Skylar could feel it—they were watching her.
The figure in the shadows had remained eerily silent, but the sense of urgency hung in the air. The shard within her pack pulsed again, stronger this time, as if urging her to take action, to follow the mysterious person before her. It felt like a dangerous game, but something about this moment felt crucial. She was too far gone now to turn back.
"Who are you?" she repeated, her voice steady despite the knot in her stomach.
The figure tilted their head, then spoke in a low, almost melodic voice. "I am someone who knows what that shard can do."
Aurelia's heart skipped. She hadn't said anything about the shard, yet the stranger knew.
"Show yourself," she demanded, stepping forward, narrowing her eyes in the dim light. "I don't trust anyone who hides their face. Not down here."
The figure hesitated, then slowly lowered the hood. Aurelia's breath caught as the person revealed their face—a striking woman, older than her but with the same sharp eyes that looked like they could pierce straight through her.
"You're not from Celestria," Aurelia said, her tone now a little softer, more curious than cautious.
The woman smiled faintly. "No, I am not. But I know what you hold. And I know what you've just set into motion."
Aurelia instinctively pulled the pack tighter against her body. The way the woman spoke made it clear that Aurelia's discovery wasn't something she could ignore, and that scared her.
"Why would you care?" she asked. "The floating cities above are nothing but a memory to those of us who live down here. What does this magic mean to you?"
The woman stepped closer, her voice low but steady. "Because that shard, Aurelia, is not just a relic of the past. It is part of a much larger picture—a picture that's beginning to unravel."
Aurelia narrowed her eyes, weighing her options. Trust this stranger, or run? She was good at running, had done it countless times in the past, but something in the woman's presence held her there.
"Who are you?" she asked again, her voice less of a demand and more of a plea for answers.
"My name is Lyra Vale," the woman said, and there was something about her calm composure that made Aurelia feel as if she was talking to someone who had seen far more than she ever would. "I was once part of the Aetherion Council—an order tasked with understanding the forces that bind the cities to the sky. But that was long ago, before I was forced to leave."
Aurelia raised an eyebrow. "Aetherion Council? Sounds like a fairy tale."
"Maybe it should be," Lyra said with a bitter smile. "But it was very real. And the Skyshards... they're not just fragments of magic. They're keys to something far darker. A power that the Council was tasked with guarding... until it was lost to history."
The words hit her like a blow. Aurelia's eyes darted to the shard in her pack, the pulse beneath her skin growing stronger, almost painful now.
"What is this power?" she asked quietly, her voice trembling, though she hated herself for it.
Lyra's gaze hardened. "I can't explain it all in one breath, but you must listen carefully. That shard you hold, Aurelia, it's alive with the force that keeps the floating cities from falling. But that power is unstable. And as it awakens, so too does the risk of its destruction. The cities above you... everything you know... it could be torn apart."
Caius Vaelen stood at the edge of the balcony once again, looking down at the vast city sprawling beneath him. Celestria gleamed, like a jewel suspended in the sky, unaware of the cracks that had begun to form within its very foundation.
The storm had not yet reached its peak, but the atmosphere felt heavy, almost suffocating. Something was wrong.
He reached out and touched the Aetherion crystal that lay on his desk, its faint glow the only light in the room. The crystal pulsed faintly, almost in sync with his heartbeat. It had been passed down through generations of the Vaelen family—one of the most powerful families in Celestria. For years, Caius had assumed it was simply a symbol of their rule. A token of the power that allowed the floating cities to remain aloft.
But now, with the storm brewing outside and the sense of unease crawling beneath his skin, he realized that he had never truly understood the power behind the Aetherion. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the crystal—his inheritance—was somehow tied to everything happening around him.
He could feel it. The energy. The shift in the balance.
"Caius," a voice called, pulling him from his thoughts.
He turned to see Lady Verena, his mother, standing in the doorway. Her expression was tight with worry, her eyes shadowed by the knowledge of things hidden from the world.
"Mother," he said, straightening up, his gaze lingering on the storm outside. "The Aetherion... the energy. It's building."
Verena stepped into the room, her face pale. "It's not just the storm. The Skyshards have awakened. And I fear we are not prepared for what's coming."
Caius stared at her, his mind racing. "The Skyshards? But… they were just stories. Legends."
"No," Verena said, her voice sharp. "They are very real. And they are the key to everything."
Aurelia didn't know how long she had stood there, listening to Lyra's warnings. It felt like hours, but only a few moments had passed. The pulse of the shard in her pack grew louder, as if urging her to act.
"The shard is calling to you," Lyra said softly, her voice almost a whisper. "It won't be long before others come looking for it. And when they do, you'll need to decide whether you're ready for the power that comes with it."
Aurelia glanced at the shard once more, the weight of Lyra's words sinking in. The decision she had to make was becoming clearer by the moment.
Run… or face what was coming.