A trail of light illuminates the floor ahead of us, guiding us toward the largest passageway.
“I guess that answers that,” Riven says wryly.
“But aren’t the most beautiful things often the most dangerous?” I say, recalling what he told me while we approached Circe’s Island, where the cloud-shrouded island—the one Circe later told us held Blaze Academy—also waited.
“We asked the universe to lead us to Ghost.” His eyes turn serious again. “We need to trust that it knows what it’s doing.”
And so, we follow the light, passing through a series of increasingly grand chambers, each more beautiful than the last.
Finally, after what feels like hours, we reach a set of doors made of frost and wood.
“I can feel him,” Riven says softly. “Ghost is in there.”
I squeeze his hand, anticipation vibrating through our bond.
“Then let’s not keep him waiting,” I say, and the doors swing open at our approach, revealing a circular chamber with a high, domed ceiling that mirrors the cosmos above.
At the center of the chamber stands an ancient stone altar, covered in a layer of ice. And upon it...
“Ghost.” Riven exhales in relief, dropping my hand and rushing forward, his urgency echoing through our bond and piercing my heart.
