"Rowan, what's going on?" Aaron's voice cracked, his disbelief cutting through the room like a blade. His wide, panicked eyes locked onto mine, and I could feel the weight of Alex's limp body slipping from my grasp. I tried to hold on, to keep him from falling but my strength was failing, just like my control.
With a sickening thud, Alex hit the cold stone floor. Blood, dark and slick, pooled beneath his head, the crimson river creeping toward my feet. The sight made my stomach churn, but I couldn't look away. I hadn't meant for any of this to happen. I had promised myself I would keep the power in check, but now the evidence of my failure lay at my feet, a bloody testament to the chaos I'd unleashed.
"Rowan, what have you done?" Aaron's voice trembled, his body slowly retreating as if I had become a stranger, a monster. His shock echoed in the tense, suffocating silence that had swallowed the room. All eyes were on me—watchful, accusing.
Before I could gather the words to explain, a melodic, mocking voice sliced through the thick air.
"Well, well, well… what a mess you've made." The words oozed with sarcasm, the voice eerily high-pitched, a sound too cheerful for the devastation around us.
I turned, my heart pounding. I knew that voice all too well. Standing in the doorway, with a slight smirk playing on her lips, was Elder Elowen the Diviner. Her gaze, sharp as a blade, locked on me, yet there was no anger or judgment in her eyes. Instead, there was something almost playful, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
She hadn't come by accident. She felt the surge of power. I knew that much. The moment my abilities flared, she would have sensed it. And if she had felt it, then Lucius would have too. A rueful smile tugged at the corner of my mouth despite the horror that still hung heavy in the room. This wasn't just a mistake. This was the beginning of the end.
Elowen moved toward me, her long, shadow-like cloak trailing behind her, indifferent to the blood-stained floor and the lifeless body of Alex between us. Without a word, she reached out, her hand cold yet calming as it clasped mine. The familiar warmth of her touch crawled through my skin, settling the storm inside me.
Before anyone could react, before I could even breathe, the room shattered around us, replaced in an instant by the gleaming corridors of her palace—the Home of the Diviner. Sky Town.
The change was so sudden, so surreal, that I stumbled, my senses reeling as I took in my surroundings. Sky Town. I had heard the stories, seen glimpses in my dreams, but nothing compared to standing here in person. Towers of gold and silver stretched endlessly into the sky, their surfaces shimmering as if the stars themselves had been trapped within the walls. Every inch of the palace sparkled with jewels, intricate carvings of ancient stories etched into the very foundations of the spires.
For a moment, I forgot everything the blood, the fear, the weight of my mistakes. The sheer beauty of the place stole my breath away.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice barely audible, not to Elowen but to myself. "I lost control."
Elowen's eyes softened, her voice a soothing balm over my raw nerves. "You did well, Rowan. Better than most in your situation. The fact that you held back as long as you did speaks to your strength."
Her reassurance should have been a comfort, but instead, dread coiled tighter around my chest. "Lucius… he'll know, won't he? He'll know I'm still alive." The words came out in a rush, my heart thudding painfully against my ribs at the thought of Lucius discovering me.
Elowen's smile deepened, a glint of knowing in her gaze. "That's why I came, child. My aura will have masked yours. By now, that room—the blood, the body—is saturated with my presence. Lucius will sense nothing but me. You're safe. For now."
Relief washed over me, leaving me weak. I exhaled slowly, letting the tension slip from my muscles, though I knew it was only temporary.
"Thank you," I murmured, wandering further into the grand hall. The statues lining the corridor drew my attention, each one a marvel of craftsmanship, their cold, marble faces watching my every step. The throne at the end of the hall caught the light, dazzling and imposing, crowned with a massive diamond that gleamed with unsettling brilliance.
"You've always admired this place," Elowen said, her voice quieter now, almost wistful.
I nodded, my fingers grazing the smooth walls, tracing the patterns of gold inlaid with tiny stones that shimmered in a thousand colors. "It's beautiful," I whispered.
"Rowan," her voice changed, turning heavier, and when I looked back at her, my breath caught.
The youthful, confident Elowen I had known stood before me, but in the blink of an eye, she transformed. Her figure hunched, her skin wrinkling and sagging, her once-bright eyes clouding with age. She leaned on a wooden staff now, frail and ancient, a shadow of her former self.
"Elder Elowen?" I gasped, stepping back in shock. "Is that… is that really you?"
She chuckled softly, the sound oddly familiar despite the change. "Did you forget, child? I can shapeshift. This is my true form—the one I've kept hidden for far too long."
Her words hung in the air, their weight sinking into me like stones. If she was revealing this, it meant only one thing. Her reign as Diviner was ending.
"There's something I need to give you," she continued, her voice steadier now. "You aren't ready for your powers yet. You haven't truly learned how to wield them. But we're out of time. I've crafted a gift for you, something that will help guide you through the battles ahead."
My eyes darted around, but she held nothing in her hands. "What gift?" I asked, confusion twisting in my chest.
Elowen's smile returned, sly and knowing. "You'll find it when you return home."
Before I could ask another question, she raised her hand, fingers glowing with soft light. She pressed them lightly to my forehead, and the world around me shifted, fading into nothingness as a portal opened beneath my feet, swallowing me whole.
---
I awoke with a start, my heart pounding in my chest. The remnants of the dream no, the memory lingered in the edges of my mind. I sat up slowly, wincing as a headache throbbed behind my eyes. Had it all been real?
Ding.
A sharp sound pulled me out of my thoughts. I grabbed my phone, but the screen was blank. Frowning, I set it down. That's when I saw it—something hovering in the air before me. A translucent screen, faint but unmistakable, with bold letters that read: "Welcome on board, the chosen one."
My heart skipped a beat.
Another notification appeared, this time a voice accompanying it, soft and unfamiliar, yet somehow comforting: "Which name do you prefer I call you?"
Two options appeared:
Rowan
Mr. John
A laugh slipped from my lips at the absurdity of the question. Of course, I selected "Rowan."
Just as I did, my mother's voice rang out from downstairs, startling me. "Rowan, get up! You'll be late for school!"
I blinked, my mind still spinning, but the screen had vanished. The morning routine pulled me away, but Elder Elowen's words and the strange gift she had promised clung to me like a shadow. The real battle had just begun.