Chapter 2: It begins

The call didn’t come as a sound.

It came as a force

A command that wrapped around the soul and pulled

Na’Thena inhaled sharply as the Alpha’s voice echoed through her mind. Her body tensed instantly, instincts snapping into place.

“He’s calling us,” she said, already turning.

Jahzara crossed her arms, her eyes scanning the trees as if expecting something to jump out at her. “Yeah, no kidding. I felt that from my bones.”

“Then stop talking and move,” Na’Thena replied.

Jahzara smirked slightly. “There she is… always the leader.”

But she followed.

Zarina landed just beyond the clearing, her wings dissolving into fading light as her feet touched the ground. The moment she did, the call hit her fully.

Her father.

Not just calling.

Commanding.

Her expression hardened as she looked toward the center of the island.

“It’s worse than I thought…” she murmured.

Remso stepped out from the trees, already in motion toward her. “You felt it too.”

Zarina nodded. “Something’s broken.”

His jaw tightened. “Or something got out.”

Their eyes met.

Neither of them said it out loud.

But they both knew.

One by one, the others arrived.

Vronan came first, dragging a hand through his hair, looking far too relaxed for someone who had clearly felt the same shift. “Alright, I’m here. Someone wanna explain why the air feels like it’s about to start fighting me?”

Lissy rolled her eyes, leaning against a tree. “For once, Vronan , try taking something seriously.”

“I am serious,” he shot back. “I seriously don’t like this.”

Remso stepped forward. “Good. You shouldn’t.”

Jakarr appeared silently behind them, his presence almost ghost-like. His eyes moved across the group, analyzing, calculating.

“Something’s changed,” he said quietly.

Naku stepped into the clearing next, slower than the others. There was a tension in him—something darker, heavier. His gaze flickered briefly, almost like he was fighting something inside himself.

“It’s not just changed,” Naku muttered. “It’s awakened.”

That word settled uneasily over the group.

Niko arrived last, slightly out of breath, his eyes wide as he looked around. “Okay… I know I’m not the only one who felt that, right?”

“No,” Na’Thena said. “You’re not.”

Jahzara tilted her head, studying him. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

Niko swallowed. “It felt like one.”

Then—

Silence fell.

The air shifted.

And every single one of them straightened as Nadrwka stepped forward from the shadows.

Power rolled off him like a storm barely being held back. His presence alone was enough to quiet even the strongest among them.

His gaze moved across each face.

Lingering.

Measuring.

“You all felt it,” he said.

It wasn’t a question.

No one answered.

They didn’t need to.

Nadrwka’s eyes darkened. “Then you already know.”

Zarina stepped forward before anyone else could speak.

“No,” she said firmly. “We don’t.”

All eyes shifted to her.

Even Nadrwka’s.

Her voice didn’t waver.

“We felt something,” she continued. “A disturbance. A break in the magic. But you know more than you’re saying.”

A flicker of something passed through Nadrwka’s expression.

Respect.

But also…

Concern.

“You’re right,” he said slowly.

The group stiffened.

And just like that—

The weight in the air doubled.

It’s not just a disturbance,” Nadrwka continued. “It’s a warning.”

Chaz let out a quiet breath. “Yeah… I didn't love that word.”

Remso crossed his arms. “From what?”

Nadrwka didn’t answer immediately.

Which was an answer enough.

Jahzara’s voice cut through the silence. “I don’t like this...”

Na’thena’s eyes burned with intensity. “We’re not kids. If something’s coming, we deserve to know what we’re up against.”

Niko stayed quiet, his eyes scanning everything

He didn’t understand what was happening but he knew one thing for sure

Something bad was coming.

Naku nodded slightly. “Ummm yes yall are but she’s right.”

A long pause.

Then—

“The darkness we fought… the one we sealed away…” Nadrwka said.

“It’s waking up.”

The reaction was instant.

“No,” Soren said under her breath.

“That’s not possible,” Remso added.

“We sealed it,” Soren said, her voice tight. “All of us. Together.”

Zarina didn’t speak.

Because she knew.

She had felt it before anyone else.

And it didn’t feel like something returning.

It felt like something that had been waiting.

“We need confirmation,” Zarina said suddenly.

Nadrwka looked at her. “Of what?”

She stepped closer, her voice steady but urgent. “Of what we’re actually dealing with. No guesses. Not assumptions.”

“And how do you suggest we get that?” he asked.

Zarina didn’t hesitate.

“I’ll call them.”

A pause.

Then—

Realization hit.

“Elora and Calum,” Tyler said.

Nadrwka’s expression shifted instantly. “They already know.”

Zarina nodded. “Then we need to hear it from them.”

“Zarina—” Nadrwka started.

But she shook her head.

“No. If this is what I think it is, then waiting is not an option.”

Her eyes locked with his.

“This isn’t just your fight anymore.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Tense.

Then slowly—

Nadrwka nodded.

“Do it.”

Zarina closed her eyes.

The air around her shifted as her magic rose to the surface, swirling faintly like light caught in motion. The ground beneath her feet hummed softly in response.

She reached outward.

Searching.

Calling.

“Grandmother…” she whispered. “Grandfather…”

For a moment—

Nothing.

Then—

A sharp pulse of energy shot through her.

Her eyes snapped open.

“They’re coming,” she said.

A cold wind swept through the clearing.

Candles flickered into existence out of nowhere—small flames dancing in the air like they had been summoned from another place entirely.

And then—

They appeared.

Elora first.

Her eyes were already filled with knowing.

Calum beside her, steady, grounded—but tense.

“You felt it,” Elora said immediately.

Zarina nodded. “Tell us what it is.”

Elora’s gaze moved across the group.

Each face.

Each soul.

And when she spoke—

Her voice carried something far heavier than fear.

“Not what,” she said softly.

“Who.”

The wind died completely.

No movement.

No sound.

Just silence.

Then—

Calum spoke.

“The one you sealed…” he said.

“Is breaking free.”

No one moved.

No one breathed.

Because deep down—

They all felt it.

This wasn’t just the beginning of something dangerous.

This was the beginning of the end.