By the time the group finally stopped, Theo felt certain he must have gone up and down the entire mountain. Tabitt's office seemed close to the peak, after all, while they had descended too many staircases to count to get here.
'Here' turned out to be a small, inconspicuous door at the end of a narrow hall. Only a couple of globe-fish floated slow circles beneath the ceiling, casting fitfully darting patches of light. The dancing shadows created an unnerving, almost eerie atmosphere.
Not helped by the mountain's Levia thrumming deep in his bones, until it felt like his whole body was vibrating. He had to fight the temptation to grab Zenith's arm to steady himself.
Through it all, the Star shard in his pocket blazed so hot he felt sweat trickling down his chest. Yet to his surprise, he only sensed the faintest buzz of power through the stone door.
Well, if he thought about it, it wasn't like he'd sensed much from the two shards he'd encountered so far until he had them in his hand. But maybe he'd expected more from this one since it was the core.
Elder Tabitt pulled out a key ring on a string around her neck. Locating a slender skeleton key, she twisted it in the lock before pushing the door open with a scrape of stone on stone.
She stepped aside, gesturing at Theo. Taking a deep breath, he walked up to the door.
Once inside, he braced himself for an onslaught of Levia, but the faint buzz didn't become any stronger. Blinking, Theo looked around the room. Round and low-ceilinged, it was surprisingly small; he might be able to touch both walls just by stretching his arms. There was no way anybody else would fit inside.
And that also meant the Star shard was only a few inches from his nose. It floated midair, twirling slow circles as if suspended by an invisible string. This shard was somewhat larger and chunkier than the one he had, its blue color darker and stars dimmer.
Heart pounding, Theo pulled out the shard in his pocket. He blinked when blue light rippled across the chamber – he hadn't expected it to be so much brighter than the core. In comparison the core remained dark, only the faintest glow stirring in its depths.
Doubt flickered through Theo. This didn't feel at all like the last time when two shards had fused. Not a trace of that irresistible compulsion to bring them together.
Well, maybe things would change once he actually put them together. Trying to keep his hand steady, he lifted the Star shard to the core. He had no idea which of its facets the shard would fit, so might as well try them all.
Feeling like a complete idiot, he tapped the edge of the shard to the bottom of the core. No dice. He made to pull the shard away –
A spark jumped through his veins. All of a sudden darkness rushed around him, swallowing his world.
Theo let out a yelp – or tried to. Even though he was moving his mouth, forcing air out of his lungs, not a single sound escaped his lips. Kicking his arms and legs didn't help; they met no resistance whatsoever, not even a rush of air. As if they no longer existed.
Did he even have a body anymore? Or was there nothing but this endless darkness?
As his panic mounted, he began to realize that rather than pure black, this darkness had a bluish tinge. And tiny pinpricks of light dotted it here or there, barely larger than motes of dust.
This was Levia. One he'd felt many times before, but never this vast – this lonely.
Yet one patch of darkness directly ahead remained deep and impenetrable. As he stared at it, its edges sharpened into crisp outlines until it became the silhouette of a person against the night sky.
A person with six wings and wavy hair billowing behind her.
'You carry a Star shard.'
Rather than hear them with his ears, Theo felt the words ripple through his Levia. Heavy with sadness, they left behind a tender ache everywhere they touched.
'Yes,' he made himself answer. 'I want to complete it.'
'Why?'
The same question Tabitt had asked. This time, Theo was able to answer. His Levia spoke for him, not his mind.
'I was given a mission.'
'By whom?' The voice grew heavier, sadder.
'Somebody important,' Theo said.
'And for that reason you believe you deserve to complete the Star of Miriel? Even if you do not understand what its power means?'
'I will understand if I complete it,' Theo replied. 'I'll know all the answers.' Or so Mom had told him.
The shadow slowly shook her head. 'This power is the will of Princess Miriel herself. It must never fall into the wrong hands.'
She extended her hands, and a jolt rushed through Theo's Levia when blood-red light flooded the night sky below them. No...looking more closely, he realized it came from blazing firelight. Flames engulfing crystal buildings, roaring like a mad beast and turning everything to ash in their wake.
Other scenes appeared, each more horrific than the last. The ground heaving as massive cracks tore it apart. Starving families trudging through dust storms. Battlefields strewn with broken bones and shattered weapons.
'The last time an individual held power akin to the complete Star in their hands, this is what their wish wrought. What makes your wish any different?'
'I don't want power,' Theo insisted, but his reply was weak and sputtering. Barely a spark in this vast night sky.
'Then why do you need the Star of Miriel?'
'What….' Icy dread trickled through Theo's soul. 'What do you mean?'
'To complete the Star of Miriel is to gather a power Tielos has not seen since the Rending. Whether you want it or not, you will hold that power in your hands. So what is your wish? What will you use that power for?'
What...what would he use its power for? Somehow, he'd never thought this far ahead, or maybe he'd just refused to. Surely on some level, he must have known. After all, just one shard had given the Ensons the power to enslave dozens of familiars.
If he completed it, who knew what he'd be able to do? But the prospect scared him so much he didn't want to touch it. He didn't want to imagine that he'd ever turn out like the Ensons, so it was better not to think about it at all.
Well, the Ensons had ended up that way because they were selfish jerks through and through. As for Theo –
'To protect my friends,' he told the shadow.
The shadow shook her head again. 'That reason is not strong enough. I cannot give you the core.'
What? 'Wait, just – '
'What is your wish?' The shadow's voice deepened, rolling through the night sky like thunder. 'For what reason do you fight? For what reason do you want power? If you can answer these questions, then the core will be yours. But not today.'
Before Theo could protest, the night sky rushed away from him. Just like that, he slammed back into his body. He lurched, unbalanced, before hitting the floor hard enough to jar his tailbone. The pain brought tears to his eyes and made him curse, but he didn't miss the clatter as his Star shard landed on the floor next to him.
Heart throbbing, Theo picked it up. Its Levia pulsed against his hand, reassuringly warm and steady. But when he looked at the core, it had become darker than ever, the stars almost completely gone.
And its power was just a whisper at the edge of his consciousness. Even then, he couldn't miss the disappointment weighing it down.