The world had not yet settled from the Watcher's parting words. The ground still trembled, the air thick with an energy Elira had never encountered before. She gripped her staff tightly, feeling the residual magic thrumming within her, but even that comfort was fleeting. The Watcher had spoken of a test, but what form it would take remained unknown.
Kael groaned as he finally broke free from the shadowy restraints that had bound him. He staggered forward, his sword still drawn, eyes filled with rage and confusion. "What was that thing?" he demanded, his voice edged with frustration.
Elira shook her head. "An old power," she murmured. "Older than the First Flame, older than anything we know."
Tavin shifted uneasily. "And it knew you."
She exhaled, unable to deny the truth. The Watcher had called her Starborn, a word she had only seen in fragments of forgotten texts. She had always suspected there was something different about her, but now she could no longer ignore it.
A gust of wind howled through the trees, carrying with it a low, eerie hum. The earth beneath them trembled again, but this time, it was not the Watcher's doing. A crack split the ground ahead, jagged and glowing with a light that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"The Rift," Kael breathed. "It's opening."
Elira's pulse quickened. The Rift was a legend—a place where the boundaries of their world frayed, where the ancients had locked away things too dangerous to roam free. If it was opening now, then whatever lay beyond was clawing its way back into existence.
A deep, resonating growl echoed from within the Rift. Shadows moved within, shifting unnaturally, their forms indistinct but hungry. A pair of glowing eyes snapped open in the darkness, locking onto them.
Tavin took a step back. "We need to leave."
Elira knew he was right, but something in her refused to turn away. The Watcher had warned of a test, and she had the distinct feeling this was only the beginning.
She planted her staff into the ground, the light within it flaring to life. The shadows recoiled for a moment, but not nearly long enough. They were coming, and Elira wasn't sure if they would survive what came next.