The forest was silent again, but the kind of silence that makes your ears ring and your skin crawl. I stayed on my knees for a long time, heart pounding, hands still trembling. The fire inside me—it wasn't fire exactly, but it felt like molten energy pulsing beneath my skin—was still thrumming uncontrollably. Every time I moved my fingers, sparks seemed to flare from my fingertips.
Sera crouched next to me, her hand still on my shoulder. "Breathe," she said softly. "Control it, or it'll control you."
I wanted to, I really did, but control wasn't something I had right now. All I could feel was power… and fear. Fear that if I touched anything, I'd destroy it. Fear that whatever I had inside me was dangerous. More dangerous than the collars. More dangerous than the Overseer.
I had survived the dungeon. I had escaped the collars. But now… I wasn't even sure what I was anymore.
Sera finally stood, brushing dirt off her hands. "We can't stay here. That figure—the one with the golden eyes—they're not done with you. And I'm not sure anyone else here will be kind."
I swallowed hard and tried to stand, but the energy in me surged violently. Sparks leapt from my arms to the ground. A nearby tree shuddered as if alive, leaves twisting and cracking. I yelped and stumbled back, tripping over a root.
Sera caught me by the arm. "You need to focus. I can help you, but you have to let me."
"Let you?" I shouted. "You barely know me!"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she knelt beside me and placed her hands gently on my wrists. Her green eyes met mine. "I know enough. That fire inside you? It's rare. Dangerous, yes, but it can be controlled. I've seen others like you… most of them don't make it. You might."
I felt the heat under my skin pulse faster, like it was responding to her words. My hands shook less, my breathing slowed, and for the first time since the collar broke, I felt… aware of it, instead of terrified.
"Okay," I whispered. "I… I want to learn."
Sera nodded. "Good. But first, we need to move. The golden-eyed one won't wait, and neither will the Overseer."
We walked through the glowing forest cautiously. The moss beneath our feet pulsed faintly, almost like it was watching us. My energy throbbed along with it, making it hard to concentrate. Every shadow looked like it moved on its own. I kept glancing behind us, half-expecting the hooded figure to appear again.
Sera kept her dagger drawn. She was silent mostly, occasionally scanning the trees, listening for sounds I couldn't even hear. She moved with confidence, like she knew the forest, like she belonged there. I envied that.
"Where are we going?" I asked after a while, my voice small.
"Safehouse," she said. "It's not perfect, but it's off the main paths. Hidden. Only a few people know about it."
"Who… people?"
She didn't answer immediately. I pressed her with my eyes. Finally, she said, "Other collared survivors. Some escaped. Some… didn't. You'll see. Just know—trust is earned, not given."
I shivered. It wasn't the cold. It was the thought of more people like me. Collared. Trapped. Controlled. And now I was free, but hunted.
The forest began to thin. Strange rocks jutted from the ground, jagged and dark, glowing faintly at the edges. I noticed faint runes carved into the stones. They pulsed when my hands brushed them, like they could sense me. My energy surged violently, and I had to grab a tree to steady myself.
Sera's eyes widened. "Focus," she said sharply. "You're reacting to them. That fire of yours… it's stronger than I thought."
I swallowed, trying to calm myself. But how? I didn't know what it was, how it worked, or why it existed. I didn't even know if I could control it long enough to survive this forest, let alone the rest of Arcanthia.
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. I imagined the energy inside me like water in a jar. Calm, contained, waiting. The buzzing slowed slightly, and I opened my eyes. The moss stopped pulsing violently. Sparks didn't leap from my fingers anymore.
Sera smiled faintly. "Good. That's the start."
"Start?" I groaned. "I don't even know what this is."
"You'll find out," she said. "Soon enough."
We came to a cliff's edge overlooking a river of glowing liquid. The colors shifted from blue to violet to silver. Sera pointed. "See that? Safehouse is on the other side. Small. Hard to find. But you'll be safe there… for now."
I blinked. "Safe? After what just happened? You mean, like… until someone comes and kills us?"
She didn't answer directly. Instead, she scanned the horizon. "The Overseer knows the golden-eyed one is interested in you. That means you've already drawn attention. The collars aren't just metal. They're linked to the Overseer's power. Breaking one like you did… that's a message."
I swallowed hard. My stomach churned. "A message? What kind of message?"
"The kind that gets people killed."
Crossing the river wasn't easy. The current glowed like liquid light and burned faintly when I touched it. Sera held my hand as we stepped carefully from stone to stone, teaching me how to focus my energy so I didn't set the river aflame. My hands tingled with power the whole time. Every step felt like a test.
Once we reached the other side, the safehouse came into view. It was small, made of stone and vines, almost blending into the forest entirely. The windows glowed faintly, warm light spilling into the darkness.
Sera opened the door, and I peered inside.
The room was filled with people. Some were young, like me. Others looked older, hardened by something I couldn't understand. All of them had collars—or the scars where collars had been broken. Some stared at me with suspicion. Others whispered among themselves.
One man stepped forward. His collar was intact, silver with red gems. "Who is she?" he asked, eyes narrowing.
"She's… new," Sera said. "Uncollared. Powerful."
I froze. Powerful? Me?
Another figure stepped forward—a girl with golden hair, scarred cheek, and eyes sharp as daggers. She glared at me. "Uncollared?" she said slowly. "You're a walking problem."
I wanted to shrink back. I wanted to vanish. Instead, Sera nudged me forward. "Ignore them for now. Just get settled. You need rest, and we need to figure out what's happening with your energy."
I nodded numbly and sat on a cot near the corner. My hands burned faintly, even though I wasn't moving them. Sparks of energy leaked from my fingertips when I touched the blanket.
A small boy, maybe twelve, came over and stared at me. "Are you… going to be okay?"
I managed a shaky smile. "I… think so."
He nodded and scurried off. I could feel eyes on me, watching, judging, analyzing. I hated it.
Hours passed. No one spoke to me directly. The others were quiet, tense, always scanning for threats. I tried to rest, but the energy in me refused to let me sleep. Every so often, I felt it pulse—alive, impatient, demanding something I didn't understand.
Finally, Sera crouched beside me again. "You need to practice. That fire, that energy… it's not just power. It's your life now. And the more you learn to control it, the stronger you'll be. Strong enough to fight back."
I shook my head. "Fight back? Against what? The golden-eyed thing? The Overseer?"
She nodded. "Exactly. And more. There are creatures here you haven't even seen yet. Ones that will kill without hesitation. And they won't care who you were before you came here. If you can't control your power… you won't survive them."
I swallowed hard. "Okay… then show me. Teach me."
Sera smiled faintly. "Good. You'll start with something simple."
She led me outside into a small clearing behind the safehouse. The moon—or whatever passes for a moon in this world—glowed high above.
"Concentrate," she said. "Feel it. Don't fight it. Don't let it control you."
I closed my eyes, heart pounding. The energy inside me flared immediately, hotter, wilder. Sparks ran along my skin, and the ground beneath me trembled slightly.
"Focus!" Sera shouted.
I gritted my teeth, took a deep breath, and imagined the fire as… something I could shape. Slowly, painfully, the sparks coalesced into a small sphere of blue-white energy hovering above my palms.
I opened my eyes. It floated there. Perfect.
I gasped, staring at it. "I… did it?"
"Not fully," Sera said. "But it's a start. You need to control it, manipulate it. This is just the beginning."
Suddenly, the air shimmered behind me. My stomach dropped. That voice again, faint, distorted, but unmistakable.
Aria Vale… do not get comfortable. Your time is short.
I spun around, heart hammering, and froze.
From the shadows of the forest, two figures emerged. Collared. Tall. Silent. Watching.
Sera's hand went to her dagger. "Move," she hissed.
But it was too late. One of them lifted a hand, and the collar on my broken necklace, what little metal remained, glowed faintly. Sparks flew. Pain shot through me like knives.
I screamed.
The figures stepped closer, and suddenly, everything went white.
To be continued…