The echo of thunder had not yet faded when Kazi took her first step toward the clearing.
The valley held its breath. Every leaf and stone around her seemed suspended, as if the lightning strike had shocked time itself. That silhouette, still burned into her vision, had not flinched beneath the strike. Whoever it was, hadn't just been near the lightning.
They had commanded it.
Kazi's boots crunched against cracked stone as she moved closer. Sparks still lingered in the air, curling like smoke from an invisible fire. Her mark buzzed with each step, a sharp, insistent rhythm that vibrated through her bones.
Behind her, Rhazir kept pace, his voice low.
"Be ready for anything. The Volt Line isn't known for patience."
Kazi nodded, though her mind raced with questions. What kind of person could stand inside a lightning strike? What did their mark feel like when they awakened? Hers had burned like fire in her blood. This felt different, more volatile. Like pressure building before a break.
As they continued forward, the clearing opened slowly, surrounded by towering rock spires and blackened earth. At the center, where the bolt had struck, stood a boy. He couldn't have been older than twenty. His posture was loose, almost bored, arms hanging at his sides. But the air around him shimmered, and arcs of electricity danced across his fingertips like impatient sparks.
His clothes were singed and soaked, torn by wind or battle or both. Short braids clung to his forehead, damp with sweat and rain. His eyes, glowing faintly blue, were locked on Kazi the moment she stepped into full view.
Kazi froze. The air between them was tight with tension. A single wrong move could snap it like dry wood.
"I'm not here to fight," she said, lifting her hands slightly.
The boy tilted his head, his expression unreadable. He didn't speak.
Rhazir stayed a few paces behind, hands near his belt but not reaching for anything. "If he's anything like the fire girl, he's watching for weakness," he muttered.
Kazi stepped forward. Her mark flared beneath her sleeve in response to the voltage in the air. The amber glow clashed with the blue static surrounding the boy, their energies crackling invisibly across the clearing.
"Your mark," Kazi said carefully. "It's from the Volt Line. Mine is Ember. We're connected. We're not enemies."
Still, the boy said nothing.
Then, without warning, he raised one hand.
A bolt of lightning surged from his palm, striking the earth a few feet in front of her. The blast knocked dust and heat into the air. Kazi stumbled back, heart racing.
He hadn't aimed to hit. Just to warn.
The boy finally spoke. His voice was low, calm, and strangely hollow. "If you came looking for answers, you're too late."
Kazi steadied herself. "Too late for what?"
He looked past her, toward the clouds overhead. Another flicker of lightning danced in the sky.
"They've already found me."
Before Kazi could ask who, the ground trembled beneath her feet. A low hum rose from the rocks, not natural thunder but something deeper, heavier. The kind of sound that came from machines or magic.
Rhazir stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "That's not from him."
From beyond the edge of the valley, shapes began to emerge. Dark figures. Three, maybe four. Moving with unnatural precision. They didn't walk, they slid, like shadows wrapped in armor.
Kazi's mark ignited fully, casting amber light across her arm.
The boy's electricity surged again, this time with purpose.
They weren't alone.