The night was restless. Even after the storm faded, Eldergrove didn't feel the same.
Arya sat across from Cael in the old study hall, lit only by flickering candlelight and the soft hum of enchantments etched into the floor. Liora leaned against a bookshelf nearby, arms crossed, eyes never leaving the boy who had arrived out of nowhere with prophecies on his lips.
"Start from the beginning," Arya said. "No riddles. No half-truths. Who are you, Cael?"
He didn't hesitate. "I'm from the city of Marelin. Or… what's left of it."
Liora blinked. "That place was wiped out five years ago. Everyone said it was a magical disaster."
Cael's eyes darkened. "It wasn't an accident. It was a test."
Arya leaned forward. "A test for what?"
"For a weapon," he said. "A living one. Someone who could survive chaos magic. Someone like me."
The silence in the room thickened.
"They trained me underground," Cael continued. "Taught me to feel magic through pain. To manipulate stormlight, shadow, and frost. All for a war they say is coming. But I ran. And I've been running ever since."
Arya looked at him carefully. "And what does that have to do with me?"
Cael unfolded the glowing map again. This time, he touched the center, and a new symbol lit up—a spiral, matching the one Arya bore on her arm. "Because you and I are the last ones connected to the Vault of Veyra."
Liora furrowed her brow. "Veyra... as in the First Mage? That's a myth."
"No," Cael said. "She was real. And she left behind a vault holding the source of ancient magic—the core of balance. And if it falls into the wrong hands…"
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
A sudden knock interrupted them. But it wasn't a knock on the door.
It was coming from the window.
Arya turned slowly, heart pounding, to see a face she didn't recognize. A girl—around their age—with glowing emerald eyes and silver hair, floating just outside the glass, a soft aura humming around her.
Liora swore. "Is she flying?!"
Before anyone could move, the girl phased through the window like mist, landing gracefully on the floor. Her voice was gentle, but chilling.
"My name is Zephyra. I've come to warn you. He's coming. The one who hunts the Vault's heirs."
Cael stood, clearly startled. "You're one of the Moonborn."
Zephyra gave a small nod. "And you're both Stormbound. Light and shadow. If you don't move fast, he'll find the Vault before you do."
Arya stepped forward, finally feeling the gravity of it all.
"We leave at dawn."