The trees grow sparser, their branches pulling back as the light sharpens—brighter, almost too bright, gilded and strange.
The path opens into a wide clearing.
And that’s when the birds go silent.
The sky has begun to darken, like a shadow eating the sun, bleeding gold from the edges.
I take another step. And stop.
The ground drops away and I am standing at the edge of a cliff.
Far, far below—a churning sea of shadow. Thousands upon thousands of them. All moving in time with one another, like a single living thing.
Shadow Forces.
“There are those who will take from you. Who will use your name against you and your purpose.”
The voices fade into the wind. And the cliff begins to crumble.
I wake with a gasp, the dream clinging to the back of my throat. Pale light begins to shift at the windows, soft and gray—dawn brushing the edge of night. My heart pounds, too loud in the silence.
I already know I won’t fall back asleep.
I slip from the bed, trying not to disturb Lyra snoring in the bunk below. I pad barefoot to the bathing chambers and splash cool water on my face. The chill helps. A little. I change into my training gear, moving on instinct more than intention. I just need . . . air. Something to ground me.
The halls are empty at this early hour. Outside, the grounds stretch wide and untouched, the sky above still cloaked in a faint wash of silver.
These dreams mean something. Iknowthey do.
They always have.
My dreams have led to real things before—visions of moments that came true hours or days later. A warning or a sign.
But this one feels different.
I don’t recognize the voice, and yet, when I heard them, I felt at ease. As if I’ve known them all my life. As if something inside meremembers.
The Shadow Forces are clear enough. That part doesn’t need decoding. That’s my path—my purpose. The whole reason the Spiritborn exists.
But, the rest . . .
I don’t even realize where I’m walking until the air changes and something familiar presses at the edge of my awareness.
I slow to a stop.
The temple.
It rises before me, silent and half-swallowed by vine and time. I remember passing it when I first arrived while walking the grounds with Thane; the day I made the choice to stay.
Without thinking, my hand lifts. Fingers curl around a thick vine and I gently draw it aside. The leaves rustle softly, revealing what waits beyond.
A statue. Female. Tall, robed, carved from pale stone. She stands beside the temple doors like a guardian—solemn, steady. But this time, I notice something I didn’t before.
She’s not alone. There are three others with her.
Another woman and two men. Weathered and covered in overgrown vines, but still clear representations, facing outward with quiet resolve.
The Elemental Gods.
