II

The silence was broken by a whine. "Kaaara." The sound of Lyra's voice, strained with fatigue, grated on Kara's nerves.

Hours had passed as they followed a dim trail deeper into the forest. A bone-deep fatigue made their limbs feel like lead, and a gnawing hunger tormented their stomachs. Despite their best efforts, the Amulet around Kara's neck remained stubbornly silent. Lyra had been complaining nonstop for the better part of an hour, and Kara's patience had worn dangerously thin.

"I just want to sleep, Kara! We don't even have a destination. Why don't we just—"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?" Kara whirled around, stopping her sister mid-stride.

Lyra's expression hardened. She crossed her arms, her gaze locking with Kara's. "Well, forgive me for breathing," she retorted sarcastically. "I forgot this was boot camp." She slumped down onto the dirt path, sighing heavily as she stared at the ground.

Realizing there was no point in arguing, Kara sat down as well. She tipped her head back and stretched her legs, studying the clear sky. Beneath the canopy, it was pleasantly cool, despite the high sun. Light filtered through the leaves, dappling her skin.

As she followed the lazy flight of a yellow butterfly, the first sound reached her: a melody, like a distant lullaby, seemingly hummed from underwater. A prickle of paranoia traced its way up her spine. She scanned the shadows lining the path for any sign of life. The melody continued, as light and lovely as the breeze rustling her hair. It whispered of peace and beckoned her toward sleep, but a deeper, more primitive instinct screamed at her to stay awake.

"Lyra, do you hear that?" Kara whispered, instinctively lowering herself into a crouch.

Lyra was already on alert, a deep frown creasing her brow. "What is it?" she murmured, her voice as guarded as her sister's.

Kara strained her ears, then shrugged. The faint music seemed to be fading, growing more distant with each breath. With a sudden gasp, Lyra shot to her feet. Startled, Kara stood as well. Lyra's expression was intense, her pupils dilating just as they had when she'd recalled their shared vision.

"Kara," she breathed, her voice tight. "This song... it's not coming from out there." She gestured vaguely at the surrounding woods.

Kara understood immediately. "It's in our heads."

"We have to trust ourselves, remember?" Lyra tapped a finger to her forehead, closing her eyes and turning her focus inward. Hesitantly, Kara did the same, afraid of losing her senses in these alien woods. She suspected the 'powers' the woman in the Amulet had mentioned were mental in nature.

As Kara concentrated, the world began to feel distant, the song pulling her away from her physical self, from the dusty path, from everything. It was no longer a faint tune but a powerful, encompassing lullaby, lulling her senses into a dull slumber. Why does this sound so familiar? she wondered, a mental image of a vast field of pink and yellow flowers blooming in her mind.

Lyra's voice drifted into her inner monologue. I've heard this song before.

In that field of flowers, Kara suddenly found her sister standing beside her. Pink and yellow petals swirled around them on a gentle wind. Lyra looked stunned. Clasping hands, they began to walk, drawn forward by the swelling melody without knowing their destination. From another perspective, Kara saw a crystalline object hovering high in the clouds, gleaming like the spire from their dream. She wanted to point it out, but the overwhelming music clouded her thoughts and made her limbs feel heavy.

And then, it was gone. The music, the wind, the flowers—all vanished. They were standing in a desolate, silent landscape that stretched to the horizon. The sun plummeted toward the ground, and the sky began to bleed into a deep scarlet. Lyra clapped a hand over her mouth in terror, pulling her hand away from Kara's. Kara followed her gaze.

There they were: men in brown and black armor, armed with swords and other weapons, slaughtering with ruthless efficiency. Their cries filled the air, and the screams of the dying pierced the sisters' minds.

The scene shifted. Kara was floating above a frozen sea, a motionless, glass-like ocean under a bleak, empty sky. She searched for Lyra but couldn't find her. She tried to call out, but her voice was trapped in her throat. The silence was heavy and thick, like the air before a lightning strike.

A soaring cliff came into view, its reflection fractured on the motionless surface of the ocean below. Atop it, two figures battled in a frantic flurry of strikes and flashes of light. The silence was broken by a man's warm, powerful voice, speaking directly into her mind. She couldn't make out the words, only the tone. What...? she thought, struggling to understand.

Then the words exploded forth in a final, violent rush.

"Get down!"

The ocean shattered. Her eyes snapped open just as a figure tackled her, sending them both tumbling to the forest floor. She was back. Gunfire erupted around them. A woman yelled something in an unfamiliar tongue. Kara pushed herself up on her elbows and looked up at her rescuer. He had brown hair held back by a deep purple bandana, which did little to keep it from falling over his eyes. She noted with an angry blush that he was infuriatingly handsome. She shoved him off, startling him from his daze. He leaped to his feet, and a blade of shimmering, purple-black energy materialized in his hand.

His royal blue eyes, ferocious with a warrior's intensity, scanned the treetops before settling on her. He offered a hand to help her up. A silver hoop with a single, dangling red stone adorned his left ear, and his dusty brown hair was spiked in the front, accented with three lighter streaks. He wore a royal blue tunic over a metallic chest plate fit for a warrior. Emblazoned on the plate was a familiar symbol: a red orb with unfurling white wings. A spiked choker circled his neck, and a short, deep purple cape was fastened at his shoulders.

"What's happening? Who are you?" Kara cried, her face a mask of terror and confusion.

He gestured with the light-blade, sighing. "We're under attack. My partner and I are trying to keep you safe."

The sounds of battle intensified. Unsatisfied, Kara crossed her arms. "Attacked by whom?"

He rolled his eyes. "Does it matter? Look, I need to help my partner. She can't hold them off for much longer." He turned and jogged toward the fighting. Kara fumed for a moment, but fear quickly won out, and she scrambled to catch up.

"Hey!" she yelled as he skidded to a stop beside another fighter. "You never answered my first question!"

He glanced over his shoulder with an arrogant smirk. "The name's Kiro Jidaka, Commander of the Sentinels."

Kiro's partner, a woman who was panting and muttering curses, offered a lopsided grin. "My name is Reya. Also a Sentinel, just not nearly as conceited as Kiro."

Kiro chuckled as three black-clad figures emerged from the trees, their faces obscured by bulky helmets. Kara screamed as they opened fire, but Reya uttered a phrase in that strange dialect, and a translucent blue sphere materialized around them, silently deflecting the projectiles.

"Whoa..." Kara inhaled sharply, watching as Kiro cut the soldiers down with impossible grace. With a final battle cry, he disappeared into the forest, the fading screams of his attackers trailing behind him.

Safe for the moment, Reya walked over to Kara. The Sentinel was shorter than Kara but radiated an air of authority. Several mismatched earrings decorated her ears, and her light brown hair was styled in an undercut. She wore a sea-foam green tank top, black short-shorts, and short black boots with gold clasps. Reya gave Kara a curious look, then gestured behind her.

Kara turned to see Lyra lying unconscious on the ground.

"Lyra!" Kara cried, dropping to her knees and rushing to her sister's side. She saw the blood on Lyra's face and glared up at the Sentinel. "What happened to her?"

Reya's eyes flickered with regret as she maintained the energy shield. "She broke from the trance first and ran straight into their ambush."

Kara's fear was consumed by a towering rage. All she could think about was making the men who hurt Lyra pay. She wished, with every fiber of her being, for the power to hurt them back. The visions, the voice from the Amulet, the men Kiro was fighting—it all clicked into place. Her pupils dilated, and her irises shifted from a deep green to a terrifying, electric hue. Her arms lifted rigidly before her, her hands touching. Reya recoiled as raw power radiated from the new Sentinel, startled by the vacant look on her face.

Farther in the forest, Kiro deflected the last soldier's shots with elegant sweeps of his light-blade. The three remaining Arakian soldiers exchanged glances and ceased their fire. Kiro tensed, preparing for another charge. These grunts never gave up, he was sure of it. Their chanting was weaving something sinister. He smirked, spinning his blade in a slow arc.

He took two steps forward, blade raised. But before he could strike, a brilliant white light engulfed all three soldiers. They erupted into white flames and vanished without a sound.

Blinking, utterly stunned, Kiro stumbled numbly back toward Reya and the twins.

Kara's mind went blank, replaced by the thrum of energy pulsing like a second heartbeat. Her own voice thundered in her head, You will pay. Then everything went black, and she collapsed.

"Kara!" Reya cried, rushing to her side.

Kiro hurried back, his face pale and his eyes wide. Reya looked at him. "What is it? What happened to the enemy?"

Kiro stared back into the dark woods. "They just... burned. Then they were gone."

They both turned to look at the unconscious girl on the forest floor, and the mutual bewilderment in their gazes was undeniable.