The silence stretched between them, fragile as glass. Celeste Evercrest stood before Aria, the weight of untold history pressing down upon her like an unshakable burden. The light of the setting sun bathed the field in gold and crimson, yet it did little to warm the chill that settled in Aria's bones.
Her mother was here—alive, real. But Aria could tell from the tension in her posture, the sharp glint in her blue eyes, that something darker loomed just beyond the veil of their reunion.
Celeste exhaled slowly, her fingers brushing over the pendant Aria wore. "You have no idea what you've walked into, Aria."
Aria swallowed hard. "Then tell me. I've spent my whole life searching for answers. No more secrets."
Celeste hesitated, as if weighing how much to reveal, before she finally nodded. "Long ago, my companions and I discovered something ancient—something beyond our understanding. A force that should never have existed."
She paused, her gaze distant, as if recalling memories she had buried long ago.
"We called it the Harbinger."
A cold shiver ran down Aria's spine. "The Harbinger?"
Celeste nodded, glancing toward the horizon, as though she could see beyond the present, into the echoes of the past. "It was a primordial force of destruction, older than time itself. Not a being, not a god, but something worse—something that should have never been allowed to touch this world."
Aria's hands curled into fists. "And you sealed it away?"
Celeste's expression tightened. "Yes. But we never destroyed it. We couldn't."
The weight of those words settled heavily in the air. Kael, Lyric, Finn, and Quinn had drawn closer, listening in silence. It was Lyric who broke it.
"If you sealed it, why is it a threat now?" she asked, voice measured.
Celeste's gaze darkened. "Because the seals are breaking."
A beat of silence. Then Finn whispered, "How?"
Celeste turned to him, something like sorrow flickering in her eyes. "Because of Saraphine."
Finn flinched at the name, his jaw tightening.
"She thinks she's in control," Celeste continued, her voice bitter. "But she isn't. She's unknowingly serving the very thing we fought to imprison. The Wardens of Balance are not the masterminds behind this. They're merely puppets, tangled in strings they don't even realize exist."
Aria's breath hitched. Saraphine. The woman who had tormented them, manipulated Dorian, controlled the Wardens. She wasn't the true enemy?
Kael frowned. "You're saying she's being used?"
Celeste nodded grimly. "Yes. Saraphine believes she's guiding the world toward balance, toward a new era. But in reality, she is breaking the seals that keep the Harbinger imprisoned. And once it's free…"
Her voice trailed off, but they all understood.
The real war hadn't even begun.
---
Celeste turned her gaze back to Aria, her expression troubled. "We never should have let Dorian come with us back then."
Aria stiffened at the mention of his name. "What do you mean?"
Celeste sighed. "Dorian was young, barely more than a child, when he became involved in the fight against the Harbinger. He was a Shadowbinder, like his father before him, and his power made him invaluable. But the darkness… it responded to him in ways we didn't fully understand. It didn't just obey him—it clung to him, whispering, shaping itself to his will. Even then, we feared what it might make of him."
Her voice was heavy with regret. "We thought we had protected him. We thought we had kept him safe. But I see it now—he was always meant to be part of this. And so were you."
Aria's stomach twisted. "Me?"
Celeste reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from Aria's face. "You carry my blood, my gift, my legacy. And that means the Harbinger will come for you, just as it came for us."
Aria's heart pounded. "Why?"
"Because you're a Seeker."
A sharp intake of breath came from Lyric. "The Seekers…" she murmured. "That's why Aria has always felt drawn to the Lumina Shard. It's not just an artifact—it's part of the seal, isn't it?"
Celeste nodded. "One of many."
Finn clenched his fists. "And if Saraphine is breaking the seals, then we don't have much time."
"No," Celeste agreed. "We don't."
---
The air grew colder, the weight of destiny pressing down upon them.
Kael stepped forward, his expression resolute. "Then tell us how to stop this. How do we fight something that's existed since the beginning of time?"
Celeste hesitated. "There's only one way."
She turned her gaze to Aria, and in that moment, Aria knew she wasn't going to like what came next.
Celeste spoke softly, yet her words carried the weight of the world. "You have to find the remaining seals before Saraphine does. And when the time comes… you may have to make a choice."
A lump formed in Aria's throat. "What kind of choice?"
Celeste didn't answer immediately. Instead, she reached into the folds of her cloak and pulled out a small, silver fragment. It gleamed in the fading sunlight, its surface etched with ancient runes.
"The first seal lies here," she said, pressing the shard into Aria's hands. "But to claim it, you must be willing to face what lurks in the shadows."
Aria tightened her grip around the shard. "I'll do whatever it takes."
Celeste smiled sadly. "I know you will."
---
The sky darkened as the first stars began to appear. The Black Veil loomed behind them, a lingering reminder of the dangers they had barely escaped.
Finn exhaled sharply. "So, just to sum this up—we're dealing with an ancient, world-ending force of destruction that Saraphine is accidentally unleashing, and the only way to stop it is by finding these seals before she does?"
Celeste gave a small nod.
Finn groaned, running a hand through his hair. "You know, I really miss when our biggest problem was just surviving trials."
Quinn smirked. "You're free to sit this one out, Finn."
Finn scoffed. "And let you all go on a world-saving mission without me? Please. I'm the heart of this team."
Lyric rolled her eyes. "More like the headache of this team."
Despite the weight of their conversation, a small, grateful smile touched Aria's lips. Even now, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, her friends could still find light in the dark.
But deep down, she knew—this was only the beginning.
The Weaver had been watching. The Harbinger was stirring.
And soon, the Forgotten Enemy would awaken.