Twelve years had passed since the "storm" took Sahara.
Saguna Taksa wakes with a violent jerk, his body drenched in sweat. The nightmare had been vivid—shadow creatures with hollow eyes, a tear in reality, and Sahara's face, calling to him as she faded away.
"Today must be Wednesday," he mutters grimly.
He sits up and sees the time. 9:03 AM. "Great, I'm late. Might as well skip everything today." He fell back onto his sweat-soaked pillow, already formulating the excuse he'd give his mother. The Imperial Academy would have to wait another day. Or maybe forever.
The burning sensation at the back of his neck hadn't faded with waking. Reaching back, his fingers found three small bumps arranged in a perfect triangle. They were hot to the touch, almost like freshly formed scars.
Find me, little brother
The whispers were clearer today, more insistent than they'd been in years. And the voice, it sounded like Sahara.
A knock interrupted his thoughts. "Sun? Are you up?" His mother's voice called through the door. "It's your first day at the Academy."
Saguna closed his eyes. "I'm not feeling well, Mom. I think I—"
"Not again." The door opened, and his mother stood there, arms crossed. Her expression was a familiar mixture of concern and exasperation. "We've talked about this. Every Wednesday since you were seven, the same excuses."
"It's not an excuse," Saguna protested, though they both knew it partly was. "I have a migraine."
"We've gone to great lengths to make this happen," she said, her voice softening. "The Academy is supposed to be a fresh start. You said it yourself—you needed to get away from Teluk Jati, from the memories."
What Saguna hadn't told her was that the whispers had followed him to Meridian City. That they were louder here than they'd ever been back home. That they sounded like his sister.
Why you left me here, little brother?
"Fine," he sighed, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "I'll go."
A smile spread across his mother's face. "Thank you. I made rice cakes for breakfast."
As his mother left, Saguna touched the marks on his neck again, remembering the strange disk his sister had pressed into his palm twelve years ago. The Imperial Academy. Professor Nyala. After all this time, had he finally found his way to the person Sahara had told him to seek?
If his dream was more than just a nightmare, if the shadows were real, if his sister hadn't died but was somewhere else... maybe running away wasn't an option anymore.