Kaelen felt it first, a subtle chill beneath his skin as dusk settled over Veylaris. The city's newfound calm had begun to unravel. Streetlamps flickered, their flames wavering between gold and blue. In the market, laughter felt brittle, and even the stones seemed wary beneath his boots.
He returned to his small room, restless. When he closed his eyes, the Inner Domain beckoned—no longer fractured, but not yet whole. The stars pulsed, uneasy, and the ocean's tides ran strangely backward.
At the far shore, a darkness pooled: not the gentle hush of night, but a hungry, creeping thing. Kaelen reached for it, but it recoiled, slipping beneath the waves. He woke with a start, heart pounding, the taste of ash and fear on his tongue.
The next morning, Ryn found him on the bridge, staring at the Spire. "You look worse than yesterday. Bad dream?"
Kaelen hesitated, searching for words that would not sound mad. "Something's changed. I felt it last night—a shadow. It's watching us."
Ryn's eyes narrowed. "You're sure?"
Kaelen nodded. "It's not over. The healing—someone, something, is trying to undo it."
Across the sea, Lysera felt the disturbance as a chill in the healing pools. Her magic snagged on hidden currents; water once vibrant now carried whispers of sorrow. The blossoms she coaxed from the surface wilted too quickly, their colors fading to grey.
Selara noticed her distress. "You sense it too, don't you?"
Lysera nodded, gripping her staff. "A shadow moves beneath the water. It's searching for me. For us."
She closed her eyes and reached inward. In the Inner Domain, the mended shore trembled. Lysera called out, her voice echoing across the cosmic sea: "Kaelen? Are you there?"
For a moment, she felt his presence—tense, alert, like a beacon in a gathering storm.
"We're being watched," Kaelen's voice replied, faint and distant. "Stay ready."
Lysera opened her eyes, her resolve hardening. The world's wounds had begun to close, but new dangers prowled just beyond sight. She raised her staff, and for the first time, she was ready to fight for the light she had only just begun to find.
Above Aquarion, storm clouds gathered, and far below, something ancient smiled in the dark.