MAYA
With trembling hands, I lifted the paper closer to my face. The ancient symbols seemed to shift and dance in the moonlight. My heart hammered against my ribs as I began to croon the words softly.
"Go ahead, Maya," Xander encouraged from where he stood near the center stone. "Trust yourself. Trust the power within you."
I took a shuddering breath and continued. Suddenly, something extraordinary happened. My voice began to tune in with a melody that seemed to emerge from somewhere deep within me, as if the song itself was teaching me how to sing it. A strange sensation began to wash over me, starting as a gentle warmth in my chest.
This feels... familiar, I thought, even though I was certain I'd never sung these words before. Like coming home to a place I've never been.
The warmth
