The journey north took them through the Bleakwind Vale — a stretch of frozen wilderness said to be haunted by memories that had died screaming.
Elara pulled her cloak tighter around her as they crossed a frozen lake, the wind carving invisible runes into the air. The further they went, the more her flame dimmed — like it was bracing for something.
"Elarion's close," Miraen said, her breath fogging the air. "I can feel the Gate humming beneath the ice."
Kael's jaw was tense. "We shouldn't stay long. This place doesn't sleep. It waits."
Seris walked slightly ahead, always listening, always ready. "Something's been following us since dawn. I haven't seen it, but the trees remember."
They made camp that night in a cavern of frost-carved stone. Elara couldn't sleep — again. The shard around her neck glowed faintly, throbbing like a heartbeat. Like a warning.
She moved toward the mouth of the cave.
Kael followed.
"Elara," he said quietly. "There's something I need to tell you."
She turned to him. "What is it?"
He hesitated. "Elarion isn't just a ruin to me. I was born here. Before the fall."
She stared. "That's not possible. That would make you—"
"Older than I look?" he said with a bitter smile. "Yeah. The Gate touched more than just bloodlines. I was caught in its fracture. Time passed differently for me."
Elara's mind spun. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you needed to believe I was just someone by your side — not someone bound to a past I can't escape."
She stepped closer. "But why protect me? Why now?"
His voice dropped. "Because my family helped build the Gate. And I know what happens when both heirs awaken. The world won't survive two flames unless one is put out."
Elara's breath caught.
"You think I have to destroy her."
"I think… the Gate might make you."
Before she could answer, the cave trembled. A piercing shriek split the silence — not beast, not human. The air cracked as frost broke apart.
From deep below, a frozen seal had shattered.
Miraen rushed out of the cave. "The third shard—it's been claimed."
Elara gripped her flame.
Aelira was here.
And the Gate was opening.