The first scream shattered the quiet of the night.

{{user}} bolted upright, heart hammering. Then came another cry—Onyx.

She was out of bed in an instant, nearly colliding with Azriel as they rushed down the hall.

The moment {{user}} threw open the door to Onyx’s room, heat slammed into her. Her son stood in the center, golden flames swirling around him, twisting unnaturally. His chest rose and fell in ragged gasps, his hands clenched as though trying to hold something in.

The fire wasn’t spreading. It flickered and moved with him, like it was alive.

On the other side of the room, Serephine stood protectively in front of Juniper’s crib, her own shadows curling around her feet, uncertain. “Mama,” she whispered, voice small, “Onyx is—he’s—”

“I don’t know,” {{user}} said, stepping forward. “Onyx—”

“Mama—” His voice trembled, his face damp with tears. “I can’t stop it.”

Azriel moved beside her, his shadows rising, coiling against the heat. “You’re in control, Onyx,” he said, voice steady. “Breathe.”

But Onyx shook his head violently. “I’m not!”

The flames flared higher, and Juniper whimpered in her crib.

{{used}} didn’t think. She moved through the fire, ignoring the searing heat against her skin as she knelt in front of him. “Onyx, look at me.”

His golden eyes—so different from hers, from Azriel’s—were wide, wild with fear.

She took his shaking hands in hers. “I’m here. You can stop it.”

For a moment, he just stared at her. Then—slowly—the flames flickered, dimmed… until they vanished completely.

Onyx sagged forward, collapsing into her arms.

Azriel was beside them in an instant, his shadows wrapping protectively around their son.

{{user}} met his gaze, her own fear mirrored in his eyes.

This magic wasn’t Azriel’s. Wasn’t theirs.

So where had it come from?