A blinding light swallowed Aria and her friends whole. One moment, they had been standing before Saraphine, the weight of battle pressing upon them—the next, they were falling through a void of shifting gold and silver light. The sensation was disorienting, like being unmade and remade in an instant.
Then, with a forceful jolt, they landed.
Aria gasped as her body hit solid ground. A rush of cool air filled her lungs, the scent crisp and ancient, tinged with something unfamiliar—stardust and echoes of lost time. Groaning, she pushed herself up and blinked against the brightness.
The landscape before them was unlike anything she had ever seen. They stood in an endless expanse of glowing white stone, smooth and polished like marble. Enormous crystalline spires jutted from the ground, humming with unseen power. The sky above wasn't a sky at all—it was an endless swirl of golden mist, shifting and pulsing like a living entity.
Kael landed beside her, immediately moving into a defensive stance, sword drawn. Lyric, Finn, and Quinn were not far behind, each taking in their surroundings with varying degrees of awe and confusion.
"Okay," Finn said, brushing dust off his sleeves, "I don't want to alarm anyone, but I think we're either dead or in a very, very fancy afterlife."
Lyric shot him a withering glare. "We're not dead. At least, I don't think we are."
"Not yet," Quinn added. "But I wouldn't rule it out."
Aria ignored their bickering and turned in a slow circle. The sheer vastness of the place was overwhelming, but her instincts told her this was no ordinary location.
This was something sacred.
Something old.
Then she saw it.
At the very center of the landscape stood a towering structure—a temple carved from the same luminous stone as the ground, its surface engraved with swirling symbols that pulsed faintly with energy. At its peak, a golden light burned like a miniature sun.
"The Beacon of Lumina," Aria whispered.
Kael turned to her. "You know what this place is?"
Aria hesitated. "Not exactly, but… it feels familiar."
Finn placed his hands on his hips, surveying the temple. "Familiar in a 'this place feels cozy' way, or familiar in a 'we're about to uncover some world-altering secrets and be in even more danger' way?"
Quinn smirked. "I think we both know which one it is."
Without waiting, Aria began moving toward the temple. The others followed, their footsteps echoing against the smooth ground. As they approached, the runes on the temple walls began glowing brighter, as if sensing their presence.
A grand entrance stood before them—massive doors etched with the symbol of the Seekers. As Aria reached out, the symbol flared with light, and the doors groaned open on their own.
Inside, the temple was bathed in a soft, golden glow. The air was thick with energy, charged like a storm just before lightning struck. At the heart of the chamber stood an ornate pedestal, and upon it rested a crystalline artifact—an orb, filled with swirling golden light.
The Beacon.
Aria's breath caught. The moment she laid eyes on it, something inside her resonated.
She knew, beyond a doubt, that this was meant for her.
"Aria," Kael warned, sensing her intent.
But she was already stepping forward.
The moment her fingers brushed the Beacon, the entire temple trembled. A pulse of energy rippled outward, and Aria gasped as a flood of visions consumed her mind.
She saw the past—glimpses of ancient Seekers standing where she now stood, their faces lost to time but their presence unmistakable. She saw a woman, cloaked in silver and gold, holding the very same Beacon, her voice whispering words Aria could barely understand.
Then she saw her mother.
Celeste Evercrest stood at the heart of the vision, her eyes filled with the same determination Aria carried now. The realization hit her like a thunderbolt—her mother had been here before. She had touched the Beacon. She had known its power.
The vision shifted. Darkness crept at the edges, consuming the light. A figure emerged—faceless, cloaked in shadows, their voice a low murmur of menace.
"The Seeker's fate is bound to the Balance," the figure intoned. "To stray is to shatter what must remain whole."
Aria gasped as the vision shattered. She stumbled back, breathless, the Beacon's glow dimming as it released her.
Kael caught her before she could collapse. "What happened?"
Aria looked up at him, her mind reeling. "I saw… the past. I saw my mother."
Lyric's expression sharpened. "What did she do here?"
Aria steadied herself, her heart still pounding. "She activated the Beacon. Just like I did."
Finn frowned. "And what does it do, exactly?"
Aria looked back at the artifact, her pulse steadying. "It reveals the truth."
A heavy silence fell over them.
Quinn let out a low whistle. "Well, that sounds sufficiently ominous."
Aria's grip tightened around the pendant at her neck. The Beacon had shown her the past—but she had a feeling it was also warning her about the future.
She turned back toward the glowing orb, and this time, as she approached, words formed in her mind—etched into her very soul, as if they had always been there, waiting to be remembered.
"The Seeker must stand at the edge of shadow and light. Only by understanding both can the Balance be restored."
Her breath hitched.
This was about more than her journey. More than the Seekers.
This was about the Balance itself.
The Wardens had always spoken of Balance, of their role in maintaining it. But what if their understanding was wrong? What if the real Balance wasn't about control, but about understanding?
Finn nudged her gently. "You look like you just solved the meaning of life."
"I might have," Aria admitted.
Kael frowned. "Care to share with the class?"
Aria exhaled slowly. "The Seekers and the Wardens… they were never meant to be at war."
Lyric's brows furrowed. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying…" Aria glanced at the Beacon one last time before turning to face her friends. "Maybe we've been looking at this all wrong."
The temple shuddered, as if in response to her words. A new pathway opened in the far wall, revealing another chamber beyond.
A test.
A truth yet to be uncovered.
Aria squared her shoulders. "We keep going."
Kael's jaw tightened, but he nodded. "We follow your lead."
Lyric sighed. "Of course there's another cryptic passageway."
Finn grinned. "Onward to more impending doom."
Quinn chuckled. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
With determination burning in her chest, Aria led them forward—toward the next piece of the puzzle.
Toward the answers she had been seeking all along.