not just stronger, it is different. You don't just command reality. You re-weave it. Your voice isn't an order; it's a new chorus in the song of the universe. You are the first of your kind in millennia."
My head spun. All seven? Re-weaving reality? It sounded like something out of a fantasy novel. Except, apparently, I was living it. And it was terrifying.
"So, what now?" I asked, my voice small. "Am I supposed to… go to a Fae Witch boarding school? Learn to not accidentally freeze my landlord's pipes?"
Violet's expression turned serious. "You will come with me, Cassandra. To Elara. Your awakening was too powerful to go unnoticed, even by those who wish us harm. The veil is thin tonight. We must move quickly."
"Those who wish us harm?" I repeated, a cold knot forming in my stomach. Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder.
"There are others who seek to twist the Voice, to use it for their own gain, to unravel the balance between our worlds," Violet explained, her voice grave. "They will have felt your awakening. And they will seek you out. You are a unique anomaly, Cassandra. A powerful one. And that makes you a target."
My eyes, still shifting, caught my reflection in the now-smooth surface of the restored lamp. The intricate, swirling echo pattern on my arm pulsed, a silent testament to the raw, untamed power within me. A target. Just like that, my mundane life, with its annoying cats and leaky pipes, was gone. Replaced by a world of magic, danger, and a destiny I never asked for.
"Well," I sighed, a weary, sarcastic chuckle escaping my lips. "This is just perfect. I finally turn eighteen, and my birthday present is apparently becoming a walking target for evil magic users. Could this day get any worse?"
As if on cue, a siren wailed in the distance, growing rapidly louder. The faint smell of smoke, not from my apartment, but from somewhere far off, drifted through the open window. Violet's sapphire eyes narrowed, a flicker of concern in their depths.
"It seems," she said, her voice grim, "that it just might."