Elarien followed the forest path as the last song faded into the trees. Her footsteps felt light now, almost like they were guided by the rhythm in her heart. The glowing leaf still rested in her hand, safe and warm.
Ahead, the path grew wider. The silver wolf walked beside her without speaking, his ears twitching gently with the wind.
Then they reached the Circle.
It was a ring of tall stones, standing quietly in a grassy clearing. Each stone was covered in tiny carvings—shapes of moons, stars, trees, and waves. Some looked very old, worn smooth by time. Others still glowed faintly with fresh light.
Elarien stepped into the circle.
The moment she did, the wind stopped.
Everything became still.
And quiet.
The silver wolf stayed outside the stones, watching with calm eyes.
This place, he said softly, is where choices are made.
Elarien stood in the center. The grass was soft beneath her feet. The air shimmered, as if holding its breath.
A new sound filled the space.
Footsteps.
Soft ones.
Elarien turned.
A figure stepped into the circle with her.
It was her mother.
Not as she remembered her at the end, tired and quiet.
But as she once was—strong, gentle, and full of light.
Her mother smiled.
"My little light," she said kindly. "You've come so far."
Elarien's throat felt tight.
"I missed you," she whispered.
"I've always been with you," her mother said. "In your voice. In your dreams. In the way you walk your path."
Tears filled Elarien's eyes.
"I didn't know if I could be like you."
Her mother reached out and touched her cheek.
"You're not meant to be me," she said. "You are meant to be you. And that is more than enough."
The circle of stones began to hum, low and steady.
A breeze danced through the clearing, carrying the scent of wildflowers.
From the edge of the circle, the silver wolf spoke.
The Guardian's gift must now be chosen. You may carry the voice. Or the flame. Or the shadow.
Elarien looked at the leaf in her hand.
"I choose the voice," she said. "Because I know now that it's my strength."
The stones glowed gently.
The leaf in her palm shimmered, then vanished, sinking into her skin like a promise.
Light bloomed in her chest.
Soft. True. Unshakable.
Her mother stepped back.
"I am proud of you," she said.
And then, like mist in the morning, she faded.
Elarien stood alone.
But she did not feel alone.
She stepped out of the circle.
The wolf bowed his head.
You have chosen.
You have begun.
The forest opened before her once more, bathed in gold.
And Elarien walked forward.
Her voice ready.
Her heart whole.
Her journey still unfolding.