Never ownED myself

show of force

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Believe you can and
You are half way there.
By Theodore Roosevelt
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The crowd shifted. What had been cheers moments ago dulled to uneasy murmurs. Faces turned. Brows furrowed. A ripple of tension swept through the arena, like animals sensing an oncoming storm.
Then came the gasps.

Sparks flared at Annie's fingertips. They were unfocused, flickering like dying stars. A current of raw energy coiled around her, visible now, snapping through the air with a sound like tearing fabric.

Someone shouted, "Get back!"

The front rows stumbled away, fear breaking across their faces. Guards hesitated, unsure whether to intervene or not.

They could feel it. Something was breaking loose and she wasn't in control.

And at the center stood Annie, barely holding herself together, magic lashing out in surges, her eyes wide and unseeing. Lina's teachings had vanished from her mind, scattered like ash in a storm.

"Show them your magic. Use your wolf to tame it."
Tom's voice rang through the mind-link—firm, grounding, real.

Her magic responded. A shift. A pulse of recognition. Leah had come closer to reality. She wasn't alone.
"Easy. We can do this! We already did!" Leah's voice chimed in, bright with reckless confidence. "How hard can it be?"

Annie almost laughed, but it came out as a shaky breath. Leah's bravado. It wasn't real. It was Tom's influence. In a way, he gave them all something to hold on to. And now, Leah had to be strong for him.

She gaze to her trembling hand.
Visualize and believe.
Her father's words, torn from a memory rediscovered just months ago had surfaced. She fallowed true, regardless of her own fear.

Her eyelashes flickered and her fingers grew longer. They were bony, her nails were turn into claws of disproportionate size, but her body remained human.

The crowd gaspedscreams rising like waves around her. It reminded Annie of the elves in the forest, their wonder though they were ancient.

"That's not enough," Tom's voice cut through the mind-link, firm and urgent. "Partial transformations are impressive, but it's not enough to convince the elders you're ready to face Davon. Magic. Do magic."

"Easier said than done!" she snapped back. "May I remind you I've only done it once?"
Her hands shimmered, fur retreating as her fingers reshaped into human form.

Doubt pressed in, a heavy weight pressed on her chest. She was going to fail. No she couldn't. Not in front of everyone. Her hands trembled even more, but the magic, followed her will. It was waiting.

"Girls... just this once, please," Tom's voice softened, pleading. "I know it's a lot, but we need this. They need this. How else are we going to convince them otherwise? Just do like the last time. Get angry, get sad and contain it enough to keep us safe."

Annie stalled, forgetting her fears. His words struck something deep. Memories that weren't hers flickered across her vision. They were flashes of the informant's sacrifice, imprinted in her mind like scars. She saw the castle, wrapped in layers of arcane defense. A list of strange names. Faces twisted in pain, locked in a magical torment. Traps designed to maim the mind as much as the body.

"Annie?"
Leah's voice tugged her back.

Only Annie had seen them. It had something to do with what the informant did back then. Magic flew out of her, the faces hunting her nightmares appeared out from the mist she had created.