THE GATHERING STORM

The days that followed were unnervingly quiet.

Too quiet.

Aurora knew peace couldn't last—not in her world, not with the kind of magic that now lived beneath her skin. The energy inside her was restless, coiled like a serpent ready to strike. She barely slept, and when she did, her dreams were plagued by fire and shadows. Her twin's voice whispered through the cracks in her mind, seductive and sharp.

You can't hold me forever. We are the same now, and I will rise again.

She shook the thoughts away each morning, but the line between her and the thing she'd absorbed was growing thin.

Downstairs in the flat, Ethan had covered the kitchen table with maps, scrolls, and ink-stained notes. Zayne leaned over his shoulder, brow furrowed, while Fiona sharpened a dagger nearby, eyeing Aurora every few minutes like she expected her to snap.

"What are we looking for, exactly?" Aurora asked as she descended the stairs, her voice hoarse from sleep.

Ethan didn't look up. "The next strike. The curse might have shifted, but it didn't end. And there are others who felt it happen. When you merged with your twin, you set off a magical beacon. One that the world's darker forces couldn't possibly ignore."

Zayne nodded grimly. "Something's stirring. We don't know what yet, but we're running out of time to prepare."

Fiona slid her dagger back into its sheath. "We'll be lucky if we even have time."

A Fractured Alliance

Later that evening, an unexpected knock echoed through the flat.

Ethan opened the door to reveal a tall, severe-looking woman dressed in flowing black robes. Her skin was pale, her eyes a stormy gray that seemed to pierce through everyone in the room. Behind her stood a younger man, face obscured by a cloak.

"Cassara," Ethan muttered, stiffening.

Aurora narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

"She's from the Council," Ethan explained, his voice laced with tension. "High Enchanter. We're not exactly on friendly terms."

Cassara stepped inside without invitation. "No time for pleasantries, Ethan. We felt the shift. The binding of twin souls during the blood moon. The Council demands an explanation."

Aurora stepped forward, the room suddenly feeling too small. "I don't owe the Council anything. I did what I had to do to survive."

Cassara's gaze swept over her like a cold wind. "You don't understand what you've done. That curse wasn't just ancient—it was sacred. Protected. You've disrupted a balance that was never meant to be touched."

Zayne stepped between them. "She broke the curse. If anything, she stopped the imbalance."

Cassara's lip curled. "You're a fool if you think this ends with one act of defiance. There are consequences—real ones. Creatures tied to the curse, bound in shadow, will awaken. You may have silenced one twin, but you've awakened something far worse."

The younger man at her side finally removed his hood. His eyes were a deep crimson.

Aurora gasped.

"I've seen you before," she whispered. "In my dreams."

The man bowed his head slightly. "That's because you called me there. I am Kalen. The Dream Walker. I serve what remains of the Holloway line."

Aurora's skin prickled with dread. "There's more of us?"

Cassara cut in, her voice sharp. "Not like you. Not anymore. But Kalen is... tethered to the legacy. And if the seal you broke fully collapses, he will become its host."

Kalen's voice was calm, but eerie. "And I will either be your ally… or your end."

Unstable Ground

That night, Aurora stood on the rooftop, the city sprawled beneath her like a sleeping beast. Zayne joined her quietly, wrapping a blanket over her shoulders.

"Do you believe them?" she asked.

Zayne shrugged. "I believe the Council always hides more than they reveal. But Kalen… he wasn't lying."

Aurora shivered. "He felt like a warning."

"Maybe he was," Zayne murmured. "But you've faced worse. You're not that girl anymore, Aurora."

She looked at him then, the way the moonlight kissed his jawline, the way his eyes softened just for her.

"Sometimes I wish I could go back to being that girl. Before all this."

Zayne reached out, brushing his fingers along her cheek. "I don't. That girl was brave—but this version of you? She's unstoppable."

Aurora leaned into him, letting herself rest for a moment against the warmth of his chest. But even in his arms, she could feel the pulse of her power—wild and whispering.

Below them, the city lights flickered once. Twice.

And then—darkness.

Every light in the skyline blinked out.

Zayne stiffened. "That's not a power outage."

Aurora turned, her eyes wide. "It's starting."

End of Chapter 24...