The next morning, Graystone seemed to hold its breath. The mist clung low, wrapping the streets in a gray shroud that blurred edges and softened sounds. Alex pulled his jacket tighter around him as he walked to school, the weight of the glowing stone still heavy in his pocket. It had stopped pulsing during the night, but he could feel a restless energy simmering beneath his skin.
At school, the day felt different. Teachers' eyes lingered a little longer, whispers stopped abruptly when he approached, and the usual bustling hallway buzz was replaced by an undercurrent of tension. Something was shifting.
During history class, Mr. Caldwell was explaining the ancient wars that had reshaped the continent centuries ago—wars fought over the Core Resonance and the creatures born from it. Alex tried to focus, but his mind drifted to the stone's symbols, their shapes echoing the strange runes etched into the margins of his textbook.
Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through his left arm. He gasped and clutched his desk, drawing worried glances from classmates.
"What's wrong, Alex?" Maya whispered, leaning close.
Before he could answer, the pain spread, and a sudden blaze of golden light erupted from his sleeve. Gasps echoed through the room as shimmering scales began to spread along his skin, iridescent and shifting like liquid fire.
Panic surged through Alex. He slammed his fist on the desk, forcing the light to retreat, but the sensation lingered—a fierce heat and an overwhelming power he had never known.
"Alex! Are you okay?" the teacher asked, rushing over.
"I... I don't know," Alex stammered, his voice barely audible.
The bell rang, breaking the spell, and students shuffled out, casting nervous looks over their shoulders.
Maya grabbed his arm. "We need to get you somewhere safe."
Outside, the cold air was a shock, but it helped ground him. They ducked into the narrow alley behind the school, a place few dared to go.
"Your powers—they're waking up faster than anyone expected," Maya said, eyes wide but steady. "I know someone who can help."
Alex's heart raced. "Who?"
Maya hesitated, then pulled out a crumpled piece of paper with an address scrawled in faded ink.
"Her name's Lena. She's a mutant who runs a safe house on the edge of town. She trains kids like us—those touched by the Core."
Alex swallowed hard. The world he thought he knew was slipping away. Every step forward felt heavier, fraught with danger and uncertainty.
As they made their way toward the address, shadows lengthened and eyes watched from dark corners. Somewhere, in the unseen depths of Graystone, forces were already moving—planning, hunting, waiting.
When they reached the safe house, a dilapidated building covered in ivy and shadow, Lena greeted them with a sharp smile and eyes that seemed to pierce through lies.
"So, you're the Dragonborn," she said quietly, nodding toward the stone Alex still clutched.
"Yes," Alex whispered. "But I don't understand. Why me?"
Lena's gaze softened, but her voice was firm. "Because the Dragon's blood runs silent in you. You carry the last hope—and the last curse."
That night, as Alex lay on the creaking cot in the safe house, the stone glowing faintly beside him, he knew his life had changed forever. The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear:
The awakening had only just begun.