The glowing runes beneath Elena's feet pulsed brighter—faster—until they exploded into a spiral of light that surged upward, swallowing the clearing in a column of radiant energy.
Miles was the first to move. "Elena!"
He dove forward, reaching for her—but the force repelled him like a barrier. He slammed into the ground, wind knocked from his lungs, blue flames sizzling from his fingertips.
Dorian stood still, unmoving, shadows coiling at his feet like snakes . His dark eyes locked on the girl within the light, reverent and ravenous. "It's happening," he breathed. "She's waking up."
Inside the circle, Elena's body hovered inches above the ground, her eyes wide but unfocused. Her veins glowed faintly with the same runes now etched into the earth, and her hair floated around her face as if caught in some invisible tide.
"I can feel… everything," she whispered.
The forest trembled.
Birds scattered. Trees groaned. The very air thickened, bending under the weight of the ancient force rising inside her.
Miles struggled to his feet, panic in his voice. "Elena, listen to me! You have to stop—pull it back!"
"I'm not doing anything!" she cried, her voice layered with a second tone—one deeper, older, like another being speaking through her.
Dorian stepped closer to the barrier. His voice was calm, coaxing. "Let it come, Elena. Don't fight it. This is who you are."
"Shut up!" Miles shouted. "She's not some vessel for you to worship! You're using her—"
"You're the one trying to cage her," Dorian snapped, eyes flaring. "She's not some mortal girl. She's the key to the balance. And she's mine."
"She's not an object!"
The power pulsed again—stronger now, cracks spidering through the earth. Elena screamed, clutching her head as visions poured into her: memories of a world that burned, of gods who walked in shadow, and a throne carved from bone.
Suddenly—silence.
The glow vanished.
Elena collapsed.
Both men rushed to her at the same time.
Miles was faster, catching her just before she hit the ground. "I've got you," he whispered, brushing her hair from her face. "I've got you."
But Elena's eyes opened slowly—and they were no longer just hers. A golden ring now circled her pupils. Something had changed.
Dorian knelt beside them, his voice low. "She's awakened the First Seal."
"The what?" Miles growled.
"She's not just powerful," Dorian said, eyes never leaving hers. "She's one of the Pillars. She was never meant to be human. She's… divine."
Elena blinked, trying to understand, but exhaustion dragged her down like a tidal wave. Her head fell back against Miles's shoulder.
"She needs rest," Miles said. "She's not your weapon, Dorian. I won't let you use her."
"I'm not using her," Dorian murmured. "I'm fighting for her."
Miles stood with Elena in his arms, his eyes burning with resolve. "Then fight me."
Dorian's smile was cold. "I will."
As the two men stared each other down, Elena's mark pulsed faintly again, unnoticed by either of them.
In the shadows of the forest, something watched.
Something ancient.
And it had just felt her awaken.