The sanctuary was silent again, though its stones now pulsed faintly with power — awakened and watching. Elara lay curled in the guest chamber, the journal beside her. Sleep took her slowly, drawn by exhaustion and magic alike.
And then—
A dream, clear as daylight.
She stood in a silver forest.
The trees shimmered like moonlight caught in crystal, their leaves whispering secrets in a language just out of reach. The ground glowed beneath her bare feet. And in the distance, a woman stood by a frozen lake — long dark hair drifting in a breeze that did not exist.
"Mother…?" Elara whispered.
The woman turned.
Isolde's eyes were the same as Elara's — starlit grey, filled with fire and sorrow. She smiled, soft and warm. "You've awakened it," she said. "My brave girl."
Elara ran to her, heart hammering. "Why did you leave me? Why didn't you tell me who I was?"
"I wanted to," Isolde said gently, cupping Elara's face. "But the world wouldn't have let you grow unless it believed you were no one. Power given is easily lost. Power earned — that's a fire no darkness can extinguish."
Elara's throat tightened. "You were afraid."
"Yes," Isolde said. "But not for me. For you."
The sky above them rippled — and through it, stars fell, burning bright. One crashed into the lake, and a ripple echoed through the ground.
"What is the Gate of Aetheria?" Elara asked. "What's behind it?"
Isolde's smile faded. "A prison. A promise. A power so vast it reshaped the world once… and could do so again."
"Why me?" Elara asked. "Why now?"
Isolde stepped back and motioned to the water. "Look."
Elara did — and saw herself.
Not as she was now, but older. Clad in light, blade drawn, standing at the edge of a massive gate carved into the sky itself. The stars around her flickered like dying embers.
"You will be the key," Isolde said. "And the choice."
"Choice?"
"To open the gate… or to seal it forever."
Elara turned, eyes wide. "But I don't understand—"
Isolde placed a hand on her shoulder. "You will. Just remember: not all enemies wear shadows. Some smile. Some bleed. Trust your fire, daughter."
The dream began to fracture, the silver forest darkening, voices pulling her away.
"Wait!" Elara cried. "Will I see you again?"
Isolde's voice echoed as everything faded:
"When the stars fall once more… I will stand beside you."
---
Elara woke with a gasp, the journal still beside her.
Outside, dawn broke in hues of gold and blue. But the message was clear:
Aetheria's gate was calling.
And her mother's fire still burned — in her blood.