The silence after the storm was more unsettling than the chaos itself. Embra walked the edges of the ruined courtyard, her fingers brushing the broken pillars that once held the weight of their ancient temple. The shard in her hand no longer pulsed, no longer whispered. Kael was gone, and the void he left behind was deafening.Yet deep in her bones, she knew something was... off."Samuel," she called, not turning when she heard his heavy footsteps behind her. "You said the portal closed cleanly?"Samuel nodded, his arms crossed tightly. "No trace of a leak. You made it out before the realm collapsed in on itself.""And Kael's essence?" Her voice cracked, her hand tightening around the shard.Samuel hesitated. "We only saw your body. There was... no sign of him."Embra exhaled slowly. That didn’t make sense. She had felt Kael’s energy shielding her, felt his soul separate from the entity’s. But something had pulled her back—too easily. She hadn’t fought to return. It was almost as if..

Long ago, the sky had bled fire here. Trees still stood petrified in ash, their limbs blackened like skeletal arms reaching for salvation. The ground, once lush, was scarred with obsidian ridges that shimmered faintly beneath the moonlight.Arin stood at its heart, wind tearing at her cloak, hair tangled across her face. She wasn’t trembling anymore.The whisper inside her head was louder now.“Almost there, star-born. Just a few steps more.”Behind her, footsteps. Fast. Familiar.“Arin!” Embra’s voice rang across the dead rock. “Stop!”The girl paused, then turned slowly.“You followed me,” Arin said, her voice softer than the wind. “I didn’t think you would.”“I said I would protect you,” Embra replied, drawing closer. “Even from yourself.”Arin smiled faintly. “You think I’m dangerous.”“I think you’re conflicted,” Embra corrected. “And I think whatever Kael left in you is fighting something darker. You don’t have to fight alone.”Arin’s hands clenched. “But that’s just it… I’m not

The chamber was silent as the figure emerged.Boots stepped onto stone. The air quivered around her form—Arin’s form—but something about her gait, her posture, the quiet power rippling just beneath her skin, felt... foreign.Astrid was the first to speak, voice strained and wary.“Arin?”The figure looked at her.Same face. Same eyes.But when she smiled, it wasn't Arin’s warmth. It was something older.“I was once Arin,” the figure said slowly. “But now I am more.”Samuel drew his sword.“Don’t play riddles. What are you?”The woman turned to him, unblinking. “The seal was never just a seal. It was a vessel. And I was the key. But I was also the gatekeeper.”Embra stepped forward, her voice tight. “Where is Arin?”The woman’s smile faltered—just slightly.“She’s inside. Dormant. Resting. She gave me permission.”“No,” Embra said coldly, gripping her blade. “Arin wouldn’t hand herself over. Not unless—”“She didn’t die,” the figure cut in, calmly. “She merged. Her soul and Kael’s were

The patrol guards stared at the girl, their hands hovering over their hilts. Her clothes were torn, soaked in blood and dust, and her bare feet were bruised and cracked from running.“What did you just say?” one of them asked again, stepping closer.The girl’s eyes, gray and stormy like an ocean after a hurricane, locked with his. “Kael is alive. He sent me.”Those four words sliced through the dawn like a dagger. Within minutes, the girl was rushed through the outer defenses and brought directly to the inner court.Liora was already waiting, seated on the high chair, robes unfastened as if pulled from sleep. Samuel arrived next, his expression thunderous. And Embra—Embra stood still as a statue at the end of the hall, her pulse deafening in her ears.The girl, no older than sixteen, glanced at each of them and slowly dropped to her knees.“Tell us everything,” Liora commanded, her voice hard and laced with disbelief. “How do you know Kael? Where did you come from?”“I woke up in a ca

The morning air was cold, sharpened with anticipation. Arin stood on the balcony, watching the sunrise bleed across the sky in streaks of pink and violet. But beneath the beauty, she sensed it—the tension, like a taut string ready to snap.Behind her, Embra entered the chamber with a tight expression.“They’re gathering in the war room,” she said. “There’s been another rupture.”Arin didn’t turn. “Where?”“South of the Seraphim Cliffs. A small village was swallowed. No screams. Just... silence.”Arin finally looked over her shoulder. “The Hollowing?”Embra nodded.“I thought we had more time,” Arin whispered, her fingers gripping the stone railing.“So did we.”The war chamber was alive with movement—maps floating in the air, commanders muttering over shifting boundaries, and a constant stream of ravens bearing grim messages from afar.Samuel stood at the head of the table, his brow furrowed.“This makes three locations in a single night. It’s accelerating.”Astrid, flipping through a