Aria's POV
I don't sleep.
How can I? I'm trapped in a warehouse with a dozen strangers who claim to be resurrected like me. Mara took my phone. I can't contact Caspian or Dad or Lyra.
And somewhere out there, the Organization is hunting people like us.
When morning light filters through the warehouse windows, Marcus knocks on my door. Mara wants to see you. Training starts now.
I follow him to the main floor. The warehouse is bigger than I thought converted into a training facility with mats, equipment, and a whole section filled with magical artifacts behind glass.
Mara stands in the center, wearing workout clothes. The other resurrected people form a circle around her.
Good morning, Aria, she says. Ready to learn what you really are?
I know what I am. A girl who died and came back.
Wrong. Mara's smile is sharp. You're a weapon. A miracle. A curse. And if you don't learn to control your power, it'll control you.
She gestures to the others. Everyone here has gone through what you're experiencing. The confusion. The fear. The discovery that you can do impossible things. We've all learned to master our abilities. Now it's your turn.
What if I don't want to be a weapon?
Then you'll be a victim. Mara's voice hardens. The Organization doesn't care what you want. They'll take you, cage you, and use you until there's nothing left. Your only choice is to be strong enough to fight back.
Sarah, the woman who spoke kindly to me last night, steps forward. I was a teacher before I died. Cancer took me at thirty-two. Someone brought me back, and I woke up able to see death. I can tell when someone's going to die just by looking at them. Her voice shakes. The Organization found me within a week. They locked me in a lab for six months, studying me, forcing me to predict deaths for their benefit. Mara saved me.
Chen speaks next. I was a soldier. Killed in combat. Came back able to phase through solid objects. They tried to turn me into an assassin. Mara broke me out.
One by one, they share their stories. Each one worse than the last.
You see? Mara says quietly. This isn't a game. This is survival. And I'm offering you the tools to survive.
I look at all these people damaged, scared, but standing. Fighting.
Okay, I say. Teach me.
Mara's smile is genuine this time. Good. Let's start with the basics. Show me your power.
I hold out my hands. Golden light flickers across my palms. Weak. Unstable.
You're holding back, Mara observes. You're afraid of your power. Afraid it'll hurt someone.
I did hurt someone. Julian. I burned him.
Because you panicked. You need to learn control. Precision. Intent. Mara demonstrates, her hands glowing with steady, focused light. Power responds to emotion, yes. But it also responds to will. You tell it what to do. Don't let it tell you.
For the next three hours, she drills me. Making the light appear and disappear on command. Changing its intensity. Focusing it into a single point or spreading it wide.
It's exhausting. My hands shake. Sweat drips down my face.
Again, Mara commands.
I can't
You can. Again.
I grit my teeth and summon the light. This time, it comes easier. Brighter. More controlled.
Better. Mara nods approval. Now, let's test your healing ability. Marcus, you're up.
Marcus steps forward and slices his palm with a knife. Blood wells up.
Heal him, Mara instructs.
I place my glowing hands over his wound. I can feel the cut the damaged tissue, the severed skin. I push my power into it, knitting it back together.
When I pull away, Marcus's hand is perfect. No scar. No pain.
He grins. That's incredible. Didn't even hurt.
You're a natural healer, Mara says. That's rare. Most resurrected people develop offensive abilities. Yours is defensive. Protective.
Is that bad?
It's useful. But you need to be able to fight too. She picks up a training dummy. Hit this with your power. Not to heal. To hurt.
I hesitate. I don't want to hurt people.
The Organization won't care about your moral qualms. They'll hurt you without hesitation. Mara's eyes are hard. You need to be able to defend yourself. Now hit the dummy.
I focus on the dummy. Think about Julian's hands around my throat. About the hunters chasing me. About everything that's tried to hurt me since I came back.
Golden light explodes from my hands, slamming into the dummy. It flies backward and crashes into the wall, smoking.
Everyone goes quiet.
Well, Mara says, impressed. You've got offensive power after all. You just needed the right motivation.
I stare at my hands, horrified. I could kill someone with this.
Yes. You could. Which is why you need to learn when to use it and when to hold back. Mara sets up another dummy. Again. But this time, control the force. Enough to knock it down, not destroy it.
We train for hours. By noon, I'm exhausted but improving. I can heal cuts, bruises, even small burns. I can knock down targets without obliterating them. I can sustain my power for longer periods.
During a break, I sit with Sarah. How long were you here? With Mara?
Three months. Until I was strong enough to survive on my own. She sips water. Mara's intense, but she cares. She saved all of us.
Where is she from? Who brought her back?
Sarah's expression darkens. She doesn't talk about it. But I know it was bad. Really bad. Whoever resurrected her, they tried to use her as a weapon from the start. She escaped and has been hunting the Organization ever since.
Do you trust her?
With my life. Sarah meets my eyes. But I understand why you don't. Trust takes time. Just... give her a chance. Give us a chance.
That afternoon, Mara calls me to her office a small room filled with files and maps.
You did well today, she says. Better than I expected.
Thanks, I guess.
I want to show you something. She opens a file and spreads photos across the desk. This is the Organization's main facility. A research center disguised as a pharmaceutical company. They keep resurrected people in the basement. Thirty people currently imprisoned there.
The photos show a sleek modern building. But the basement images clearly taken by hidden cameras show cells. People in chains. Medical equipment.
My stomach turns. This is real?
Very real. And I'm planning a raid. Two weeks from now. I want to free everyone inside and destroy their research. Mara looks at me. I want you to be part of it.
Why me? I've been training for one day.
Because you can heal. When we break people out, they'll be hurt, traumatized, weak. You can help them. Save them. Give them a chance to escape. Her voice softens. You have a gift, Aria. Use it for something good.
I look at the photos. At the people trapped in cells, their faces hollow with despair.
I'll think about it, I say.
Fair enough. Mara closes the file. But while you think, keep training. The Organization knows about you now. They'll be looking. And next time, I might not be there to save you.
That night, Mara returns my phone. You can call your people. But keep it brief. And don't tell them where you are.
I immediately call Caspian. He answers on the first ring.
Aria! Are you okay? Where are you?
I'm safe. I'm with... people like me. Resurrected people. They're training me.
Training you for what?
I hesitate. To fight. To survive. To control my power.
Aria, this is dangerous. You don't know these people
They know what I am. They've lived through what I'm going through. And they're the only ones who can teach me. My voice breaks slightly. I'm scared, Caspian. I don't know who to trust or what's real anymore. But I need to learn. I need to be strong enough to protect myself.
Silence. Then: How long?
I don't know. A few days. Maybe a week.
I'll wait. However long it takes. His voice is gentle. But Aria? Be careful. Don't let them turn you into something you're not.
I won't.
After we hang up, I lie in bed staring at the ceiling.
Mara wants me to raid the Organization's facility. To free imprisoned people. To be a hero.
But what if it's a trap? What if she's lying about everything?
What if I'm making the biggest mistake of my life?
I'm still awake when my door crashes open.
Marcus stumbles in, blood pouring from a wound in his side.
They found us, he gasps. The Organization. They're here.
Outside, I hear gunfire. Screaming. Explosions.
The warehouse is under attack.
And I'm right in the middle of a war I didn't even know I'd joined.
Timeline: Day 4, Night