Orange, yellow, and red adorned the path before her. It was leaf litter, discarded by the long branches that stretched over the road to the west. She shuffled her feet through the mess, rustling and crunching the dried foliage as she dawdled along. She folded her arms tightly across her chest, her eyes moving around to soak in her surroundings.

Parts of the wild had reclaimed the trail here and there. She couldn’t remember the last time a wagon, or a team of horsemen, had used the road.

At least, not since the aftermath of the Mirikin.

Birds chattered and fluttered from branch to branch. Some of them eyed her cautiously as she drew near to them before zipping away through the trees or into the undergrowth to hide.

She understood why Alice had spent so much time out here.

It teemed with life.

In a small clearing, a short distance from the road, a brace of deer pawed the leaf litter to get to the grassroots beneath. She startled a few of them, causing them to look at her. This alarmed the others in the group, distracting them from their feast.

Several snorts and nostril flares attracted the attention of a large buck.

His majestic form appeared in the clearing, moving between his harem and the young woman on the road.

Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at his immense antlers. Spread out wide over his head, the intimidating growth could easily cause her irreparable damage.

They had told her to stay inside the walls. Her aunt had specifically warned her she would be safer in Woodmyst. There was imminent danger from outside now that the Maji had ascended.

“I just need time to be alone,” she had replied. “I need to find a place to reflect.”

“Try the ruins,” Joanne urged. “There is power and strength there.”

“That’s for you and the coven.”

“It’s for all of us, Catherine.”

“I don’t think so.” She shook her head. “I need to find a place for me.”

“There’s nothing you can do for them,” Joanne told her, perceiving her thoughts. “Your mother and sister are lost to us. They will never yield to our cause.”

“I still need time to be alone,” she replied.

And so it was. She had set out to find that place to think and reflect.

To meditate.

After leaving the confines of Woodmyst and moving along the western road, she felt more and more at peace. The farther she walked, and the less that she could see the walls, the more at ease she became.

Until now.

Facing off with a monstrous stag made her fearful, on edge and increasingly nervous.

It padded the ground, flared its nostrils and lowered its head. I should have stayed inside the walls.

She turned her head slightly, trying not to move too much, too suddenly. The wall was beyond her view and screaming would only aggravate the beast.

Running wouldn’t be of any use as the creature was larger, faster and would have her in an instant.

It lunged.

Her heart throbbed in her ears.

The stag raced towards her, its antlers angled for her body.

She instinctively lifted her hands in defence.

A tiny part of her brain seemed to trigger.

A dark place awakened.

Something that she hadn’t touched before.

Her lips moved.

Her voice was distant, unemotional.

There was no fear.

There was no care.

She felt nothing.

“Absorb.”

The stag toppled over and over, flipping onto its back.

It kicked violently, trying to lift itself back to its feet. Instead, it could only cry out as a deepening agony swept over its body.

Pale, twisting vaporous forms seeped from the beast’s eyes, stretching through the air towards the young woman.

With a thud, the stag’s legs dropped to the ground as it rolled onto its side.

More cloud-like forms permeated through the creature’s skin surrounding its sockets, spreading wider and wider until its entire body seemed to be covered with a white, shimmering haze.

Twisting and folding together, the misty form soaked into her fingertips.

It filled her.

Renewed her strength.

Crammed her with vigour.

A wide smile beamed upon her face as the stag breathed its last.

She had taken everything it was and absorbed it.

She felt strong.

She felt powerful.

She felt alive.

She scanned the trees for the rest of the herd.

The woods were empty.

The deer had run away.

Even the birds had vanished.

A tiny element of disappointment swept over her as she peered at her hands.

The energy flowing through her veins, her muscles, her spirit was beyond anything she had ever experienced.

Beyond anything that she had thought possible.

But it wasn’t enough.

This is my awakening.

This is my ascension.

A hunger had developed.

She wanted more.

She needed more.