The mists lifted slowly as Elyra and Kael pressed forward, exhaustion dragging at their limbs but urgency driving them on. They didn't speak — the kiss still hung between them, a silent promise — but the danger ahead demanded their full focus.
After what felt like hours, the forest opened. Before them stretched a vast plain of silver grass, shimmering under a velvet sky dotted with unfamiliar constellations.
At the center of the plain, cradled by ancient trees whose roots wove into the very sky, stood a city unlike anything Elyra had ever imagined.
It floated.
Not above the ground, but woven through it — towers of glass and stone spiraled into the clouds, while streets of light curved beneath crystal lakes suspended midair. Bridges of mist linked buildings sculpted from living wood and breathing stone.
At the city's heart blazed a star — no, a temple shaped like a star — pulsing with slow, steady light.
Kael let out a low breath. "I thought it was just a myth."
"What is it?" Elyra whispered.
He turned to her, eyes wide with awe. "This is Astralis. The last sanctuary of the Guardians of the Veil."
Guardians. Elyra's heart pounded.
Maeve once spoke of them — protectors of ancient magic, hidden away from mortal wars. If they could find help anywhere, it was here.
As they approached the city's shimmering gates, figures emerged — robed in deep blue and white, their faces hidden by delicate silver masks. They moved like echoes, silent and graceful.
One stepped forward, taller than the rest. His mask was shaped like a crescent moon, and his robe was threaded with gold.
"Welcome, daughter of the loom," the figure intoned. His voice was soft but carried power. "We have been expecting you."
Kael stiffened beside her. Elyra's hand drifted to her dagger.
"How do you know who I am?" she asked warily.
The figure bowed. "The Loom of Fate trembled the moment you severed your thread. The Veil... shuddered. Destiny itself rippled outward. Your arrival was written long ago."
More riddles. Elyra exchanged a glance with Kael.
The guardian stepped aside. "Come. Time is thin, and darkness rises."
They followed into the city. The streets sang under their steps, a low hum of magic and memory. Every surface glowed softly, casting dreamlike reflections on the silver mist drifting along the ground.
At the temple, they were led into a vast chamber lined with crystal mirrors. In their surfaces, Elyra glimpsed not her reflection — but possibilities: herself crowned with fire, herself lost to shadow, herself kneeling over Kael's broken form.
She tore her gaze away.
In the center of the room, atop a dais of woven gold, stood a pool of water so still it looked like glass.
The crescent-masked guardian gestured. "See."
Elyra hesitated, then stepped forward. The water rippled — and an image formed.
An ancient tower, broken and overgrown, standing atop a blackened mountain. From its shattered crown rose a figure — a man in dark armor, face hidden beneath a helm shaped like a wolf's skull. His hand gripped a staff wreathed in cold blue fire.
Where he walked, the land died.
"Who is he?" Elyra whispered, dread coiling in her gut.
The guardian's voice dropped to a grave whisper.
"Velcrin. The first Harbinger of the Veil. Banished a thousand years ago. But your defiance, your severing of fate — it woke him."
Kael swore under his breath.
"He rises even now, gathering the lost threads of the Loom. Twisting them into chains to bind the world anew," the guardian said. "If he succeeds, not just your kingdom — but all of existence will fall under his dominion."
Elyra's mind raced. She had fought the Queen. She had fled hunters. But this — this was something ancient. Monumental.
"How do we stop him?" she asked.
The guardian bowed his head. "You cannot face him alone. You must master what was left to you: the Weaving Flame. The last gift of the Loom."
A door of living vines parted behind the dais, revealing a staircase spiraling downward into darkness.
"Descend," the guardian said. "The Flame awaits. But beware — the deeper you go, the more of yourself you must surrender."
Elyra felt Kael's hand brush hers, grounding her. Their eyes met — a shared, silent promise.
They would descend.
They would face whatever trials waited in the dark.
And together, they would ignite a flame bright enough to burn through destiny itself.