Commander Kael Draven had spent his life hunting magic.
He knew the signs.
The way the air trembled slightly. The flicker of energy around objects that moved when they shouldn't.
The girl standing before him radiated it.
Not powerful magic.
But undeniable.
She looked young. Perhaps twenty.
Messy dark hair. Torn clothes. Defiant eyes.
Not the monster he expected.
Still…
Orders were orders.
"You're coming with me," Kael said.
Lyra laughed nervously.
"Yeah, I'm not doing that."
She turned to run.
Kael caught her wrist instantly.
And then something impossible happened.
The air exploded with silver light.
Both of them were thrown backward.
Kael slammed against the wall.
Lyra stared at her hands in horror.
"I didn't mean to do that," she whispered.
Kael slowly stood.
The energy she released…
It wasn't ordinary magic.
It was ancient magic.
The kind that had nearly destroyed the world.