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We ventured toward the tucked-away path of the Sacred Vale, guided by the light of the stars and luminorbs.

“I should warn you. It looks much different,” Rowen said as I followed him across the shimmering stones that once hovered on water.

“Though the waterfalls are gone, we still walk upon sacred ground.”

I nodded, missing the sapphire pathway that was now a dried riverbed.

We entered the Sacred Vale, the stones transforming into a natural bridge that connected to the floating island. My heart sank. Rowen was right; where dozens of waterfalls had cascaded into misty chasms, there were now only silent, barren cliffs.

Though so much had changed, myself included, the ruins of the Alcreon Stone still hovered above us.

My first time here, I had a vision, or perhaps a memory, of the Alcreon Stone in all its former glory. It radiated in an ethereal light that seared my eyelids before returning to its shattered state.

At the Battle of the Breaking, when Nepta had freed the Light, she’d broken the stone into pieces. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was what happened to my body when Erovos altered me. Thankfully, the pain had spared me from truly witnessing the transformation.

“Hi,” I said to the Summit members gathered around the marble table. I was sure it sounded as strange as it felt, but what else was I supposed to say after disappearing for three months and finally returning with deadly panic attacks?

“You are ready to face your changes,” Nepta said, snapping me back to the Vale. The Elven-head sat in her chair of woven moonlight, surrounded by the members of the Summit.

“I am,” I said, brushing my hair aside, revealing one pointed and light-studded ear, and a unified gasp rose from the table.

“The Ancient Elves,” Driskell whispered in awe. The second-in-command’s long hair, adorned with twisted braids and crystals, swayed as he shook his head in disbelief. “She has the ears of our ancestors. I’ve only ever seen them rendered in scrolls.”

“It can’t be. The Ancient Elves disappeared long ago. There has been no sign of them for over a millennia,” Takoda said, glancing at Nepta.

“Who?” I asked, missing the reassuring hand that once held mine under the table.

Even when Rowen was cursed from loving me, he’d found little ways to comfort me.

Those brief, hidden touches had kept me going, but now we were deprived of even those small gestures, and I dug my fingertips into my knees.

“The Ancients were the first to nurture the newly budded world after the Elder Spirits sang life into existence,” Nepta began, her voice and eyes distant as she recounted the primordial melodies that brought Luneth to life.

“In the new, wild world, the Ancient Elves gathered the teeming life and gave it purpose and direction. It was they who discovered that the earth could be sung and manipulated into other masteries. ”

“What happened to them?” I asked, eager to learn more about the elves who first governed Luneth.

“They lived for an age in harmony with the natural world. Their hearts pure as they cultivated a deep connection with the land. However, as the time of man and tainted hearts grew, they retreated into the land and disappeared without a trace. But now that trace has returned,” Nepta said, her eyes latching onto something deep within me.

My heart pounded. “The spirits warned me that I would be reforged. I just never imagined how profoundly they would change me. Though I guess it makes sense. I wasn’t born with the Alcreon Light.

It found me when I was eight years old during one of my projections to Luneth.

” The Summit leaned in intently, and it felt nice to finally have some answers to share.

“I helped save a starwing, and it led me to Erovos and Indrasyl. The Light knew I wasn’t from Luneth.

I think it was desperate. But there is one thing I still don’t understand.

You said the Battle of the Breaking happened two hundred moons ago.

That’s sixteen years. That means I was seven when you shattered the stone. It doesn’t add up.”

“The Alcreon Light chose a benevolent host,” Nepta said, unsurprised. “The Light must have wandered the land for a year until it found you, keeping itself well-hidden until it felt safe. It was no hasty decision, my child. The Light saw something in you.”

My breath caught in my throat as I imagined the Light unprotected and alone. So vulnerable and afraid. The same as me. “I was only a small human child.”

“Be that as it may, you have always had celestial influence, a connection to nature and cosmic forces,” Nepta replied, her tone laced with respect.

“The Elder Spirits saw fit to intertwine your abilities with our ancestors, enhancing your body to better hold the power to meet the severity of our plight. ”

I gulped, trying to suppress my guilt from rising to the surface. I once had the power to guide dormant plants back to life, but now my touch only granted death.

Takoda shifted in his seat and added, “I agree. Luneth wasn’t in this dire of a state when the Light was bestowed upon you.

Back then, the changes were significant but not insurmountable.

That time has passed, and we are on the brink of destruction.

Erovos’ darkness has fully taken root, and it is only a matter of time before he is unleashed into the cosmos.

Now that the earth falls evermore dire, the Light and power in you have grown to match our need. ”

Rowen gave Takoda a worried glance. “Will she be all right?”

The healer heaved a sigh. “She looks to be in perfect health. Though without a full examination, I have no way of knowing.”

“Could this body protect her, or is it slowly overtaking her?” Rowen asked, voicing my concerns.

“I do not know,” the healer replied solemnly.

“My body is stronger,” I said, remembering my finger divots in the tree.

“A dangerous combination indeed—an untamed wyvern with too much spirit,” Alvar, the war captain said, toying with the scar on his chin.

My eyes narrowed. This guy couldn’t make up his mind! “You once saw me as a weakened mare and now an untamed wyvern. Well, which is it?”

“Ah, yes, Rowen. Your soul flame is still in there. Her sharp tongue has not changed. Perhaps a mare in wyvern clothing,” he said, his eyes trailing up my new body.

“There is something you still keep from us,” Nepta said, and my heart lurched. There was no way she could know about the flower I killed. Could she? “I can feel the shift in both of you.”

My gaze collided with Rowen’s. “Our soul flame bond?” Rowen offered carefully, and my face heated .

“Indeed,” Nepta said with a regal dip of her chin.

“Like Althea and Donis,” Driskell whispered in a state of shock.

“Who?” I asked, wondering if I could possibly digest any more information tonight.

“Althea was an elven princess born of sea foam,” Nepta explained, her weathered fingers steepled on the table.

“It was said that a small piece of the Light lived within her, shining upon her ears like celestial jewels, much like your own.

And Donis was the son of an Elder Spirit.

Such beings are known as the Vassi and are born of the sky.

“The waters of Luneth used to run wild, drowning lands and valleys.

Althea spoke to the chaotic waves and shaped them into oceans, lakes, and rivers.

She created waterways and channels that brought balance to the land.

The elven princess spent hours by the ocean, swimming and playing in the waters she had tamed.

One day, as Donis soared over the sea, he chanced upon her bathing.

Enthralled by her beauty, he assumed a human form and waited for her on the shore.

Althea was captivated by the being in the distance and swam to him.

Despite their differences, much like that of a fish and a bird, their love was fierce and powerful.

“But Althea’s father, Arkan, did not agree with the match. He had promised her to Tor, the king of the Stonefist Giants. He forbade her from seeing Donis again, declaring it was her duty to bring peace amongst the races.

“Donis was horrified for Althea. Such a union was not only unwanted, it was dangerous. The Stonefist Giants were enormous creatures, their bodies incompatible with that of the elves. It was cruel of Arkan to betroth his daughter to someone she didn’t love, much less to someone who could kill her during mating .

“Althea refused to marry the giant and claimed Donis as her mate.

But when Tor learned of the betrayal, he declared war on the Vassi.

Donis and Althea begged for peace, but there were no agreements to be had.

Tor refused to relinquish his claim on the princess, and Donis refused to let Tor, or anyone else, touch Althea ever again.

“The battle of the Stonefist Giants against a Vassi was immense. It tore imprints into the ground and splashed up rock and debris as their colossal footprints gouged into the land. As a descendant of the Elder Spirits, Donis was strong and mighty, but after a fortnight of fighting, the giants overcame him. Althea watched in terror as Tor went to land the killing blow. Refusing to watch her love perish, Althea channeled a flood to scatter their enemies. When the water cleared, Althea held an injured Donis in her arms.”

My heart stopped. I knew all too well the terror she must have felt, watching as her love was nearly killed. I leaned in closer as Nepta continued the tale.

“Tor regained his bearings and charged toward his betrothed and her lover. Althea and Donis knew they only had moments left together, but they were unwilling to be separated in this life. With the moon, elves, and giants as their witnesses, the lovers withdrew a piece of their soul fire and gently exchanged their flames, offering a part of themselves to the other. A cosmic connection formed as their fires intertwined, and they became the first soul flames. Their bond forever immortalized in lovers whose devotion burns just as fiercely.”

My bond with Rowen flared as we made eye contact. The tale of the first soul flames sent comforting heat waves throughout my body.

“When the dust finally settled, the earth was reshaped, and the Sillarial mountain range was formed. Tor could not dispute the love of the soul flames and realized he wanted a love as fierce as the one he had just witnessed. Appalled by his actions, he ordered the giants to disappear into the mountains their war had created. They have never been seen since, but I suspect Graem is a descendant of the Stonefist Giants. Though in ancient days, they used to be much larger.”

I wondered if Graem had returned to the mountains. I hoped so.

“What became of Althea and Donis?” I asked, comforted that even though I couldn’t touch Rowen, I held a piece of him within me.

Even when I’d been gone for months, Rowen still felt me.

It was how he managed to search for me every night in the Hymma.

I was forever grateful for the connection the two lovers had forged.

“Donis eventually healed from battle, and the soul flames lived the rest of their days in peace and happiness. As a Vassi, Donis could not die, and though the Ancient Elves lived longer than most, Althea’s flesh would eventually succumb to time.

After two centuries of wedded bliss, they refused to be separated on the princess’s deathbed.

Donis forfeited his mortal body and returned to the heavens as Althea surrendered to the ocean.

Their soul flame bond endured as they returned to their true forms, their connection and pull so profound, it created the horizon.

Their love forever found where the sea meets the sky. ”

A tear slid down my cheek as my soul flame’s eyes met mine.

“It seems you have still not mastered control of your new form, causing your attacks. It is imperative you remain calm,” Alvar said, ruining the moment, and I swore if one more person told me to stay calm, I was going to explode.

The otherworldly Light swam in my veins, remaking my body and blood, but now in an elven body that could sustain and wield such power. I kept the information that I killed a flower to myself, and Rowen didn’t mention it either. Let them keep their hope a little longer.

“We are allowing you to stay within the village, but with great trust that you will learn to control your emotions,” Nepta said, standing from her chair and retreating to the edge of the vast chasm.

I understood her completely. I couldn’t risk another panic attack.

I silently pleaded to the Elder Spirits that I would find my footing before I succumbed to the death growing in us all.

After the gathering, I watched the Summit members leave one by one, waiting until Nepta was the last to remain.

“Rowen, I will meet you back at home,” I said, his gaze darting to Nepta in her quartz headdress and simple frock, her back turned to us. He nodded, understanding that I would like to speak with her alone.

Silently, I walked to Nepta and stood by her side, gazing at the extinct waterfalls that no longer filled the Vale with music. We stood shoulder to shoulder. “I’m going to do everything in my power to help. But I need your blessing to visit the prisoner. He might be the key to solving all of this.”

“Keira, my child,” Nepta replied, our gazes facing forward.

“He is in detainment. I am sorry, but you are not to see him. We do not know his intentions nor why he is here. What if he wants to use you as a weapon, or you have an attack? Either way, I see no positive outcome from your speaking with him at this time. It is out of the question until we know more and your powers are under control.”

“But I think it will help?—”

“I felt your storm cloud brewing overhead just moments ago. You are unstable. It is as clear as day. I have spoken on the matter, and my word is final. You are to do nothing until you have mastered yourself.”

My mouth was left agape as Nepta turned from me and left me to my thoughts. But my inner well was as empty and desolate as the lost falls.