Naira's eyes widened with interest, a subtle shift that Jasmine might have missed if she hadn't been watching so intently for any sign of recognition.
"Human soul transitions are exceptionally rare," Naira said, her fingers absently tracing the spine of an ancient text. "The Archive has documented only seventeen confirmed cases in the last ten thousand years. Most cannot withstand the journey intact."
"What happens to those that make it?" Jasmine asked, her heart pounding so loudly she worried the others might hear it.
Naira gestured for them to follow her deeper into the alcove. As they moved, Jasmine noticed how the scholar moved with the same careful precision that Mei had always shown—deliberate steps, as if mapping out each movement before executing it.
"Those few who cross successfully often manifest unique abilities," Naira explained, pulling a crystalline tablet from a hidden compartment in the wall. "The trauma of transition alters their essential nature. Some develop extraordinary dimensional awareness; others can perceive probability threads that normal Aethorians cannot."
The tablet in her hands began to glow as she activated it with a touch. "This contains the most comprehensive study of human-to-Aethorian transitions. It was compiled by Archivist Thaelon before his disappearance fifty years ago."
"Disappearance?" Lyra asked, exchanging a quick glance with Jasmine.
Naira nodded, her expression growing somber. "He ventured too close to the truth, some say. His research suggested that human souls don't cross the veil by accident—they're selected." She lowered her voice. "The Council classified much of his work after he vanished."
Jasmine felt a chill run through her. Selected. The word echoed in her mind, connecting to what the Ancient Ones had told her about the Watchers guiding her journey.
"May I?" she asked, reaching for the tablet.
Naira hesitated, then handed it over. "I shouldn't be showing this to junior students, but something tells me you already know more than you're saying."
As Jasmine's fingers touched the crystal surface, the Heartstone beneath her clothing pulsed with sudden intensity. A connection formed—not just between her and the tablet, but between her and Naira. For a brief, startling moment, she could feel the echo of Mei's soul within the Aethorian scholar—the same quiet strength, the same analytical mind.
Images flashed through Jasmine's mind—fragments of Naira's life in Aethoria. Being found as an infant near the Boundary Mists. Growing up under the care of the Archivists. Always feeling somehow different, disconnected from other Aethorians.
The tablet's surface rippled beneath Jasmine's touch, responding to the Heartstone's energy. Symbols and diagrams appeared, forming a complex map of soul transitions between realms.
"How are you doing that?" Naira whispered, her amber eyes wide with astonishment. "Those patterns shouldn't be visible without the proper activation sequence."
The Heartstone burned hotter against Jasmine's skin, no longer content to remain hidden. A soft glow emerged from beneath her collar, drawing Naira's attention.
"You carry a Heartstone," she breathed, recognition and reverence in her voice. "There are only seven known to exist in all of Aethoria."
Lyra moved closer, her presence steadying through their bond. "Naira, what do you know about souls that retain memories of their previous existence?"
The scholar's gaze remained fixed on the pulsing light visible through Jasmine's clothing. "The texts speak of 'twice-born' souls—those who cross the veil with their consciousness intact. They're... prophesied to restore balance when darkness threatens the realms." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You're her, aren't you? The human child reborn to Councilor Belga and Master Gaelen."
Jasmine nodded, her throat tight with emotion. This was moving too quickly, spiraling beyond their careful plans. Yet something told her to trust this moment, to follow where the Heartstone led.
"I am," she confirmed. "But I didn't come alone." She took a deep breath, gathering her courage. "Naira, have you ever felt... that you don't entirely belong here? That despite your knowledge of Aethoria, something fundamental is missing?"
A flicker of uncertainty passed across the scholar's face. "How could you know that?" she whispered.
Instead of answering, Jasmine slowly removed the Heartstone from beneath her clothing, letting its radiance fill the alcove. "May I show you something?"
After a moment's hesitation, Naira nodded.
With trembling fingers, Jasmine held the crystal between them. "Think of a kitchen," she said softly. "Small, dimly lit. Three girls huddled together while rain beats against the windows. The youngest reading a book about distant stars."
The Heartstone flared, its light expanding to surround them. Naira gasped as images began to form in the air—translucent at first, then gaining substance. A human kitchen materialized around them, and within it, three sisters—Jasmine, Lila, and Mei—finding comfort in each other's presence while their father's angry voice echoed from another room.
"What is this?" Naira asked, her voice barely audible. "Why does it feel..."
"Familiar," Jasmine finished for her. "Because it was yours once, Mei."
The name hung in the air between them, resonating with power. The Heartstone pulsed in rhythm with both their heartbeats now, bridging the gap between past and present, between forgotten memory and new identity.
"Mei," Naira repeated, the name foreign yet somehow right on her tongue. She reached out hesitantly, her fingers brushing the illusory image of her former self. "I don't understand. I've had dreams—fragments of another life—but I always dismissed them as imagination."
The Heartstone's light intensified, responding to the recognition dawning in Naira's eyes. Memories began to surface—not just the shared ones that Jasmine had triggered, but Naira's own forgotten past. The bullying at school. The quiet hours spent reading while her sisters stood guard. The fierce, protective love they shared.
"We died," she whispered, her amber eyes widening as the most traumatic memory emerged. "In that alley. There was pain, then darkness, and then..."
"Then the Watchers brought us here," Jasmine confirmed, tears streaming down her face. "But your soul and Lila's were too damaged to retain your memories. You were reborn as Naira."
Lyra stepped forward, placing a hand on Naira's shoulder. "The soul-bond between Jasmine—Celebrië—and me helped us find you. We've been searching since she arrived in Aethoria."
Naira's legs seemed to give way beneath her, and she sank onto a nearby bench, her breathing rapid as she struggled to reconcile two separate existences. "I've always felt drawn to research on soul transitions," she said shakily. "Now I understand why."
"It was your soul remembering, even if your conscious mind couldn't," Jasmine explained, sitting beside her.
The Heartstone continued to pulse between them, strengthening the reconnection with each beat. Through it, Jasmine could sense the gradual reintegration happening within Naira—Mei's memories and experiences weaving themselves into her Aethorian identity.
"Lila," Naira suddenly said, looking up with renewed urgency. "If I'm here, then she must be too."
"Near the Crystal Falls," Jasmine confirmed. "We saw her in our vision. That's our next destination."
Naira rose to her feet, her scholar's composure returning despite the emotional turmoil. "Then we must go immediately. The Crystal Falls are at least half a day's journey, even using the transit portals."
"You'll come with us?" Lyra asked, surprise evident in her voice.
"Of course," Naira replied with a hint of Mei's characteristic determination. "She's my sister too—in both lives." She turned to the tablet, quickly copying its contents into a smaller crystal she pulled from her robes. "This research might help us understand what's happening. Why the Watchers brought us here."
As they prepared to leave the alcove, a sudden chill swept through the Archive. The ambient light dimmed, and shadows seemed to thicken around them. Naira froze, her expression shifting to one of alarm.
"Something's wrong," she whispered. "The Archive is in lockdown."
The shadows between the bookshelves seemed to writhe with unnatural movement. A cold whisper echoed through the stacks, words in a language that made Jasmine's skin crawl.
"Shadowbound," Lyra hissed, gripping Jasmine's arm. "They've breached the Archive's defenses."
Naira quickly extinguished the light of her research crystal, plunging their alcove into relative darkness. "This way," she whispered, pressing her palm against what appeared to be solid wall. "There are emergency passages known only to the Archivists."
The wall shimmered and became translucent, revealing a narrow corridor beyond. They slipped through just as tendrils of living darkness slithered into the alcove they'd vacated. The wall solidified behind them, cutting off the pursuing shadows.
"How did they find us?" Jasmine asked as they hurried through the dimly lit passage. The Heartstone had dimmed, as if sensing the need for stealth.
"Saryx must have been watching since our working during the festival," Lyra replied. "He knew we'd come for our sisters."
Naira led them through a maze of hidden corridors, her newfound memories and Archivist training working in tandem. "These passages connect to all major buildings in the crystal city," she explained. "We can reach the transit hub without being seen."
As they moved, Jasmine felt the Heartstone pulse with warning. Something was tracking them—not physically, but across the more ephemeral planes that intersected with Aethoria. "We're still being followed," she warned.
Naira nodded grimly. "Shadow magic can trace soul-connections. The stronger our bond becomes, the easier we are to track." She paused at a junction, considering their options. "We need a diversion."
"I can create one," Lyra offered. "My training with the fire councilor—"
"No," Jasmine interrupted. "We stay together. I won't risk losing either of you." The memory of her sisters' deaths in their previous life was still too raw, too painful.
They emerged from the hidden passages into a maintenance area beneath the transit hub, where massive crystals channeled energy for the portal network that connected different regions of Aethoria. Maintenance workers moved among the crystals, adjusting frequencies and monitoring energy flows.
"If we can reach the Crystal Falls portal without being detected," Naira whispered, "we might still find Lila before Saryx realizes where we're headed."
They had just started toward the main portal chamber when alarms began to sound throughout the facility. Crystalline screens flickered to life around them, displaying the stern face of Gaelen.
"Attention all citizens of Aethoria," he announced, his voice resonating with authority. "A Level One security alert has been issued. Shadowbound incursions have been detected in multiple sectors. All Military personal prepare for battle and as though talking directly to his daughter he said all non military Personal protect yourselves as needed you are granted full authority to use magic as you please.
A chill ran down Jasmine's spine. Her father's face on the screens looked haggard, as though he hadn't slept in days. The situation was worse than she'd imagined.
"We need to move faster," she urged, pulling Naira and Lyra toward the portal chamber.
The transit hub had erupted into controlled chaos. Aethorian guards in crystalline armor directed civilians away from certain portals while military personnel assembled in strategic formations. No one paid attention to three young women slipping through the commotion.
"There," Naira pointed to a smaller portal set apart from the main array. "The Crystal Falls connection. It's still operational."
As they approached, a guard stepped forward, his expression severe. "This portal is restricted. All civilians must evacuate to the designated safe zones."
Jasmine felt the Heartstone pulse against her skin, responding to her rising panic. Without thinking, she reached for it, letting its warmth spread through her fingers. "We need to pass," she said, her voice carrying an authority that surprised even her. "Council business."
The guard's eyes glazed slightly as the Heartstone's influence washed over him. He stepped aside with a mechanical nod. "Of course. Proceed."
"What did you just do?" Lyra whispered as they hurried past.
"I don't know," Jasmine admitted. "It just... happened."
The portal shimmered before them, a swirling vortex of light that would transport them hundreds of miles in an instant. As they prepared to step through, a familiar voice called out from behind.
"Celebrië! Lyra! Stop!"
They turned to see Belga rushing toward them, her violet eyes wide with fear. Several Council guards followed in her wake.
"Mother," Jasmine breathed. "We have to go. We found Mei—Naira. And Lila is next."
Belga reached them, her chest heaving with exertion. "I know. But you don't understand what's happening. Saryx isn't just after you—he's launching a full invasion. The boundaries between realms are weakening."
"All the more reason to find Lila quickly," Jasmine insisted.
Belga's expression shifted to one of grim determination. "That's why I'm coming with you." She turned to the guards. "Return to the Council. Tell them I've gone to secure the Crystal Falls sector."