Amara's mind drifted. She was surrounded by cool darkness, with a feeling akin to that of being underwater. She heard a voice like a whisper, snaking through her mind, telling her to wake up, and in a moment she did, though slowly. She felt as if she were awakening from a long sleep, though the young woman in truth had been unconscious for only a few moments. Long lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes, both a blue as pale as ice, dazedly. In an instant she recalled her work, and finding the necklace. She remembered the searing pain, which seemed to have vanished by now, and the bright light, the feeling that something had been torn open, or changed. The pendant had been enchanted, and then... something had happened. 

She heard that voice once more, quiet and masculine, the first person she had heard speak in over a week, and it was enough to shake the young mage from her reverie. She initially looked up, expecting to see a man, before the words that had been spoken as well as the pressure on her chest brought her attention to the bird currently standing on top of her. She stared at the creature, surprise lighting her delicate features, before sitting up, roughly pushing it from her as she scrambled back. She had intended to stand, but she was still feeling strangely weak at the moment, as if she had exerted all of her energy at once. She tried to take in her surroundings, eyes darting quickly around the room. The magical gems in the walls glowed steadily once more, and not one object seemed out of place, other than the dark wooden box, sitting open on the table where she had left it. The only true difference was the bird in front of her.

The bird in question appeared to be an ordinary barn owl, but she knew that to be false. She could feel the magical aura surrounding the creature, and she had just heard it speak, as unsettling as that was. Here was a peculiar talking bird, and it wanted to know what her [i]business[/i] was? She looked down at the necklace the owl had spoken of, touching the strange piece of jewelry with a growing sense of dread. The vial was still warm, though rapidly cooling beneath her touch. Her hand closed around the pendant, clutching at it defensively as she looked at the bird, who despite its avian features clearly had an expression that indicated its impatience for her answer.

"State my business?" Amara echoed, her voice coming out stronger than she had expected as she tried to conceal the slight panic she felt. "I am a mage of the Arenthan Guild. And this," she continued, her voice beginning to waver with uncertainty as her grip on the pendant tightened nervously. What could she say? What [i]should[/i] she say, especially to this unknown creature, that pulsed with dark energy. "I found it," was all she managed, quietly. "It is the property of the Mages' Guild. What manner of creature are you, to enter this place?" she asked. "The wards of the Stone Archives are not so easily broken."

Amara was not a fool, and she knew that somehow the jewel around her neck had caused this. [i]She[/i] had caused this, and she desperately hoped the suspicions she had about the whole situation were incorrect. If the creature before her was... dark... as she guessed it to be, just by sensing the magic it gave off in small yet steady waves, why had it not attacked her? Were the archive’s wards keeping it at bay, despite having allowed the creature entrance in the first place. Could the owl have already been inside the archive, going unnoticed? She could feel the magic around them, could sense the remnants of whatever had taken place once she put on the necklace. Whatever had occurred had been strong, but it felt different and utterly alien, unlike any spell or ritual she had experienced in the past.