The battle in the sky had ended, but Luna's heart still felt heavy.
She sat beneath a tree near the Skyreach Plains, wrapping her arms around her knees. The wind had calmed, and Zephiron had disappeared back into the skies—but his final words echoed in her mind:
> "You did not win because you fought. You won because you let the wind speak."
She had now awakened three elemental kings—Water, Fire, and Air.
But a question burned in her like a flame that refused to go out:
"Why me?"
Why had she been chosen? Why did the elements trust her? What had she been born to do?
She closed her eyes.
And for the first time since childhood…
she saw her mother's face.
It was blurry—soft eyes, kind smile, holding her tightly.
And next to her was a man. Not her father… but someone else.
A stranger with a cloak made of shadows. His face hidden. His hand reaching out.
Then—screams. Fire. A broken cradle.
And a voice:
> "Hide the child. She must not fall into his hands."
Luna awoke with a cry.
The earth beneath her trembled slightly. She stood quickly.
The wind no longer spoke. The fire inside her quieted. The water stilled.
Now… it was the earth calling.
She followed it.
South of the village stood a place no one dared visit: the Stonecradle Gorge—a deep canyon filled with ancient rock, old ruins, and silence that pressed against the skin.
Luna climbed down carefully. Every stone she touched seemed to hum, like it remembered something. Like it remembered her.
At the base of the gorge was a large stone gate, carved with symbols older than the stars. When she placed her hand on the center, the gate rumbled open.
Inside, the walls glowed faint gold. Roots ran through the stone like veins. And in the center of the chamber stood a throne of rock, still and heavy.
She stepped forward.
> "You have come, child of the old blood," a deep voice rumbled.
The ground shook, and from the throne rose a massive figure—made of rock and stone, taller than any tree. His eyes glowed with mossy green light. His movements were slow but full of power.
Terranak, King of Earth.
> "You carry the weight of the world," he said. "Yet you walk like you are empty."
Luna bowed her head. "I need answers."
> "You seek your past."
She nodded.
Terranak raised his hand, and the ground opened into a pool of memory—a vision of the past.
Luna saw a temple on fire. She saw five elemental kings gathered around a woman holding a baby—her. The woman whispered something to the kings, then sent the baby away in a wave of light.
> "You were born to the Elemental Circle," Terranak said. "Your mother was the Guardian of Balance. She gave you her gift—all five elements—to protect the world."
> "And your father… was not human."
Luna stepped back. "What?"
> "He was once the King of Spirit," the earth king said. "But he fell into darkness. He wanted to control all magic—not protect it. And now… he hunts you. To reclaim what you carry."
Her heart thundered.
That shadowy figure. The broken cradle. The fire. The truth—it had all been real.
> "You are not cursed," Terranak said. "You are a child of both light and shadow. And you must choose which one to follow."
Luna took a deep breath.
Then placed her hand on the stone floor.
The earth responded.
Rocks rose gently beneath her, vines bloomed, the walls glowed with golden strength.
She had chosen.
Terranak bowed his heavy head. "You are now the keeper of Earth."
Four elements now lived in her soul:
🌊 Water – peace.
🔥 Fire – courage.
🌪 Air – clarity.
🌍 Earth – truth.
But the fifth… the final and most dangerous…
Spirit.
It was the deepest. The oldest. And it was tied to the one enemy she feared the most—her own father.