Chapter 4

The roar of the Euphrates still echoes in their ears as the group collapses on the riverbank, drenched, breathless, and shaken. The river looks the same—but they know better.

The chamber is gone.

The celestial beings are gone.

And somewhere beneath the water, Typhon is stirring.

Matt rolls onto his back, staring at the darkening sky. “Okay. So we almost drowned. We definitely awakened something ancient. And we still don’t have a plan.”

Jenny hugs her arms around herself, shivering. “We don’t have time to figure it out.”

Angelica sits up, gripping her onyx necklace, feeling the fading warmth of Aphrodite’s presence. The words still ring in her mind.

Find the Aries sign before the cycle turns.

She looks toward the horizon. The Pisces constellation is fading. And Aries is beginning to rise.

Bo kneels nearby, his fingers sifting through the wet grass. Something feels off. The ground is too soft. The air too thick. He glances at Dr. Varner, who sits silently, staring at the river with an expression somewhere between awe and dread.

“Dr. Varner?” Bo prompts.

The historian exhales shakily, rubbing a trembling hand over his face. “I never thought I would see it with my own eyes.”

Matt groans. “Yeah, well, we’d really prefer not to see it again.”

Dr. Varner’s gaze snaps to Angelica. “We must leave. Now.”

Angelica nods instinctively. Every nerve in her body is screaming that they are not safe here.

Then—

The ground trembles.

The air hums, deep and guttural, like a beast exhaling from the depths.

Jenny’s breath catches. “Tell me that was an earthquake.”

The river begins to churn.

Bo’s eyes widen. “No. It’s him.”

The air shatters as a deafening roar erupts from the water, rolling through the valley like a storm made of sound. The river heaves violently, waves rising unnaturally high before crashing back down in a surge that nearly sweeps them off their feet.

Angelica grabs Jenny’s wrist. “Run.”

There’s no hesitation.

The five of them bolt across the field, sprinting toward the dense tree line ahead. The ground quivers beneath their feet, as if the very bones of the earth are shifting.

Behind them, a shadow moves beneath the water. A shape too large, too vast, too impossible to comprehend.

Typhon.

A force that should have remained buried.

The trees loom ahead, their dark silhouettes promising cover. But Angelica knows they are not far enough. Not yet.

Dr. Varner, panting, shouts, “We need higher ground!”

Angelica scans the land ahead. There—a rocky ridge just beyond the treeline. If they can get there, maybe, just maybe—

A sudden wind slams into them, sending Matt sprawling. Jenny lets out a cry, barely catching herself.

The wind is wrong. It moves in a pulse, not a current. Like a breath.

A breath from something ancient and waiting.

Bo pulls Matt up. “Move!”

They reach the trees, the shadows closing around them. But Typhon’s presence is everywhere—the air is thick with energy, and the trees groan under the pressure of something shifting beneath the ground.

Angelica grits her teeth, pushing forward. They can’t stop. They can’t stop.

Then, as suddenly as it began—the tremors cease.

The wind stills.

A sharp silence presses down on them.

Jenny leans against a tree, panting. “Did we… lose it?”

Matt shakes his head. “No. It stopped on purpose.”

Angelica looks back toward the river. The water is calm again, as though nothing had happened. But they all felt it.

They all heard it.

Typhon didn’t need to catch them.

Because he is waiting.

Dr. Varner takes a shaky breath, his hands still trembling. “That was only a fragment of his power.”

Bo frowns. “So, what—you’re saying next time, he won’t stop?”

Dr. Varner nods grimly. “Exactly.”

Matt throws up his hands. “Great. So how do we not die next time?”

Jenny steps forward, eyes sharp. “The next sign.” She turns to Angelica. “You felt it, didn’t you?”

Angelica’s pulse pounds in her ears. The faint warmth of her necklace shifts—not fading, but redirecting.

She looks toward the east, where the Pisces constellation is fading, and Aries is rising.

Then, she sees it.

A large, flat stone, half-buried in the ground. The runes carved into its surface are familiar, yet different.

Bo moves beside her. “What is it?”

Angelica kneels, brushing dirt from the stone. Her fingers graze a newly revealed inscription.

Jenny peers over her shoulder. “What does it say?”

Angelica’s voice is steady, but tense.

“Where fire ignites the first breath, the Ram waits at the gate.”

Dr. Varner inhales sharply. “Aries.”

Angelica nods slowly. “And we’re running out of time.”

Jenny straightens, eyes scanning the landscape. “Wait… this wasn’t like this yesterday.”

Matt frowns. “What wasn’t?”

Jenny gestures to the field surrounding them.

Yesterday, it had been barren.

Now—wildflowers bloom in vibrant clusters.

The petals are strange, iridescent, shimmering in the dimming light. Some are recognizable, but others… others look alien.

Jenny kneels, running her fingers over one of the blossoms. It pulses faintly beneath her touch.

Bo watches her. “Something’s different about them.”

Jenny nods slowly. “They weren’t here before.”

Dr. Varner kneels beside her, eyes filled with quiet awe. “The equinox has opened something greater than we realized.”

Matt steps back. “Yeah, okay. I’m not touching the glowing plants.”

Angelica’s necklace pulses. A warm breeze shifts through the air, carrying a whisper—soft, distant, yet clear.

The cycle begins anew.

Jenny’s breath catches. “Did you hear that?”

Bo nods stiffly. “Yeah. And I don’t like it.”

Angelica stands, locking eyes with Jenny.

Whatever is happening… it isn’t over.

It is only beginning.

The wind shifts again, rustling the iridescent petals. The scent of the flowers grows stronger.

Bo staggers, gripping his forehead. “Whoa.”

Jenny catches his arm. “What’s wrong?”

Bo blinks rapidly. “I just saw—” He pauses, shaking his head. “It was like… an image in my mind. A symbol. But not one I recognize.”

Angelica stepscloser. “Describe it.”

Bo exhales. “It looked like fire. A flame rising—but shaped like a ram’s horns.”

Dr. Varner looks at Angelica.

“We need to move,” he says. “The Aries sign is waiting.”

Angelica nods. “Then let’s find it.”

Behind them, the wind whispers again, the last traces of Pisces fading into the night.

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER 5

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