The shadow moved again, closer this time. A figure. She froze, heart rag, her breath stilled, she gripped the knife harder.

  From the shadows emerged an old faarked by tless battles. A scar ran from his right cheek to his lip, the kind that told a story of pain and survival. He was dressed in a military uniform—tattered, worn, but still reizable. He held his arms up in a non-threatening stance, hands outstretched to show he carried no on—his posture cautious yet fident.

  For a moment, they locked eyes. She tightened her grip on the k didn’t move. Her heart pounded in her chest, every instinct screaming to be ready. The fire between them flickered, casting shadows that seemed to stretd twist as if it were alive.

  “Easy, I mean no trouble,” the old man said, his voice deep and gravelly.

  She didn’t speak, watg him closely. Was he a threat? She hadn’t seen anybody else since she had awoken. Slowly, she lowered her knife, but her grip remained firm.

  The silensued, the man’s eyes briefly flicked behiowards the still crag fire. His gaze lingered for a moment before he turned back to her, his expression unreadable.

  “Nice fire,” he muttered, his voice low but carrying a touch of dry humor.

  She didn’t answer right away, her gaze shifting from the fmes to the man in front of her. After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice ced with caution. “You’ve seeer?”

  He gave a slight grin, the scar on his cheek pulling with movement. “I’ve seen worse, too.” His eyes flicked to the beast’s remains, then back to her. “And that thing… what was it”

  She hesitated, “I don’t know what it was. Just… something that needed killing.”

  The man nodded slowly, his eyes filled with uanding. He gnced behind him, and gave a slight invitiure with his hand, the movemele but deliberate.

  “e out,” he called, his voice softening. “It’s safe.”

  From behind the cluster of trees, a figure hesitantly stepped forward. A girl, no older than thirteen or fourteen, with wide cautious eyes and a cloak te for her frame. She g the mysterious woman before her gaze dropped to the ground, her feet moviantly over the dirt.

  The man smiled softly, his weathered face showing a mixture of weariness and affe as he looked down at the girl. “It's alright, Juno,” he said gently, his voice reassuring. “She’s not going to hurt you.”

  Juno didn’t answer. She stood slightly to the side of the old man, peeking out from beh the oversized hood of her cloak. Her eyes flickered towards the half-eate by the fire.

  “I’m Thalria,” She said, extending her hand out iing. Her voice was soft but firm. “Are you hungry?”

  Juated for a moment, gng at the offered hand, then up at Thalria’s face. She looked like she wao say something, but the words didn’t e. Instead, she slowly stepped forward, her small hand reag out to accept the offered hand, still cautious but less guarded.

  Taking that as a yes, Thalria uncoupled their hands aly offered her the half-eate. Juno’s fingers brushed against it, tentative at first, then more eagerly as the hunger finally overtook her caution.

  “I found her close to where I woke up.” the old man said, giving a slight nod in aowledgment. “My name is Daln.”

  Thalria didn’t say anything to that, choosing io offer a nod iurn. “Do you know anything about this pce?”

  “Nothing more than you, I presume.” Daln replied, his voice heavy. “I woke up in a world that only be described as a living nightmare.”

  He gnced around at the dark, silent forest. “I wandered around for a while, trying to make sense of it all,” he tinued, his voice rough with memory. “Then I came across her. We found some sembnce of safety together. Eventually, we saw a fire in the distance. And now… here we are”

  “How long have you been here?” Thalria asked, a question she had wondered

  “It’s hard to keep track of time here, but if I had to guess, about two or three days.” Daln answered

  Thalria slowly nodded, processing the information. “I see. I’ve been here just as long. So, it seems we were brought here at the same time.”

  A scratchy cough broke her thoughts, pullitention from the versation and to the side.

  Juno’s hand covered her mouth as she coughed again. Thalria noticed the girl’s eyes, wide and gssy, she was thirsty.

  Thalria walked up to the girl, her voice soft and careful. “Sorry, this might be a little weird, but could you open your mouth?”

  Juno blinked, a flicker of fusion crossing her face. She hesitated for a moment, her gaze dartiween Thalria’s fad Daln’s. Daln gave a slight nod, just as fused as her.

  That seemed to be enough, as Juno slightly opened her mouth, her eyes still uain but willing to trust. Thalria, taking a deep breath, focused her thoughts oer.

  She closed her eyes, reag deep within herself. With a quiet, deliberate tration, she willed water itself to form. It wasn’t a simple creation. She first had to create the elements—oxygen and hydrogen—before maniputing the forces that would bind them into water.

  Thalria’s mind began to hum with energy, each atom of oxygen and hydrogen appearing ihoughts like tiny particles floating in the void. She willed them ience, calling forth the simplest building blocks of the universe. She willed the bonds between them, guiding the atoms clether, pulling them into alig. The bonds between oxygen and hydrogen atoms began to form, twisting and reshaping themselves into the familiar structure.

  The creation of fual elements took much more energy and time than maniputing something physical, like the stid stone earlier. It was nothing pared to the delicate work of summoning the very building blocks of the world ienbsp;

  The water finally took shape, shimmering in the firelight, its surface quivering as if aware of its unnatural creation. It hovered in the air for a moment before dropping directly into Juno’s waiting mouth.

  Juno’s eyes widened, her body instinctively drawing back at first, but the cool, refreshing liquid slid dowhroat, queng the dry ache, repg it with a rush of relief.

  Thalria stood there, her fingers still extehe trembling of her hand a stark trast to the ess she tried to project. Thalria’s heart pounded, each beat reverberating through her chest as if the force of it could fracture her bones.

  Her fingers instinctively curled inwards, the movement sharp and decisive. A wave of dizziness hit her, and before she could stop herself, she dropped to one knee, her breath ing in shallow. She had overexerted herself. She had only summoned a cup of water—perhaps—but it had drained her more than she had expected.

  Juno’s eyes were wide with , watg her every move, Thalria, as if hearing she could hear the girl’s thoughts, put a hand up and managed a smile, “I’m alright, just need a quick sed.”

  Taking a slow, deliberate breath, Thalria focused on grounding herself, feeling the cool air on her skin, the earth beh her. Just a moment, she repeated in her mind. Just a moment to breathe. Breathe.

  The dizziness faded, but the weakness lihalria k would take at least a day before she could properly use Essentia again. She raised her head, meeting the eyes of Daln and Juno.

  Juno’s gaze was filled with a mix of shod awe, her wide eyes refleg a sense of wonder. It robably the first time she ever saw anything like that.

  Daln, oher hand, showed no surprise. No awe, just a deep, knowing look. It made sehalria realized. His clothes are that of a soldier, he had probably seen hundreds, if not thousands, of people like her.

  “You're chosen.” Daln said, his voice softer now, as if speaking to himself more than Thalria. “Quite an impressive o that. I’ve not seen many that manipute water.”

  Thalria hesitated, she sidered revealing the full extent of her abilities. She could manipute far more than water. She had the power to will anything ience, as long as she uood it deeply enough and her will was strong enough, she could create, alter, and even erase. It ecial power, she had quickly realized.

  Essentia was something everyone had the potential to harness, given enough time and dedication. It was the tent energy c through every living being—a force waiting to be awakened. But while anyone could learn to use it, only a few maed unique abilities.

  Some wielded fire htning, their power suited for war. Others had subtler gifts, like a farmer she o, Banka, who could accelerate crop growth, turning barren fields fertile in a matter of days.

  But Thalria… she was different.

  Her power had no defined shape, no fixed limits. She could do what others could—summon fme, and water—but she could also do more. That was why she was warned never reveal her ability, not yet—not until she was ready. If the other Houses knew what she was capable of, she would bee a target.

  So she buried the thought a Daln’s gaze. “Water’s useful,” she said, keeping her voice light.

  She wouldn’t reveal everything. Not now. But if the time came and she had no other choice—then they would see the truth.