The morning sky above the Ashvathar estate was strangely pale, washed in soft gold as if the sun were pushing through with caution rather than confidence. Arav stepped outside expecting to find Meghala already plotting some risky training exercise.
But instead, the courtyard felt too still.
Aaryan stood near the perimeter, arms lowered but shoulders tight. Sharanya watched the tree line with quiet tension. Isha was dragging a stick across the dirt, humming a tune that had no beginning or end.
Something was off.
Before Arav could speak, a tremor brushed the air—thin, brief, but sharp enough to notice.
He flinched. "What was that?"
Aaryan didn't look away from the forest. "Someone touched the boundary again."
Sharanya frowned. "Another probe?"
Aaryan nodded. His jaw clenched slightly.
Arav stepped closer. "Is it the Council?"
"It's someone who thinks they're subtle," Aaryan replied. "They're not."
Arav swallowed. "Should we… be scared?"
Aaryan knelt so they were eye to eye. "Fear is for those without choices. We have choices."
Sharanya gently touched his back. "But caution is wisdom."
Another tremor rippled.
Then a flash of silver flame sliced through the courtyard—no attack, just a signal. Meghala landed beside them a heartbeat later, dust swirling around her boots.
"Well," she said, flicking a spark off her sleeve. "Someone just tried to slip a signature mimic into your ward-line. Very sneaky. Very stupid."
Sharanya stiffened. "A mimic-stone?"
Meghala nodded. "Harmless to us, but perfect for copying someone's aura. And guess whose aura it was sniffing for?"
Her gaze slid directly to Arav.
Arav froze. "Me? Why?"
Aaryan answered without hesitation. "Because you awakened loudly."
Sharanya added, "Because the resonance drew eyes."
Meghala grinned darkly. "And because some people are terribly nosy."
Arav's hands curled. "Did I… cause trouble?"
"No," Meghala said, tapping his forehead. "Someone else caused trouble by thinking they could steal your signature."
"So…" Arav swallowed. "What do we do?"
Aaryan simply said, "We remove it."
Meghala rolled her shoulders. "I'll go. If Aaryan moves, the whole valley will assume war. If Sharanya moves, half the clan will panic. And if you move—" she glanced at Arav "—someone will write a prophecy."
Sharanya sighed. "She's right."
Arav reached for her sleeve. "Be careful."
"Careful is boring," she replied cheerfully. "But I'll try."
She vanished past the boundary in a streak of heat.
Arav waited anxiously. Sharanya squeezed his shoulder to keep him grounded. Aaryan stood unmoving, a silent wall against anything that dared come closer.
Minutes passed.
Then Meghala reappeared in a burst of silver warmth, dropping a cracked mimic-stone into Aaryan's palm.
"There," she said. "One broken toy."
Aaryan examined the stone carefully. Sharanya leaned in, brows rising sharply.
"Is that—?"
"Two signatures," Meghala confirmed. "Not one."
Arav's heart thudded. "Flame… and thunder?"
Meghala nodded. "The resonance is real. And growing."
Aaryan's voice was quiet but heavy. "The Council will not overlook this."
Sharanya whispered, "Neither will the clans."
Arav felt the world tilt slightly. "What does that mean?"
Aaryan met his gaze. "It means the world is watching more closely now. And watching the wrong way."
Meghala crouched in front of Arav, setting a warm hand over his chest. "Listen, little ember. Two prodigies resonating across Astraeon? That kind of thing hasn't happened in ages. People fear what they don't understand."
Arav frowned. "And they don't understand me."
"Exactly," Meghala said. "Which is why we protect you. And why you learn."
Far to the west, miles beyond sight, a boy with crackling fingertips sat on a polished stone veranda, blinking as a spark danced between his palms. His breath shook.
"Why does it feel like someone is calling me?"
A deep voice inside the manor answered, "Because they are."
Back in the Ashvathar estate, Meghala rose with a sigh.
"Well. That was exciting. Who wants lunch? I found a soup that melts cookware."
Sharanya looked exhausted. Aaryan didn't comment. Isha cheered because melting cookware sounded fun. Arav didn't laugh this time.
He stared at the broken stone.
Because for the first time, resonance didn't feel like a random, strange pull.
It felt like the beginning of something none of them were ready for.