Six months had passed since the gate was sealed. Six months of quiet. Too quiet.
River was now crawling, babbling, and beginning to speak small, sweet words that melted Nova's heart. "Mama," "Da," and his favorite word of all: "Up." But it wasn't just his voice that had begun to change—River's magic had grown stronger too. Sometimes, his toys floated gently above his crib. Once, a book Nova was reading flipped pages without her touching it. And more than once, he had knocked over full cups of tea with nothing but a squeal.
Nova spent her days chasing him around their cabin, trying to teach him to shift. She'd read old Crescent Moon texts, spoken with Lysandra, even asked Seraphina if there were spells or triggers that could help. But nothing worked. River showed no signs of shifting.
On
