LOGINCaleb POVRunning before my eyes even opened.Frozen ground shook under each step. Needles slapped skin, sharp and sudden. Shapes rushed by without names. Wet wool filled the air, mixed with something metallic - iron close, too close.I was alone.But I could feel him.Cameron.Down the road a piece. Pain shows up. It speaks its name.“Caleb… help…”A thin call split the air between trunks - trembling, quiet, just like that day long ago when he tumbled from the big oak and his breath caught sharp.I ran faster.Something in the trees pushed back. My sleeve caught on a splintered limb. Up ahead, roots lifted from the soil like warnings. Cold air twisted at my feet, thick with fog.“Caleb… it hurts…”Faster, I drove myself forward. Fire filled my chest with each breath. Then - scent hit me. His blood first. Next came sweat, thick and sour. Under it al
Kaid POVFog filled the air when I woke. Broken pieces lay everywhere around me.Nothing left of the courtyard now. Holes pocked the earth where steps once led. Fire climbed jagged rock, reaching skyward. Shapes writhed through smoke, bending without bones. Pupils sprawled in uneven heaps - one coughing, another not moving at all. Red trails marked the stones between them.Fingers slick, the stuff clung thick before I even noticed.Blood soaked my hands, climbing past the wrist. The claws jutted forward, stretched beyond their usual size, unsteady. They glistened, wet, hanging low under their own weight.“What… did I do?”A shriek tore into the fog.Scott.Down he knelt, two dozen paces off, hands pressed tight against his ribs. Red spread across the fabric of his clothes. From that distance, his gaze caught me - those ocean-colored eyes I had seen since childhood.Kaid…” He spoke softly.
Elias POVMy eyes flew open with a shout. Screaming filled the room as I came awake.The belt pressed hard against my chest before I even moved. Down spun the car - ripping metal, shattering glass, sky swapping with ground without warning. This moment had been lived before. That shirt clung tight. Beaten shoes on the floor. Fear rising like smoke."Stop!" I shouted, the very word ripped from me again like before. "Just stop fighting."A loud crash against the metal rail. Smoke rises. The vehicle trembles, teeters at the edge. After that, a slow fall into empty space. Noise fades. Only wind now. Ground far below.The wheels turned. One time. Then again. A third spin. Metal bent down from above. My legs stuck beneath the panel, mashed, lifeless, broken somehow. Blood spilled into my throat. Mother shouted from up ahead. Father said nothing - nothing at all.Fires rose out of the motor’s core.I couldn’t move.Frozen g
Solara POVAwake now, staring at gray steel, sharp scents filling the air around me.The Purity lab.Light bounced off pale walls. Overhead, the glow stung my eyes. Restraints dug into skin at arms and legs. Back in this place once more. Same as when they first dragged me away.“No… not this place again.” The words left my throat sharp, shaky. “Let me go.”I tried to summon fire. Just a spark. Nothing. My phoenix flames — the one thing that always came when I needed them — refused to answer.Out of nowhere, a known voice filled the air from the speakers.“Subject 47. Solara Phoenix project. Let’s begin the mana extraction process.”A sudden movement broke the silence as the doorway parted. It opened by itself, without a sound.Faces peeked from under hoods, coated in plastic shields. A figure stepped forward, gripping glass that hummed with light inside.
Lyra POVI opened my eyes to find the chandelier was already dripping with a liquid, it was blood.Just as the light shined through crimson crystal, making every turning a reflection scarlet. The grand dining hall of the Bloodworth mansion, a room so huge it stretched around me, marble floors gleaming, walls lined with portraits of my grandmother whose eyes always seemed to follow you wherever you went. My black velvet dress hung loose on narrow shoulders, lace sleeves swallowing my hands. The chair beneath me felt too big; my feet didn’t quite touch the floor.I looked down at my plate. A single crystal goblet sat there, half-full of thick, dark liquid. Still warm. The scent hit me—copper and iron and something sweeter, like rotting roses.My stomach turned.The long table was set for a ceremony. Candles burned with red flames. My family sat in their places: Taylor on the left, posture perfect, elder-sister smile already sharpene
Lila POVThe light came in wrong when I woke up. Things felt off right away.Above, space stretched upward, endless. Underneath, the mattress rocked, unsteady, as if caught in waves. Sheets pulled tight around my body, heavy. Into sight came my fingers, slow. They stayed there, still, in front of my eyes.A tiny shape rests there. Fuzzy edges give way to gentle curves. Little rolls form at each knuckle. These belong to someone young.A tightness gripped my throat, stealing the air. What’s happening, I thought, sound cracking like dry wood. This time, silence wouldn’t hold. The mist must have gotten to me.“Lila, honey.”I turned.There she was, my mother wearing that blue dress she loved so much, her hair gathered neatly like on holidays long ago. A quiet smile spread across her face - soft, familiar - the kind she wore when we were young and the world seemed gentle. Her eyes held mine, steady, just like they d
Julianna POVI settled into my room, reading in the book Scott had given me, while Lyra watched TV."Hey Lyra, I've been wondering," I said. "Why can Scott sometimes move when I pulse time?"Lyra turned down the volume. "I'm not sure. I think you unconsciously gave him permission to move.""Hmm." I pond
I woke up to an empty room, wondering where Lyra was. "Where's Lyra?" I thought to myself. "She's probably upset about the things I said yesterday. I should apologize." I considered the possibility that she might be in class and decided to get ready.After the first period, I still hadn't seen Lyra.
I walked back to the dormitory, lost in thought, Scott's hand still holding mine. We parted ways at the entrance, and I trudged upstairs, my mind reeling.As I opened the door, Lyra greeted me with a warm smile. "Hey, how was dinner?""Eventful," I replied, flopping onto the bed.Days passed since the
Julianna POV Another day in school and the whole school is excited to be with there family because of the parent teacher conference. As we strolled down the hallway, Lyra and I discussed the upcoming parent-teacher conference."Will your parents be coming, Julie?" Lyra asked.I shook my head. "Nope. M







