Chapter 15

The forest around us was thick with shadows, the trees towering like ancient sentinels. The only light came from the dim glow of the crescent moon above, filtering through the branches in fractured beams. My footsteps echoed unnervingly loud as I followed Marcus deeper into the woods, the crunch of leaves beneath my feet mingling with the soft, rhythmic thrum of my heartbeat. 

I hadn’t realized just how much the forest had always felt like home—until tonight. Now, the space between the trees felt foreign, hostile, as though the very ground I walked on was aware of the change inside me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something unseen was watching, waiting, hidden in the darkness.

Marcus moved effortlessly through the woods, his dark figure blending into the night with a predator’s grace. I had to strain to keep up with him, my breath coming in shallow bursts as I fought to keep my mind focused. There was no time to dwell on the strange, unsettling energy I felt creeping along the edges of my senses. Whatever was happening—whatever Marcus had dragged me into—it was bigger than me.

"Where are we going?" I finally asked, breaking the silence that had stretched between us like a tangible thing. My voice felt small in the vastness of the woods, but I couldn’t keep it in anymore. "Why did you bring me out here?"

Marcus didn’t look back. He kept walking, his pace unhurried, almost leisurely. It was as if he had all the time in the world, while I felt like every second counted.

"You’ll see soon enough," he replied, his voice calm, even amused. "It’s better if you experience it yourself."

I frowned, irritation bubbling up at his cryptic words. But I didn’t argue. I had learned the hard way that Marcus didn’t take well to being questioned. And besides, part of me *did* want to see. To know what kind of world I was being dragged into.

We walked in silence for what felt like an eternity. The deeper we went into the woods, the thicker the air seemed to get, charged with something ancient and powerful. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled, and I could feel my heart racing again, faster now, a pulse that mirrored the hum I had felt earlier—the one Marcus had spoken of.

Finally, we came to a small clearing, tucked away in the heart of the forest. The trees parted in a perfect circle, as if they had been arranged with deliberate precision. In the center of the clearing was a stone altar, dark and weathered, covered in moss and ivy. The sight of it made a shiver crawl down my spine. The altar was ancient, older than anything I’d ever seen. And it felt like it held a power all its own.

I stopped just at the edge of the clearing, unwilling to step closer. My instincts screamed at me to turn around and run. But Marcus wasn’t waiting. Without a word, he stepped forward, his hand outstretched toward the altar. 

“This is where it begins,” he said, his voice quieter now, almost reverent. "This is where your training starts."

I hesitated, eyeing him warily. “Training? What is this place?”

“This is a place of power,” Marcus explained, his gaze never leaving the altar. “A place where your blood and the magic that runs through you can be *awakened*. Your parents used it once, many years ago, and now... it’s your turn.”

I took a hesitant step forward, still unsure of what was happening. “What do you mean, *awakened*? What is this power, Marcus?”

He turned to look at me, his silver eyes gleaming in the low light. “You *feel* it, don’t you? The way it pulses inside of you. You’re not just human, Tess. Your bloodline is ancient. You’ve inherited something that doesn’t belong in the world of mortals.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine as his words sank in. The hum of power I’d felt earlier was more than just a figment of my imagination. I *was* different. I was tied to something older than time itself.

“You mean... magic?” I asked, the word feeling foreign on my tongue. But it made sense. The strange pull, the way the air felt alive when I was near him—it was like the world itself was charged with an energy I could barely comprehend.

Marcus nodded. “Yes. Magic. Power. Whatever you want to call it. You’ve been born into it. And now, it’s time to learn how to wield it.” 

I stared at the altar, the feeling of foreboding growing stronger. “What do I have to do?”

Marcus didn’t answer right away. He reached into the folds of his coat and pulled out a small, silver dagger. The blade glimmered in the moonlight, its surface etched with symbols I couldn’t decipher. 

I felt my stomach drop. “What the hell are you doing with that?”

“This is part of the awakening,” he said, his voice calm but heavy with meaning. “You need to *offer* something. To *acknowledge* the power that lies within you.”

“Offer?” I repeated, a chill creeping up my spine. “What do you mean, offer? I’m not sacrificing anything.”

“Not in the way you think,” he said, his tone almost amused. “It’s not about blood or a life. It’s about making the choice. Acknowledging the power inside you and accepting it. *Binding* it to you, so that it becomes part of who you are.”

I looked at him, heart pounding. “You want me to cut myself? To bleed on that altar?”

He nodded, his gaze unwavering. “It’s a simple gesture. A small one. But it’s necessary. Magic is not something that can be simply *taken*—it must be earned, forged. This is the first step in your training.”

I swallowed hard, staring at the dagger. It gleamed in the moonlight like a living thing, almost hungry. I could feel the weight of his words settling in the pit of my stomach.

I wasn’t sure I was ready for this. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be ready for this.

But deep down, I knew there was no turning back. 

If I was going to survive whatever storm was coming, I had to learn to wield this power. To control it before it controlled me.

I took a shaky breath and reached out, my hand trembling as I took the dagger from Marcus’s outstretched palm.

“Good,” he said quietly. “Now, step forward and do what needs to be done. Accept your inheritance.”

My heart thundered in my chest as I stepped forward, every instinct telling me to stop, to run. But I didn’t. 

I couldn’t.

With a shaking hand, I raised the dagger and pressed the cold blade to the center of my palm. The sharpness bit into my skin, sending a sharp spike of pain through me. I gasped, and the blood began to flow, trickling down my wrist.

As the blood dripped onto the stone altar, something shifted. The air grew heavier, denser, and the hum of power intensified. The world seemed to hold its breath, and for a moment, everything was still.

Then, the ground trembled.

A low, vibrating hum ran through the earth, vibrating the very marrow of my bones. The symbols on the altar began to glow, faint at first, then brighter and brighter, until the whole stone was alive with pulsing light. I stepped back instinctively, fear and awe clawing at my chest as the power surged around me.

The force was overwhelming. It *was* alive, a living entity that was part of me now, part of this world. My hand, still clasping the dagger, trembled violently as if I could no longer control it.

Marcus’s voice cut through the chaos, steady and calm. 

"That’s the first step, Tess. You’ve bound yourself to the power. You’ve acknowledged what’s inside you. Now, we’ll see if you can control it."

But all I could do was stand there, my heart racing, blood dripping from my palm, as the world around me seemed to crack open and shift.

I wasn’t ready for this. But there was no turning back now.

And I didn’t know it yet, but that was only the beginning.