The forest seemed quieter the next day. Even the birds did not sing.
Luna stood at the edge of the clearing, staring at the black stone. It no longer glowed. No flames, no water, no voices. Just silence.
"Was it all a dream?" she whispered to herself, fingers brushing the moss on the stone's surface.
But her heart said no.
She felt different now.
Something inside her had awakened. She could feel the air breathing with her. She could sense the pulse of the trees, the weight of the sky.
And there was something else—a soft call, like a voice far away. It wasn't loud. It wasn't clear. But it tugged at her soul gently, like waves pulling sand back into the sea.
She followed it.
Deeper into the forest.
Farther than she had ever gone.
The trees grew thicker. The light dimmed. Vines hung like curtains. But Luna wasn't afraid. With every step, the voice grew stronger—not in her ears, but in her heart.
Finally, she reached a hidden spring. The water sparkled unnaturally, glowing faint blue under the dark canopy. A circle of stones surrounded the pool, and in the center floated a small orb of pure water, turning slowly in the air.
The moment Luna stepped forward, the orb rippled like it was alive.
Then a figure began to rise from the water—a tall woman with hair that flowed like rivers, skin that shimmered like moonlight on the sea, and eyes deep as the ocean.
It was her: Kaelora, Queen of Water.
Luna's breath caught.
She fell to her knees.
But Kaelora only smiled gently. "Rise, child. There is no need to kneel to the elements. We are yours, and you are ours."
"I-I don't know how to do any of this," Luna said softly. "I'm not strong. I don't even know who I truly am."
"You are stronger than you believe," Kaelora replied. Her voice was calm but carried great power, like waves that could be soft one moment and crashing the next.
Kaelora walked across the surface of the spring, never sinking. "The first step is trust—not in us, but in yourself."
The water queen raised her hand, and a sphere of water formed above her palm.
"Control begins with connection," she said. "Close your eyes."
Luna obeyed.
"Feel the water. Not just with your hands. With your spirit."
At first, there was nothing. But then, slowly, she felt it: the cool calmness, the endless flow, the gentle strength of water that could heal or destroy.
It wasn't outside of her.
It was inside her.
Her fingertips tingled. Her heart slowed. And when she opened her eyes—there was a small ribbon of water floating around her hands, glowing softly like it was alive.
Kaelora nodded. "You have touched the current. That is the beginning."
Tears came to Luna's eyes. Not from sadness—but from peace. For the first time, something felt right. Not forced. Not frightening. Just… her.
"But listen well, Luna," Kaelora said, her voice now heavier, darker. "This gift is rare. Many will not understand it. And some will want to take it from you."
Luna's hands lowered. "Who?"
"The shadow that broke the balance long ago has begun to stir again," she said. "And it knows about you."
Luna's fingers clenched into fists.
"Let it come," she whispered, voice quiet but burning. "I'm done hiding."
Kaelora smiled again, this time with a look of pride. "Then you are ready for the next step. One element has awakened. The others will follow. Fire. Air. Earth. Spirit. You must find them all—and summon their kings."
As the queen of water faded back into the spring, her voice echoed softly in the trees:
> "But beware, young summoner… not all kings will come willingly."
Luna stood alone once more, water still dripping from her fingertips.
But she was no longer just a girl in the forest.
She was Luna—
The girl who had summoned her first king.