The image shifted, showing the Guardians standing at the four corners of the dominions, their glowing forms merging with the great celestial Anchors. The energy between them pulsed, weaving into an impenetrable barrier.
With a flick of her wrist, the swirling vision above shifted once more. The Four Anchors stood gleaming in the vastness of the dominions.
“The Four Anchors held the seal firm for millennia, keeping the Demon Realm contained. But balance is always in motion.” Cracks formed in the Anchor to the east, the great Soulbearing Tree in the Azure Dragon Dominion. A sickly black mist curled from its roots, spreading like ink through water. The Azure Dragon’s Anchor trembled, its glow flickering.
“The Serpent Lord is on the move once more—regaining his strength, rekindling his ambition, amassing his forces. He cannot yet take physical form beyond his own realm, but he has infiltrated your Earth Kingdom with his demons.”
A whisper of unease rippled through the chamber.
The vision twisted, revealing again that monstrous shadow coiled deep within the Demon Realm: the Serpent Lord, his gleaming eyes filled with cold, boundless hunger.
“The first to suffer the consequences was the Azure Dragon Dominion. Its Anchor fell, the first breach of the seal since its creation.”
The vision darkened. The great Soulbearing Tree Anchor shriveled as demons swarmed from it. Azure lands, once lush and vibrant, burned with unholy black flames. Towers crumbled. The rivers ran red. Silhouettes of warriors and shapeshifters fought desperately, their attacks swallowed by an endless tide of demons.
The Annihilation.
I glanced up to the dais again, finding Blake. He stared into the vision, his face haunted.
The air in the throne room grew suffocating. The Diviner’s gaze swept over the silent assembly.
“Now,” she said, voice filled with power and prophecy, “the three remaining Anchors teeter on the edge of the same fate. Phantom Falls in the Onyx Tortoise Dominion, the Shattered Mountain in the Red Phoenix Dominion, and the Starborn Peakin the Silver Tyger Dominion are in danger, yet they are all that protect your lands. Some demons are already able to cross. The Starborn Peak threatens to fail next. If all four Anchors are not repaired before the solstice in the twelfth month—”
One by one, we saw the great Silver mountain tumble and fall, then the Red Phoenix volcano erupted, spewing ash and lava, and finally, the giant Onyx waterfall flooded the surrounding lands, drowning all in its path. With all four Anchors fallen, demons overran the dominions as people were slaughtered and consumed.
She snapped her fingers. The world plunged into darkness. My heart pounded.
The chamber fell into a stunned silence, the weight of the Diviner’s words settling over us like an executioner’s blade.
Then the frantic murmurs began. “The solstice in the twelfth month—” someone echoed in disbelief.
“But it’s already the third month now! And our Anchor will fall next!” another voice cut in, sharp with panic.
When the Diviner finally spoke again, her voice sliced through the noise.
“This task is beyond any one dominion. You must repair the seal together. You must do this, to keep your lands and children safe.
“Each dominion will assemble a team of five of their most powerful mages and warriors. Together, they will travel to each of the Four Dominions, facing the demons that have already begun to bleed into the mortal world in order to reach the heart of each Anchor and repair the seal. A combination of all four dominions’ magic is required to heal the Anchors.”
A chill rippled through the room.
“The task is dangerous,” the Diviner continued. “Many will not return. But each surviving warrior shall be granted a personal boon, a wish of extraordinary magnitude.”
16
My breath caught, the Diviner’s words swirling.
A wish of extraordinary magnitude.
The world slipped away. Heat and smoke and the delicious scent of ripe fruit wrapped around me. I opened my eyes and stood barefoot on warm stone, in an elegant city that shimmered in the sunlight. The winding street was alive with music and laughter, the flap of sandals, the lazy ring of a temple bell, and, in the distance, the palace.
A boy laughed behind me, tossing a ball high into the air. A woman carried a full basket of colorful fruits to market. An old man dozed in a doorway with a carved flute resting on his knee. Somewhere down this street, my family was waiting for me.
Home.
Couscous rubbed against my legs, purring wildly. I picked her up and clutched her close. I wasn’t hiding. I wasn’t being hunted. I knew my name, my blood, my place. Ibelonged.
The Diviner’s voice spoke in my mind:
