Talon sat on the edge of the cliff, her fingers tracing the smooth crystal pendant at her neck. The silver-blue gem shimmered faintly under the moonlight. It was the only thing she had left from her mother a gift she'd never quite understood.Tonight, it pulsed.
At first, the glow was soft. Then it brightened. The crystal grew warm against her skin.
"What the...?"
She unclasped it and held it out in her palm. The light spilled from the gem, trailing ribbons of blue into the air. Suddenly, it burst into a ring of light that rippled silently across the cliffside.
A shape formed in the glow tall, elegant, shifting like water. It stepped forward with quiet power. A creature part wolf, part mist eyes shining with a calm, ancient light.
"Talon," it spoke. "You've awakened the Water Line."
Talon froze. "Who are you?"
"I am Neris, your spirit guide. The time has come. HarmoniX must rise."
"I don't know what that means."
"You will. The music in your soul has always known."
Before she could ask more, the sky to the east flared red. A storm of fire twisted upward, cracking the clouds.
Neris turned toward it. "They've begun."
Talon clutched the amulet. Something was changing not just the sky, but within her. A sound, a pulse, like a distant melody calling her name.
The journey had begun.
The wind shifted.
The sky above shimmered with unnatural light like a mirror cracking. Stars blinked and vanished behind swirling clouds, drawn toward that column of rising fire on the horizon. Talon's heart thudded in her chest.
"What do you mean they've begun?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"The Shadows," Neris said, stepping closer. "They've broken the seal on the Flame Crystal. The balance has been disturbed. Without the HarmoniX… the world will fall."
Talon backed away. "I'm just a girl. I don't even know what HarmoniX is."
Neris' glowing eyes softened. "You are more than you believe."
Suddenly, the amulet flared again brighter than before. Music not from any instrument she knew filled the air. A melody so ancient and powerful, it made her chest ache. Notes swirled around her like mist, lifting strands of her hair and filling her with something she couldn't explain.
Memories that weren't hers.
A castle of crystal. Girls standing in a circle of light. Laughter, then screams. Fire swallowing the sky.
She dropped to her knees. "What is this?"
"The memory of what was lost. The legacy you are tied to. Talon… you are the Princess of Water. Heir to Naiadia. The last of the Aqua Line."
She stared at Neris, breathless.
"Others will come. You will find them. Together, you must restore the Elements."
The spirit began to fade.
"Find the music. Trust the light. When the five awaken… HarmoniX will rise again."
And just like that Neris was gone.
Talon stood alone under the cold moon, heart pounding, amulet humming softly in her hand.
She looked toward the fire still burning in the distance… and took her first step forward.