Elara rose before the sun climbed high. The dream still clung to her like smoke — her mother's voice, the gate, the warning. She found Kael already awake, sharpening his blade under a tree just beyond the sanctuary's entrance.
"You slept," he said without looking up. "That's good."
"I dreamed," Elara replied. "Of her."
He stopped, finally meeting her eyes. "Isolde?"
She nodded. "She showed me the Gate of Aetheria. Said I'm the key… and the choice."
Kael's expression tightened. "Then we don't have time to waste."
They returned inside where Lysar awaited with a satchel full of scrolls, maps, and ancient relics.
"The Ruined Star is four days from here, if we take the old road through Velinar's Spine," he said. "Few dare cross it — but it's the fastest way."
"What is the Ruined Star, really?" Elara asked. "My dream showed it like… a crater."
"It's more than that," Lysar said, voice low. "Aetheria once sent her champions down through a falling star — to seal away something terrible beneath our world. That impact created the crater, and the gate rests within it."
"And we're going there?" Kael muttered. "Sounds cursed."
"It is," Lysar replied flatly.
Still, they left by noon, cloaked and quiet.
The first day passed under skies of gold and wind-tossed trees. But as twilight came and they set up camp near the bones of an old outpost, Elara's wrist began to burn again.
Not pain — warning.
A howl split the air.
Not human. Not wolf.
Kael drew his sword in one smooth motion. "We're not alone."
From the forest, figures stepped forward — cloaked in grey, faces masked in bone. At least six of them. Their movements were precise, silent, trained.
"Elara Wynne," the lead one hissed. "Daughter of flame. You were not meant to awaken."
"Who are you?" she asked, stepping behind Kael instinctively.
"We are the Watchers of the Hollow Star. We guard the gate. And we are here to end your bloodline before it unseals what should never rise again."
Before she could speak again, Kael lunged.
Steel clashed. Sparks flew. One Watcher dropped, but the rest closed in, surrounding Elara.
She raised her hand — the flame barely sparked. Fear clenched her throat.
Then—
A raven screamed overhead, circling once before diving.
Magic burst in a shockwave as a new figure landed between her and the attackers.
A young woman in black and violet armor, wielding two curved daggers crackling with energy. She moved like lightning, blades dancing. Two Watchers fell before they even reacted.
"Who—?" Elara began.
The woman didn't look back. "If you want to live, stay close."
Kael managed to knock back another foe, and the last two Watchers retreated into shadow, vanishing without a trace.
Panting, Elara stared at their savior. The woman finally turned, lowering her hood.
"I've been watching you for days," she said. "Your power called to me through the firelines. The Hollow Star will hunt you now."
Elara steadied her breath. "Who are you?"
The woman gave a small, grim smile.
"My name is Seris. I served your mother. And I've come to make sure you survive what she didn't."