The spiral didn't fade this time.
I covered it with a bandage before Ms. Carla could see. My whole arm trembled, and every time I blinked, I saw fragments of something—flashes of places I didn't recognize. People I'd never met, but somehow knew.
Jonah was in those visions.
Eyes glowing. Reaching for me.
Calling out.
School felt like a ghost town. Faces blurred past me. Words didn't stick.
I was barely holding on.
Until lunch.
A new girl sat across from me. Tall, with pale skin and a strange calm in her eyes. I'd never seen her before.
"Liora Amari," she said softly. "You've been dreaming."
My heart nearly stopped.
She leaned in. "It's waking up inside you, isn't it? The power."
I stood up so fast my chair scraped across the floor.
"Who are you?" I whispered.
But she was already walking away.
And then I saw it—on her wrist.
The same spiral.
That night, I ran to the place Jonah first showed me the mark.
I lit a candle and sat on the cold ground, notebook in hand, fingers trembling.
I flipped to the last page—and found a new drawing I didn't remember making.
A door cracked open. Light spilling through.
On the other side, five silhouettes stood together. One of them… was me.
The ground began to shake.
I heard whispers—not in the wind, but inside me.
They're coming.
And then, behind me… something roared.
A beast made of smoke and flame stepped from the shadows, eyes like burning pits.
My scream caught in my throat.
I raised my hand, not in fear, but instinct.
The spiral on my palm ignited.
Light exploded outward.
And for the first time—
I felt it.
The power. The illusion. The light inside me.
And the fear of what came next.
Because this wasn't just a dream anymore.
This was the beginning.
Of everything.