ACT 2: "The Sandstorm Calling"

Deep in the forests of Oregon, a portal pulsed into existence, its swirling energy illuminating the moss-covered trees in hues of violet and gold. Dr. Lila Hawthorne stood at the edge of the anomaly, her heart pounding in sync with the vibrations rippling through the air.

"Lila, are you sure about this?" her assistant, a wiry physicist named Carter asked nervously. "How long are we going to be here? We've been scanning for hours. The air pressure is normal out here, maybe your theory is ...not right."

 " Have you ever known me to be wrong Carter?" " That's not what I said. You just miscalculated a bit, let's back to the lab get some food, and then come back in the morning."  She wasn't sure about this, not at all. But she dedicated months to studying the pulse and she'd learned one thing: every question they had about the Earth's core and their unintended consequences could be answered here. " Children were coming from the pulse...that we caused by the way. And you're telling me to go back to the lab? This area has reduced in air pressure and increased in temperature since the core incident. From my research, this is where they are likely to happen. You can go if you want Carter but I am not leaving until I get some answers."

Suddenly, the air grew thick, the hum deepened not a bone-rattling growl, and then.. silence.  A white light beam shimmered and a force pushed the two scientists away from where the pulse appeared. "Dr. Lila! Where are you!" Carter shouted. Some of the trees close to the pulse were cut in half, and some disintegrated. Carter only started to notice his left arm was bleeding when he heard a faint voice calling him. He rushed to the area that was covered in branches and started digging, his arm in agonizing pain. He felt an incredible rush and seemed to lift the branches with ease. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine Carter. Just some broken bones but I'm fine," answered Lila as she got up. Lila stepped forward cautiously, her boots sinking into the damp earth. As she got closer she could feel her feet getting lighter, she started running to where the pulse emanated from and there he was. A boy.

"What the..." Carter stumbled backward, nearly dropping the scanner in his hands.

The boy stirred, his body wrapped in faintly glowing lines like rivers of light coursing under his skin. He opened his eyes - piercing white, far too bright for any human - and looked directly at Lila.

"Where..." His voice was hoarse but steady. "Where am I?" "You're safe now," Lila said softly. The boy blinked, looking around as if he'd just fallen out of the sky. "My name...It's Jax."

This was unseen before, most of the children of the light were not older than five years old. But Jax looked like a twelve-year-old boy. Lila was beside herself with joy. "Are you hungry?" she asked the boy. "I think so," Jax answered. "My name is Dr. Lila Hawkthorne and he is Carter Stones. We are scientists. We want to help you. There's a place with kids like you okay, you'll be safe there." " How do I know I can trust you, Doctor? Where is this place? Why am I here? "

"I don't know Jax but we can find out together. I promise you I'll do everything in my power to help you." So it happened that the mysterious boy, Jax went with Lila. 

Jax jolted awake, his breath ragged, beads of sweat clinging to his forehead. His glowing wrist marks pulsed erratically, out of sync with their usual rhythm. The light dimmed and flared like a heartbeat struggling to find its pace.

“Jax?” Dr. Lila’s voice cut through the dim room. She was sitting at her desk, flipping through data logs, but her eyes quickly darted to him. “What’s wrong?”

He pressed his palms to his temples, wincing. The pain was sharp, like static coursing through his skull. “It’s… it’s happening again.”

Lila set down her tablet and hurried to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder. “The headaches?”

He nodded but winced again. “It’s different this time. Stronger. And I’m seeing…” He trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut as a flurry of images flickered in his mind: endless dunes of golden sand, a raging storm, and at its heart, a girl. She stood defiant, the wind tearing at her clothes, her amber marks glowing like fire against the chaos.

"The girl," Jax whispered, his voice trembling. " In the storm. She's there."

Lila frowned, her scientific curiosity warring with the motherly concern she'd developed for Jax. His premonitions weren't new, but they were rarely this vivid or this specific. "What girl? Where, Jax? Where is she"?

"The desert," he said, clutching at the edge of the table as another wave of pain hit him. “Somewhere… hot. There’s sand everywhere. And this huge storm—like the Earth’s tearing itself apart.”

Lila sighed, knowing she couldn't argue with him. She grabbed her field kit and a map, muttering under her breath about how many rules she was about to break.

Two days later, they arrived on the outskirts of the pocket zone, a barren stretch of desert where the wind howled like a living thing. The coordinates matched the anomaly Lila had tracked, and as they stepped out of the vehicle, the air shimmered with residual energy. 

"Stay close," Lila warned, her hand on a scanner.

Jax ignored her, his focus locked on the storm in the distance. It was massive, a swirling wall of sand and lightning that seemed to pulse in time with the marks on his skin. The closer they got, the brighter his marks glowed, until they cast a faint light even in the mid-afternoon sun.

"Are you getting anything, Carter?" Lila asked. " Nothing on my end yet but shimmering is similar, let's just wait and see Doctor." Without waiting for Lila's response, Jax stepped forward, letting the storm's edge engulf him.

“Jax, wait!” Lila called, but he didn’t stop.

The storm was blinding, the sand stinging his skin as he pushed through. Each step felt heavier than the last, but he pressed on, guided by an unseen force. And then, suddenly, the storm parted.

There she was.

A girl, standing in the eye of the storm, her amber marks blazing against the swirling chaos around her. She turned as if sensing his presence, her eyes locking onto his with a mixture of surprise and defiance.

“Who the hell are you?” she called, her voice cutting through the roar of the wind.

Jax couldn’t help but laugh, relief washing over him despite the absurdity of the moment. “I think I’m here to find you.”

“Well, congrats,” she said, folding her arms and cocking an eyebrow. “You found me. Now what?”

Lila stumbled into the clearing, panting and clutching her scanner. She froze when she saw the girl. “Oh my God…”