The sky had turned gold by the time Kael reached the orchard.He had been flying for two days since leaving Tomas and the Heart of the Storm, and the land below had softened into something gentler. The jagged peaks had given way to low, rolling hills, and the hills had opened into a wide valley filled with fruit trees. Apples. Pears. Plums. Cherries. They stretched in every direction, their branches heavy with fruit, their leaves rustling in the warm breeze.But no one was picking them.Kael landed at the edge of the orchard and climbed off Zephyr's back. The Primeval Beasts gathered around him, their forms relaxed but watchful. Lira sniffed the air. Aether tilted its head at the trees. Terra stood still. Lux glowed softly. Umbra drifted into the shadows between the rows. The void beast stirred gently within Kael, curious but calm.He walked into the orchard. The grass was soft beneath his feet. The air was sweet with the scent of ripe fruit. It should have been peaceful. It should ha

The road led to a village that was silent in a way Kael had never heard before.He had been flying for three days since leaving the Library of Forgotten Names, and the land below had grown softer again. The misty moor had given way to gentle meadows, and the meadows had opened into a valley where a small village sat beside a slow, winding river. The houses were neat. The gardens were tidy. The streets were clean. Everything was in order.But there were no children.Kael noticed it the moment he landed. No laughter. No running feet. No small voices calling out to each other. Just adults, moving quietly through their days, their faces tired, their eyes empty. They tended their gardens and mended their fences and cooked their meals and did all the things that people do. But they did it in silence. They did it alone.He climbed off Zephyr's back and walked into the village. The Primeval Beasts followed close behind, their forms quiet and watchful. Lira looked around, confused. Aether tilt

The road led to a river that flowed the wrong way.Kael had been flying for four days since leaving the mountain that had no peak, and the land below had changed once again. The rocky slopes had given way to wide, green plains, and the plains had opened into a valley where a river ran through the center. But it was not running the way rivers should run. It was flowing uphill. It was flowing backward. It was flowing toward the mountains instead of away from them.He landed on the bank and climbed off Zephyr's back. The Primeval Beasts gathered around him, their forms tense. Lira's silver scales were dull. Aether's wings were folded tight. Terra's massive body was still. Lux's glow was dim. Umbra was barely visible. And the void beast stirred restlessly inside Kael, sensing something very wrong.Zephyr moved close. "This is the River of Return," it said. "It was created by the old rulers, long before the Primeval Beasts were born. It was a place of punishment. A place where they sent th

The road led to a city that hung from the sky.Kael had been flying for five days since leaving the city of statues, and the land below had grown stranger with each passing hour. The chalky cliffs had given way to rocky badlands, and the badlands had given way to a vast, empty sky. There was no ground below him. No mountains. No rivers. No trees. Just clouds, drifting lazily in an endless blue.And above him, hanging from nothing, was a city.It was upside down. Its towers pointed toward the earth. Its streets ran along the underside of its foundations. Its people walked on ceilings, their feet fixed to stone that should have been the sky. It was impossible. It was terrifying. It was beautiful.Kael guided Zephyr upward, climbing toward the inverted city. The Primeval Beasts followed close behind, their forms tense. Lira's silver scales were dull. Aether's wings were folded tight. Terra's massive body was still. Lux's glow was dim. Umbra was barely visible. And the void beast stirred

The road led to a path that had no beginning.Kael had been flying for three days since leaving the feast that never ended, and the land below had grown quiet once more. The golden plain had given way to a dense, ancient forest, and the forest had opened into a small clearing where a single path began. But it did not begin anywhere. It simply appeared. One moment there was grass. The next, there was a path. It wound into the trees and disappeared.He landed in the clearing and climbed off Zephyr's back. The Primeval Beasts gathered around him, their forms calm but curious. Lira sniffed the path. Aether tilted its head. Terra stood still. Lux glowed softly. Umbra drifted toward the trees. The void beast stirred gently within Kael, interested but not alarmed.Zephyr moved close. "This is the Path That Chooses Its Walker," it said. "It was created by the old rulers, long before the Primeval Beasts were born. It was a place of testing. A place where they sent those who defied them. A plac