With King Tharion unwilling to fully commit, the group knew their next move had to be swift and decisive. They gathered that same night in the chamber provided by the castle, huddled around a table lit only by candlelight. A map of Aerwyn lay stretched before them, its edges worn and corners curled from years of use.
"The closest realm likely to listen is Ashvale," Tessa said, her finger tracing the southern border. "Queen Velira may be young, but she's known for acting swiftly, especially when it concerns ancient magic."
Sera nodded, her mind already calculating the risks. "Then that's where I'll go."
Naeya looked up from the far end of the table. "You shouldn't go alone. I'll go with you."
Rayden leaned back, arms crossed. "Then I'll head north. Someone has to check the seal and confirm it's still holding."
Kira added, "I'll go with him. There's no way you're going back into that valley alone."
"I'll join them," said Tessa. "The seal site needs magic, and I've studied the old runes longer than any of you."
Sera looked around the table, pride swelling in her chest. These weren't soldiers or knights. They were a mismatched band of survivors, outcasts, and believers. And yet, they were the ones stepping forward when kings and councils hesitated.
"Then we split at dawn," she said.
---
Three days later...
The plains of southern Aerwyn gave way to rolling hills and fields of lavender as Sera and Naeya approached the gates of Ashvale. The kingdom, known for its ethereal beauty, shimmered under the afternoon sun. Pale marble towers, arched bridges, and crystalline waterways made the city feel like it belonged in a dream.
But there was tension in the air.
At the gate, soldiers in sleek silver armor stopped them. Unlike the wary guards of the capital, these men moved with precise coordination and suspicion born of discipline.
"Halt. Purpose of your visit?"
Sera stepped forward. "We request an audience with Queen Velira. We bring urgent news from the North March and the capital."
The guard's eyes narrowed. "The queen has sealed herself from visitors. Too many threats in recent months."
Sera exchanged a glance with Naeya. "Tell her we carry word of the ancient Gate and that the storm has returned. She will want to hear this."
The name alone seemed to shift something. The guard stiffened and nodded. "Wait here."
A tense hour passed before the gates finally opened, revealing a procession of cloaked guards escorting a pale-skinned woman with long, dark silver hair and violet eyes—Queen Velira herself.
She studied Sera and Naeya with quiet intensity, then spoke, her voice like wind through crystal.
"You bring news of the storm?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Naeya said. "The Gate in the north has stirred. We sealed it temporarily, but it won't hold. If you do not act now, Ashvale will burn like the forests already have."
Queen Velira didn't flinch. "Come."
They followed her into a marble hall filled with soft light and cascading ivy. It felt less like a palace and more like a sacred grove. She led them into a private chamber where magical wards shimmered around the edges of the room.
"I've seen visions," Velira said once the doors were closed. "Flashes of fire, shadows clawing through the sky. I've ignored them—hoping they were echoes of the past. But now you've come."
Sera told her everything—about the battle at the Gate, the black-winged creatures, the death of the Guardian, and the king's refusal to fully mobilize. She didn't leave anything out.
When she finished, Queen Velira stood in silence. Then she crossed to a chest near the wall, opened it, and pulled out a scroll wrapped in black silk.
"This was passed down by the Moon-Blooded Queens of Ashvale," she said. "It speaks of a time when the stars fall and the sky burns. It names the Gate. It names... you."
Sera blinked. "Me?"
Velira unwrapped the scroll. In delicate, ancient ink, was a drawing of a girl standing before a burning sky, silver light swirling around her hands.
"The prophecy calls her 'The Warden of Light.' She was meant to seal the Gate once and for all."
Sera's throat tightened. She had never believed in prophecies. But somehow... it made sense. The way the storm reacted to her. The power she had yet to understand.
"I don't know how to be that," Sera whispered.
"You don't have to," Velira said. "You just have to be ready."
Then the queen turned to her guards. "Prepare the Riders. Summon the Moonfire Mages. Ashvale will stand with the Warden."
---
Meanwhile, in the north...
Rayden, Kira, and Tessa stood at the edge of the valley.
Where once a faint glow marked the sealed Gate, now only shadows remained. The wind was colder. The birds had fled. And from the ground below, a whisper rose—low and cruel.
"We're too late," Tessa breathed. "Something's already broken through."
Rayden drew his blade. "Then we make our stand."
From the shadows, eyes gleamed.