Sophia walked back to the edge of the grove where a discarded mercenary radio was hissing with static. She picked it up, adjusting the frequency. She heard a voice come through, it was cold and distorted."...all units, redirect to the Mediterranean. The thermal signatures confirm the third Essence is active in the Volcanic Isles.""The girl is likely heading south. Intercept and terminate on sight."Sophia dropped the radio and crushed it under her boot. She looked at her hands. On one hand, she felt the power of the North Sea, and on the other hand, she dealt with the rich, heavy soil of the mountains.She wasn't the girl who had cried in the Aldridge mansion anymore. She was something older. Something more dangerous.She turned to Keleeen, who was smiling warmly at her, and she gave him a warm nod.Sophia walked away from the grove and then she also found a discarded tactical tablet near a crushed mercenary jeep. The screen was cracked, but it still flickered to life. As she swi

As she moved toward the next level, her eyes suddenly caught a flash of color on the wall. She stopped as she was captured by it.It was a giant mural, carved into the obsidian. It showed a woman who was the first vessel standing between a raging storm and a peaceful garden. "It wasn't for war," Sophia realized, her voice echoing. "This power... it was for building. For creation."She touched the carving of the Vessel’s hand. "If someone like Vane gets this, he won't just kill people. He’ll unmake the world."Her ancestors were custodians of the stones, and they each decided to bury them where no one would ever find them.The deeper she went, the hotter it got. The air began to shimmer and dance. Sophia stumbled, her head spinning.She held the hall trying to prevent herself from collapsing."Sophia? Is that you, sweetheart?"Sophia froze. Stepping out from behind a pillar of fire was her mother. "Mom?" Sophia whispered, her eyes filling with tears."Look at you," the vision said

Sophia journeyed to the final destination of the last stome... The Swiss Alps were so thin it felt like needles in Sophia’s lungs.It was high above the jagged peaks, hidden by a permanent, swirling hurricane.They call it the sky temple.It was a beautiful, terrifying sight. The temple was carved from pure white marble and "Cloud-Glass," a material that shimmered like a diamond in the sun.It was a very beautiful sight to behold... It did not sit on the ground it floated thousands of feet in the air, held up by the sheer power of the wind."I can't just fly up there," Sophia whispered, her voice whipped away by the gale. "The light probably has more drones... they will see me coming from miles away."She looked at the underside of the floating islands that surrounded the main temple. They were like stepping stones in the sky. She reached deep for the Earth power of Demeter. She didn't summon giant roots this time. Instead, she made her hands and feet as sticky as a mountain lizard

In the quiet of the bedroom, Elena, Sophia’s younger sister, stared at the glowing gems with eyes full of greed and wonder. It felt like the sapphire pearl in particular was calling to her. "If Sophia can only handle one, maybe I should take the Water stone?" Elena suggested, her voice hopeful. "I mean, it's our family legacy too, right? Why let them sit in a dusty vault when I could help?" The entire family turned to her with looks of pure disbelief. Sarah, her mother, was the first to snap. "Absolutely not! Elena, look at your sister! She almost died today. You haven't trained a day in your life. The first thing you would do is post a selfie with the stone on your social media and bring every mercenary in Europe to our front door!" Adrian let out a light, dry chuckle. He didn't even look up from the herbs he was packing away. "The power would shatter you, Elena. Your sister has the Prophetic Mark. She was born to be the vessel. One day, she will be strong enough to wield all four,

The monster who was driven by a primal instinct to survive, screeched one last time. Its body flickered, turning translucent as it tried to slip through a tear in reality. This was a fight he definitely couldn't win and he decided to cowardly slip away.Adrian’s eyes flashed violently. "I didn't give you permission to leave."As the creature’s tail vanished into the shimmering rift, Adrian reached out. He reached into the fabric of space itself. His fingers curled as if gripping an invisible throat, and with a roar of effort, he yanked his arm back.The air groaned and with a violent thud, the seven-foot monster was dragged screaming back out of the rift and slammed onto the floor. Before it could scramble away, Adrian was on it. He didn't use a weapon. He didn't need one. He reached down and hoisted the massive beast into the air by its neck with one hand."You wanted to see hell?" Adrian whispered, his voice cold and flat.Suddenly, Adrian’s hand began to glow with a terrifying,