Mira felt it one evening.
A strange pressure in the air.
It was faint, but different from anything she had sensed before. Cold… heavy… watching.
She stopped walking.
Slowly, she looked around.
Nothing.
The academy grounds were silent, bathed in dim lantern light. Students passed by, laughing, unaware.
But Mira's heart beat faster.
That night, as she trained, the spirit's voice came urgently.
"Someone has felt your awakening."
Mira froze.
"Who?"
"A seeker," the spirit replied. "Those who hunt rare power."
Fear tightened her chest.
"Will they come here?"
"They already are," the spirit said quietly.
From the top of a distant tower, a cloaked figure stood motionless. Crimson eyes glowed beneath the hood as they watched Mira's dorm room.
"A hidden one…" the figure whispered.
"Just as the prophecy said."
Mira shivered suddenly, as if cold wind touched her skin.
She hugged her arms tightly.
For the first time, the danger was no longer inside her.
It was outside.
And it was drawing closer.