[Noctis]

A sudden chill ran down her spine as a voice echoed in her mind, low and resonant.

"I am merging with your body. What was once a raging entity… is now a part of you. Coexisting within."

Amira’s breath hitched. She stumbled back from the mirror, gripping the edges of her desk to steady herself. Merging? The realization hit her like a punch to the gut.

“You—what the hell does that mean?” she muttered under her breath, half-expecting no answer.

"It means you are no longer just a wielder of power." The voice was calm, unshaken. "You and I are bound now. My essence, my will—it flows through you just as your flames do. You will never fight alone again."

Her fingers twitched, instinctively trying to summon a flame. The fire flickered to life in her palm, but it was different. More refined, sharper. The usual warmth it gave off was tinged with an underlying coldness.

Amira swallowed hard. This isn’t just my power anymore.

She clenched her fist, snuffing out the flame. "So you're in my head now? Just like that?"

"Not just in your head. In your blood, your bones, your very being. You and I are one, Amira."

Her pulse quickened. This wasn’t what she signed up for. She wanted control—not this. But deep down, she knew there was no undoing it now.

"Great," she muttered, rubbing her temple. "Just great."

Amira exhaled, rubbing her temple. This was a lot to take in. But if this thing was going to be stuck with her, she might as well get some answers.

“You know, Shadow… I never asked your name.”

There was a brief silence, almost as if the entity was taken aback by the question. Then, the voice echoed again, smoother this time—almost amused.

"A name? I have been called many things across countless cycles. A force, a curse, a nightmare. But a name? That is a human concept."

Amira rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, lucky for you, I am human. And I can’t just keep calling you ‘Shadow’ for the rest of my life.”

A low hum resonated in her mind.

"Interesting. You would name the very entity you once feared?"

She crossed her arms. “I’d rather name you than let you keep lurking in my head like some nameless haunting voice.”

The voice chuckled—a deep, echoing sound that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Then tell me, Amira. What shall you call me?"

She paused, thinking. If this thing was really part of her now, she wanted a name that fit. Something that carried weight, something that meant something.

After a moment, a small smirk tugged at her lips.

“…How about Noctis?”

There was another pause. Then, something shifted—like a ripple through her very being.

"Noctis." The voice repeated the name, testing it. Then, with something that almost resembled satisfaction, it spoke again. "A fitting name. Very well, Amira. From this moment on… I am Noctis."

Amira let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

“Good. Now that we got that settled,” she muttered, stretching her arms, “how about you explain what exactly this whole merging thing means before I go to school and accidentally set my desk on fire?”

"Merging… is not simply sharing a body," Noctis said, his voice settling into a low hum in the back of her mind. "It is a fusion of essence. Your power and mine are no longer separate. You will not only wield it, but become it."

Amira frowned, adjusting her glasses as she swung her legs out of bed. “So, what, I get an upgrade?”

"More like… an evolution," Noctis corrected. "Your limits will be tested. Your body will adapt, but only if you can handle it. If not—"

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Amira cut in, standing up. “I go up in flames, probably literally.” She sighed, rubbing her temples. “Great. Love that for me.”

"But," Noctis continued, "unlike before, you will no longer black out. The power is stabilizing within you. It is yours to command—if you can maintain control."

That made her pause. No more blacking out? No more waking up to destroyed battlefields and horrified stares? That… was actually good news.

She stretched, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. There was still that buzz of energy under her skin, but it wasn’t as overwhelming as before. “Alright, Noctis,” she muttered, heading for her closet, “you better not make me regret this.”

"I make no promises."

She rolled her eyes, throwing on her school uniform. Today was already going to be a nightmare, considering how the entire world had seen her in action. The second she stepped outside, she was bound to get stares, whispers, maybe even full-on reporters waiting at the school gates.

Great. Just another day in the life of Amira.

She grabbed her bag and headed downstairs, where the smell of breakfast greeted her.

Her mom, Stacy, and Kora were already at the table, mid-conversation. The second she stepped into the kitchen, Kora shot her a look over her coffee mug.

"Well, look who’s finally up," she said, raising a brow. "Had a nice chat with the entity in your head?"

Amira groaned, slumping into a chair. “Not the first thing I wanna hear in the morning, Kora.”

Her mom placed a plate in front of her. “Well, at least eat before you run off to deal with whatever chaos today brings.”

Stacy tapped her phone, scrolling. “Speaking of chaos,” she muttered, turning the screen around. A news broadcast was playing—footage from yesterday’s dungeon fight. Her dungeon fight.

Amira took one look at it and shoved a piece of toast into her mouth.

Yup. Today was going to suck.

As Amira chewed on her toast, her eyes flicked across the screen. The footage showed her engulfed in purple flames, eyes glowing like an unholy beacon as she tore through monsters like paper. It wasn’t just shaky phone recordings either—there were drone shots, security footage, and even slow-motion replays analyzing her every move.

Great. Just great.

Her mom sighed, rubbing her temples. “Amira, I need to know—how bad is it? The government already questioned you, but is there something worse coming?”

Amira swallowed, debating how much to say. “I dunno,” she admitted. “They didn’t threaten me, but they were definitely keeping tabs. Apparently, my dungeon breaks are different from everyone else’s.” She tapped her fingers against the table, glancing at Stacy. “And now that people are awakening all over the world, they’re probably gonna get more paranoid.”

Kora leaned back in her chair. “And how do you feel about all this?”

Amira paused, staring down at her plate. How did she feel?

A week ago, she was barely holding herself together—fainting after fights, losing control, feeling like a danger to everyone around her. But now?

She still wasn’t sure what had changed after last night’s encounter with Noctis, but something had. The power inside her no longer felt like a ticking time bomb—it felt natural. Part of her.

“I don’t know yet,” she finally said. “But I’m done freaking out over it. If they come at me with an offer, I’ll deal with it then.”

Stacy sighed. “Just be careful. You don’t wanna end up some government science experiment.”

“Oh, trust me, I have no plans of getting dissected,” Amira said, shoving another bite into her mouth.

Kora smirked. “Good. ‘Cause if they try, I’ll be the one kicking their asses first.”

Their mom rolled her eyes. “Language.”

Amira snorted. At least some things never changed.

As breakfast wrapped up, her phone buzzed with a message. It was from Ruby.

Ruby: U see the news?

Amira: Yup. It’s a nightmare.

Ruby: Wanna make it worse?

Amira: ...Explain.

Ruby: Let’s meet up. All of us. We need a game plan.

Amira groaned. She wanted a day off—was that too much to ask?

But she also knew Ruby was right. If things were getting worse, they had to get ahead of it before the government—or worse, the public—decided to make their lives hell.

She grabbed her bag and stood up. “I’m heading out,” she announced.

Kora raised a brow. “To do what?”

Amira shrugged. “Damage control.”

Her mom sighed but didn’t stop her. Instead, she just said, “Be safe.”

Amira gave a lazy salute. “No promises.”

With that, she stepped outside, bracing herself for whatever chaos awaited her.

Amira exhaled sharply, then cracked her knuckles. "Fine. They want to track our power? Then fine." A smirk tugged at her lips as a familiar fire flickered in her eyes. "Tomorrow, they have a whole storm coming."

Her friends exchanged glances—half worried, half excited. Ruby grinned, nudging her. "Oh, I like the sound of that."

Dave sighed, shaking his head. "Why do I feel like we're about to make so many bad decisions?"

Sara smirked. "Because we are."

Eli crossed his arms. "Just tell me we at least have a plan before we charge into this mess."

Amira grinned. "We’ll make one." She glanced at the news on Marcus’s phone one last time, then turned on her heel. "But first, let’s get through today. We’ve got a lot to prepare."

And with that, the countdown to chaos had officially begun.

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