She who sees

The cottage was quieter than it had ever been. Even the walls, once creaking with the familiar language of settling wood and shifting pipes, seemed to hold their breath. The only sound came from the hearth's drying fire, embers hissing faintly as they crumbled into ash.

Aisha sat at the table with the pendant in one hand and the parchment in the other. The dagger rested between them, its blade catching the glow of the firelight as though it were drinking in what little warmth remained. The three objects looked ordinary enough when set apart, but together...together they thrummed.

The pendant pulsed, steady and insistent. The parchment's symbols shimmered faintly. Only visible when she looked with the corner of her eye. And the dagger, cold and sharp, carried a hum so deep it made her teeth ache.

"Do you feel it now?" Doreen asked quietly from across the room.

Aisha nodded. Her voice came out rough. "It's like they're alive."

"They are alive," Ruby whispered — though she wasn't standing in the shadows this time.

Aisha's breath caught. Ruby's form had never been this solid before. She lingered near the doorway, her pale outline sharper than ever, her long fur flowing as though caught in a wind that didn't exist. Her eyes glowed faintly, dark pools rimmed with silver.

Doreen stiffened but said nothing, her gaze lowering toward the hearth.

"You left me," Aisha said before she could stop herself. The accusation cracked in her throat.

Ruby tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "I was bound. Fading. But you are sixteen now...the tether is stronger. I can stand here a little longer." Her gaze flicked to the objects on the table, "But they are waking, too."

A silver threaded down Aisha's spine.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Ruby's eyes softened, almost mournful. "Sadon stirs."

The name cut through the room like a blade.

The fire sputtered violently, throwing sparks. Shadows leapt up the walls, stretching long fingers across the beams. For a heartbeat, Aisha swore one of the shadows turned its head towards her and smiled.

"No," Doreen snapped, slamming her palm against the table. The shadows recoiled slightly, retreating toward the edges of the room. "Not here. Not now."

Aisha's chest tightened. "What's happening to me? To them?" She gestured to the pendant, the parchment, the dagger.

Ruby took a slow step forward, though her feet never touched the floor. "Your bloodline has always carried the seal. But the seals break. And when they do..." Her gaze flicked to Aisha's chest, where the pendant rested, glowing faintly even through the fabric. "The choice comes sooner than you think."

The word choice echoed in Aisha's mind, twisting around her mother's warning from the mirror. Shield and beacon, both. Trust no shadow, not even the ones that wear familiar faces.

She couldn't hold back anymore. "What do I have to remember?"

Ruby's lips parted, as though she might answer. But her form flickered violently, her body breaking apart like smoke. "Not yet," she whispered. "Too many ears. But soon..."

The entity's figure shattered, dissolving into nothing.

The silence that followed was unbearable. Aisha gripped the edge of the table, trying to steady her breathing. The pendant flared suddenly against her skin, and the parchment glowed brighter, its lines twisting and moving like living veins. The dagger trembled where it lay.

And then the air broke.

With a sound like splitting wood, the fire died completely, plunging the cottage into darkness. The pendant's glow expanded, filling the room with pale light. But it wasn't only light — it was force. A shockwave burst from her chest, rattling the windows, sending Doreen stumbling back with a cry. The parchment flew into the air, symbols spinning like fireflies, while the dagger slammed against the far wall with a metallic shriek.

"Aisha!" Doreen's voice cut through the chaos, urgent, frightened.

"I'm not— I didn't—" But she couldn't finish. Her body was alive with energy, burning hot and cold all at once. Her hands sparked, faint streams of light flickering from her fingertips. Her breath came in gasps, and her vision blurred with lines and spirals she recognised from her notebook, etched across the air itself.

And then, as quickly as it began, it stopped.

The parchment floated down to the table, its ink glowing faintly blue. The dagger clattered to the floor, dull and silent once more. The pendant dimmer against her skin, its thrum softening into a steady heartbeat.

Aisha collapsed into the chair, shaking.

Doreen was at her side in an instant, her face pale. "It's starting," she whispered. "I'd hoped...I'd prayed we'd have more time."

Aisha buried her face in her hands. "I don't understand any of this."

"You will," Doreen said firmly, though her voice cracked. "But for now, you must guard what you have. Sadon will come for it— and for you."

Before Aisha could repply, a knock echoed at the cottage door. Hard, deliberate.

Her stomach lurched.

Doreen's hand shot up, warning her to stay still. But the knock came again, louder this time.

"Who is it?" Doreen called, her tone sharp.

No answer.

Aisha's heart pounded. She could feel the pendant heat against her skin, warning her. She thought of the shadows outside, the strange figures she'd seen before, the whispers that haunted the edges of her hearing.

And then—

"Aisha?"

Her breath caught. It was Nathan's voice.

Relief crashed through her so quickly it hurt. She started to rise, but Doreen's hand clamped around her wrist.

"Wait," her grandmother hissed. "You don't know if it's him."

The words sent ice through Aisha's veins.

But the voice came again, muffled through the door. "It's me. Please— it's freezing out here."

Doreen's grip loosened, though her eyes stayed wary. Slowly, she moved toward the door and opened it just a fraction.

Nathan stood there, his cheeks red from the cold, snowflakes caught in his dark hair. His eyes found Aisha instantly, wide with concern.

"I needed to check on you," he said. "After everything...I just had to."

Aisha wanted to run to him, to let the comfort of his presence steady the chaos still burning inside her. But Doreen's words tangled in her mind: You don't know if it's him.

The pendant thrummed harder, as though in warning.

And when she looked past Nathan's shoulder, she swore she saw a figure standing in the tree line, still and waiting.