Awakened fury

The breaking point

The silence feels wrong. too quiet. too still

I can still feel it—that power. It hasn’t disappeared this time. It’s lingering, like something alive beneath my skin.

“Riley.”

Nyra’s voice pulls me back. I blink, realizing I’ve been staring at my hands. They’re shaking—not from fear, but from something else.

“I didn’t mean to do that,” I say quickly. My voice sounds distant. Unfamiliar.

Nyra watches me carefully. “I know.”

I look up at her. “Then why does it feel like I’m losing control?”

She doesn’t answer immediately, and that scares me more than anything.

“You’re not losing control,” she says finally. Then, after a pause, “You never had it.”

The words hit hard.

My chest tightens. “So what… I’m just dangerous now?”

Nyra steps closer, her expression serious. “You’ve always been dangerous. You just didn’t know it.”

I shake my head, stepping back. “No. That’s not true. I’m not like that.”

A sharp flicker moves through me, sudden and violent. The air shifts.

Nyra notices instantly. “Riley—don’t—”

Too late.

The energy surges again, stronger than before. Unstable.

“I can’t stop it!” I gasp.

The ground trembles beneath my feet, cracks spreading outward as dust lifts into the air.

Nyra moves fast, grabbing my shoulders. “Focus!”

“I am trying!”

“You’re fighting it,” she snaps. “That’s the problem.”

My vision blurs. Everything feels too loud, too bright, too much.

“What do I do?!”

Nyra’s grip tightens. “You let it flow.”

That sounds like a terrible idea.

“I can’t—what if I hurt someone?”

Her voice drops. “Then learn now… before it’s too late.”

The power spikes again, violent and uncontrolled.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to breathe, trying to think, trying not to break.

Feel it.

Nyra’s voice echoes in my mind.

Don’t fight it.

My breathing slows slightly. The energy shifts—not gone, but softer.

For a moment, I think I have it.

Then pain.

A sharp pulse slams through my chest.

I gasp, my eyes flying open. “What was that?!”

Nyra freezes. Her expression changes instantly. “No…”

Fear grips me. “What? What is it?”

She looks at me like she’s seeing something worse than before. “They felt that.”

My stomach drops. “Who?”

Nyra’s voice turns quiet. “The hunters.”

A chill runs through me.

Then, from outside—

Footsteps.

Multiple. Fast.

My heart starts racing. “No… no, no…”

Nyra steps in front of me. “They’re here.”

The warehouse doors slam open.

Three figures walk in, dark and silent. Watching.

Not the same ones as before.

These feel worse. Stronger.

One of them steps forward, calm and steady.

“So,” he says coldly, “this is the one.”

My breath catches.

Nyra’s stance hardens. “Riley, stay behind me.”

But I can’t move.

His eyes lock onto mine—sharp, calculating.

Then he smiles.

“Do you have any idea how valuable you are?” he asks softly.

My chest tightens. I shake my head.

His smile widens. “Good.”

A pause.

“Because we’re going to show you.”