I was jolted awake by the annoying sound of my alarm. With a tired sigh, I rubbed my eyelids to clear the blur from my vision. I had fallen asleep waiting for Nick, but he still wasn't home. Michael and Rafail had already left a few days ago, and I missed them. It felt strange—like I had three brothers constantly around to bother me. A small smile crept onto my lips at the thought of them.

Slowly, I sat up in bed. There was something important I needed to do—I had to talk to Nick. I had to tell him what happened at school. A heavy sigh escaped me as I wrapped my arms around my waist, the memory of fear gripping me from that day. My body still shivered at the thought of it.

That day, I bumped into Diarmid. The urge to hug him had been strong, but something stopped me. It would've been weird, I told myself. He must have noticed my sudden distance—how I withdrew from him. I wasn't ready to open up, to let anyone in. I needed to heal first.

Shaking off the thoughts of Diarmid, I headed to Nick's room. I knocked gently, waiting, but after a few tries, there was still no response. Unease began to grow as I opened his door, only to find his room empty. Flicking on the light, I stood there for a moment, frowning. Where could he be?

I rushed back to my room, grabbing my phone. I dialed his number. Ringing. Ringing. Still no answer. I sent him a few messages, asking where he was, my anxiety creeping in. Each second of silence felt like an eternity.

Fear tightened its grip around my chest. I struggled to breathe, my vision blurring with unshed tears.

Nick... where are you?

I tried to reason with myself. It was too early to panic. I should wait, be patient—but that gnawing fear remained.

Suddenly, I felt a soft warmth on my left arm. My bracelet—it was glowing, a soft and gentle light twinkling like Morse code. My brows furrowed as I raised my arm to inspect it. I remembered Mom chanting something over this bracelet. Where's the notebook?

I scrambled to my room, searching through my things until I found it—the notebook where the story of Azrael and Talisa was written. I quickly flipped past the stories, looking for the chant Mom used. Finally, there it was:

"Tha mi a 'sireadh comraich bhon dorchadas, bhuaibh dìon gràdhach, a Dhia ghràdhaich..."

The words were familiar, comforting. I took a picture of the page and translated it through Google. A few minutes later, the meaning was revealed:

"I seek refuge from the darkness, from you, loving protection, dear God.

I seek refuge from the darkness, from you, loving protection, dear God.

It gives me breath and trust for eternity,

Our hope,

Our love,

Our protector,

Our faith,

Our light,

Our God, forever."

I slowly read the words out loud in English, but nothing happened. The bracelet stayed quiet, lifeless. My brow furrowed in frustration. Maybe it needed to be in the original language?

Taking a deep breath, I began to recite the Gaelic version, my voice shaky at first:

"Tha mi a 'sireadh comraich bhon dorchadas, bhuaibh dìon gràdhach, a Dhia ghràdhaich..."

Still, nothing happened. But I wasn't ready to give up. I closed my eyes, focused on the words, and spoke them again—this time with conviction, with faith. The warmth returned, stronger this time, wrapping around me like a protective embrace.

My eyes flew open as I realized I was glowing. A soft hum filled the air, and my bracelet glowed in harmony with me. It was alive with warmth and light, just as it had been when Mom used it.

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A smile spread across my face as I basked in the glow, letting the warmth fill the fear and emptiness within me. For a moment, I felt safe—like nothing could hurt me.

I slowly placed the notebook down on the sofa, my fingers lingering on the edge as if holding on to the last semblance of normalcy. My body moved almost on autopilot as I walked toward the mirror. A strange sense of unease crept over me, like something was shifting just beneath my skin.

When I caught sight of my reflection, I froze. The familiar face staring back at me should have brought comfort, but instead, I felt an odd dissonance. There was something... different. My glow, the one I could feel humming beneath the surface, wasn't visible in the mirror. Yet with my own eyes, I could see it. It was like an aura surrounding me—soft but unmistakable.

I raised my hand, fingers trembling slightly, and brushed them through my hair. The strands felt the same as always, but something in my expression had changed. My gaze locked on my eyes—normally a deep, steady blue. But now, they were shifting, glowing in an almost ethereal way. The blue had lightened, turning into a crystal-like shade, shimmering with an otherworldly sheen.

I inhaled sharply, my breath catching in my throat. My mind raced to make sense of it, but I couldn't fully comprehend what I was seeing. Was it real? Or had I finally crossed into some kind of breaking point?

I stared at myself, heart pounding, unsure whether to feel awe or fear. Whatever this was, it was undeniable. Something had awakened inside me, something I hadn't fully grasped yet.

"Is this... really me?" I whispered, the words barely audible, as if speaking too loudly would shatter the fragile understanding of this new reality.

Fear crept into me like a rising tide, threatening to drown my sense of calm. My heart pounded, and panic began to claw at the edges of my thoughts. I fumbled around, hands shaking, as I desperately searched for my phone. I finally grabbed it, dialing Mom's number with trembling fingers. Each ring felt like an eternity.

When Mom picked up, her voice was warm and unsuspecting. "Hey, baby, good morning," she greeted, her usual cheerful tone completely at odds with the storm raging inside me.

"Mom!" I exclaimed, the panic surging into my voice, making it sound almost foreign to my own ears.

"Arwen? What's happening?" Her concern was immediate, her voice shifting from calm to worried. In the background, I heard my dad's voice. "Put it on speaker," he said, his voice steady but edged with alarm.

"What's wrong, Arwen?" Papa's voice came through, deep and grounding, but I could hear the worry creeping in.

I swallowed hard, trying to find the words, but all that came out was a breathless, "I'm... I'm freaking glowing, Pa! My eyes—they changed color! What the hell is happening?!"

I wanted to completely lose it, to let the panic take over and scream at the absurdity of it all. But strangely, the glow itself seemed to calm me, a soft warmth wrapping around my panic, holding it at bay. My hands flew to the bracelet on my wrist, and I yanked at it, trying to pull it off.

"What do you mean you're glowing, Arwen?" Mom asked, the panic in her voice rising to match mine.

"Where is your brother, Arwen?" Papa asked, his voice more urgent now.

I finally managed to rip the bracelet off, watching in disbelief as it fell from my wrist and clattered onto the floor. My eyes widened in shock. "I'm still glowing!" I gasped, my voice trembling with the weight of my disbelief, though I tried not to scream.

"Arwen, what the hell is going on?!" Papa's voice was louder now, commanding, as though he was already preparing to take action. I heard him say something to Mom—probably telling her to call someone.

"Babe, focus on my voice," Papa said, his tone calm but firm. "Where is Nick?"

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I blinked them away, trying to keep it together. I crawled slowly towards the table, where I had dropped my phone in my panic. My body felt like it was on autopilot, but deep down, there was a strange, underlying strength holding me up, keeping me from falling apart completely.

"Nick isn't here," I whispered, my voice barely audible, though I knew they could hear the fear in it. "He didn't come home last night. I've been trying to call him since I woke up, but he's not answering." My voice broke at the end, weak, reflecting exactly how I felt. But at the same time, something inside me—something foreign—was steadying me, keeping me from spiraling.

I reached for the bracelet on the floor and held it in my hand, feeling its familiar weight against my palm. For a moment, the glowing around me seemed to pulse gently, as if in response.

"Pa, can you come here, please?" I whispered, tears sliding down my cheeks now.

"I will, baby," Papa's voice softened, though the urgency was still there. "But don't stop trying to reach your brother, okay?"

I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "Okay," I whispered.

"Lock all the doors and windows. And keep that bracelet on," Papa instructed, his voice steady and firm, though I could hear Mom talking to someone in the background.

I slid the bracelet back onto my wrist, its weight oddly comforting despite everything. "I'll keep trying Nick," I said softly before hanging up, my hands shaking as I immediately dialed my brother's number again, hoping desperately for an answer.