Awakening

The pulse that connected all five elemental sites lingered in the guardians' awareness long after its visible manifestation faded. Each felt permanently altered by the experience—as if the brief glimpse of something transcendent had rewritten their understanding of what was possible.

Blake was the first to verbalize what they all suspected. "That wasn't just elemental balance being restored," he told his team as they monitored the Australian fire, which now burned in controlled patterns rather than chaotic destruction. "That was something being activated."

He initiated an emergency conference call through the secure network Chen had provided. Within minutes, all five guardian teams were connected, sharing similar observations despite their geographical separation.