The shimmering lights in the sky pulsed slow, deliberate, breathtaking in their beauty and absolutely terrifying in their meaning.
Gold.
Green.
A faint thread of violet twisting through like a warning.
Sara stepped closer to Emerald, her fingers brushing lightly against her wrist. "Is… is that normal?"
Emerald shook her head slowly. "No. That's the opposite of normal."
Sam swore under her breath. "Then what is it?"
"A summoning," the Sentinel said, its voice echoing through the trees. "The skies burn only when the realms acknowledge the awakening of ancient blood."
Noah rubbed a hand down his face. "So… everyone with magic just got a notification that Emerald turned her powers on?"
"Essentially," Emerald murmured.
Sam groaned. "Great. Just great. Is there an unsubscribe button?"
"The beacon is not a message," the Sentinel added. "It is a claim."
Emerald's stomach tightened. "Claim?"
The Sentinel turned its head upward. "The clans are marking their interest. One light for each faction that wishes to pursue you, protect you, or… possess you."
Sara shivered. "Possess?"
Noah put an arm protectively around her shoulders. "We are not… using that word again."
Emerald swallowed hard. She knew the old stories, the legends whispered before the curse sealed her magic. The ancient clans families and species that ruled long before her aunt's dynasty each craving dominion over the throne that Emerald's bloodline once held.
But seeing their beacons flare across the sky was different from hearing tales whispered in childhood.
This was real.
This was happening because of her.
"We need to move," Emerald said quietly.
No one argued.
They pushed deeper into the woods, heading toward the cabin hidden in the pines. The Sentinel moved with unnatural silence behind them, its presence a constant reminder that even with allies, danger was threaded through the air like fog.
Branches snapped under their feet. The wind carried a faint metallic scent, magic residue settling over the land.
"How far is the cabin again?" Noah asked, glancing behind him for the tenth time.
"Quarter mile," Sam said. "Maybe less."
"Good," Sara whispered. "I feel like something's watching us."
"It is," the Sentinel said calmly.
Everyone froze.
"Define it," Sam said, gripping her knife.
"Multiple watchers," the Sentinel replied. "Forest spirits. Small fey. Some curious beasts that sense the disturbance."
Noah blinked. "So they're like… spy animals?"
"Not animals," the Sentinel corrected. "Magic feeds on attention. They are drawn to the heir."
Sara leaned into Emerald. "You okay?"
Emerald nodded though she wasn't sure it was true.
Every step she took stirred the air. Every breath made the trees hum around her. The forest felt alive in a way she had never felt before, as if it were whispering secrets in a language she suddenly almost understood.
Awakened. Finally awakened.
She shook the whispers off like water.
Focus.
Alive.
Danger.
Friends.
Cabin.
One thing at a time.
The woods thinned, revealing a small clearing and a crooked wooden cabin perched on the edge like a lonely sentinel of its own.
Sam exhaled in relief. "We made it."
Noah eyed the structure. "Looks like it's one startled raccoon away from collapsing."
"It's sturdy," Sam shot back. "And it's the only place we have."
Emerald stepped forward, feeling the wards Sam's grandfather once placed around the cabin old, human magic, faded but present brush against her senses like brittle cobwebs.
"They'll help," she said softly.
Sam frowned. "You can feel the wards?"
Emerald nodded. "They won't stop something powerful… but they'll slow it down."
Sara helped her up the creaking steps. Inside, the cabin was simple: a small fireplace, a table with dust-coated lanterns, bunks against the wall, and old hunting tools mounted above the door.
Noah shut the door and locked it...twice.
Sam set her hands on her hips. "Alright. We're here. Step one complete. What's step two?"
"Information," Noah said. "We need to understand what's happening with Emerald."
"We need a plan," Sam argued. "And weapons. And maybe a bunker."
"We need her," Sara interrupted quietly, "to tell us what happened back there."
Emerald felt the weight of their eyes. She sat slowly on the edge of one bunk, elbows on her knees, hands trembling. The green glow had faded, but the magic simmered beneath her skin like embers threatening to catch fire again.
"Kaela told me the truth," Emerald said finally. "Or part of it."
The room held its breath.
"My mother… she wasn't just part of the old clan. She was the last heir of their faction. Their magic is ancient, unpredictable, and the Council feared it."
"So they hunted your mother," Sara whispered.
"And cursed you," Noah added.
Emerald nodded. "Kaela said she argued for mercy. That she convinced the Council to suppress my magic instead of killing me."
Sam's jaw tightened. "Sounds like something a manipulative tyrant would say to make herself feel better about ruining your life."
Emerald didn't disagree. "She wants control. That's why she wants me back. If I awaken fully… I could threaten her throne."
Sara's voice softened. "But the power...can you control it?"
Emerald looked down at her hands.
"I don't know."
The Sentinel stepped forward. "She must be trained."
Sam bristled. "Not by Kaela."
"There are others," the Sentinel admitted. "But the clans will seek to claim her. If they reach her first.."
"Over my dead body," Noah snapped.
Emerald stood, weak but determined. "We need options. If the old blood is awakening, I need to learn how to use it before it uses me."
Sara nodded slowly. "Then… who teaches you?"
Emerald opened her mouth, but the answer was cut off by a sudden, violent crack outside.
Noah reached for the nearest tool a rusted axe.
Sam moved toward the window, knife drawn.
Sara grabbed Emerald's arm.
And the Sentinel snapped to full alert, sigils blazing bright white.
A shadow passed across the cabin window.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Too large to be human.
Emerald's breath hitched.
"What was that?" Sara whispered.
The Sentinel answered first.
"Not a hunter."
Sam's grip tightened. "Then what?"
The Sentinel raised its hand, armor glowing. "Something worse."
A deep, resonant growl reverberated from the trees.
Emerald's heart slammed against her ribs.
She knew that sound.
"No," she whispered, blood draining from her face. "It can't be!"
Sara trembled. "Emerald...what is it?"
Emerald stepped back, her voice barely audible.
"It's one of the old guardians."
Noah frowned. "Guardian? That sounds good.."
Emerald shook her head violently.
"No. Not that kind."
Her eyes lifted to the dark window.
"It's a guardian of the old realm."
The growl sounded again closer this time.
Earth-shaking.
Hungry.
Sam whispered, "Why would that be here?"
Emerald swallowed, dread coiling tight in her stomach.
"Because the beacon wasn't just a claim."
She looked at her friends.
"It was a summon."