The warm, orange glow of the Sunstone seemed to pulse in time with Cade's heartbeat as they hurried back to the cottage. The danger of the caverns was behind them, but a new kind of tension filled the air—the thrilling, nervous energy of impending change.
They burst through the cottage door, and Sienna was on her feet in an instant. Her eyes went straight to the crystal in Cade's hand. The hope on her face was so bright it was almost painful to see.
"You... you really found one," she whispered, her voice trembling. She took the Sunstone from him, her fingers closing around its warm surface. She held it like it was the most precious thing in the world.
Zara placed the wooden tube containing the three Gale Sparrow feathers on the table next to it. "All three ingredients," she announced, a proud smile on her freckled face. "The boy was fearless."
Sienna looked at the items, then at her son, her aunts, her eyes shining with unshed tears of gratitude. "Thank you," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "All of you."
"But the last part," Cade said, the words from his ability clear in his mind. "She has to bathe in the first dawn light on top of a high cliff. We have to do it tomorrow morning."
Raven nodded. "The highest point nearby is Sunrise Bluff. It's a tough climb, but we can make it by dawn if we leave in the middle of the night."
The plan was set. The rest of the day was spent in quiet preparation. A nervous excitement hung over the cottage. Sienna could barely sit still, her attention constantly drifting to Lily, her Emerald Finch, who chirped happily, unaware of the transformation that awaited her.
That night, sleep was impossible. Hours before the first hint of light, they set out. Raven led the way with a surefooted confidence even in the dark. Sienna followed, holding Lily close. Cade, Zara, and the twins came behind, their lanterns casting shaky pools of light on the steep, winding path.
The climb was long and difficult. The air grew cold and thin. Rocky struggled on the narrow path, his bulk not made for such a climb. Finally, Cade had to use the Beast Stone, the grey rock glowing softly as it absorbed the drake, giving him rest.
Just as the black sky began to soften to a deep grey, they reached the top. Sunrise Bluff was a flat, windswept platform of rock, overlooking the entire sleeping world below. The wind whipped around them, pulling at their clothes and hair. It was the highest point for miles.
"This is it," Sienna said, her voice barely a whisper against the wind.
They didn't have to wait long. A thin line of brilliant gold appeared on the distant horizon, cutting between the dark land and the grey sky. The world held its breath.
"Now, Sienna," Zara said softly.
Sienna knelt and placed Lily on the flat stone in front of her. She arranged the three materials: the Sunstone glowed brighter as the dawn light touched it, the Gale Sparrow feathers shimmered with a blue light, and the first ray of the sun itself, pure and powerful, hit the cliff top.
Cade focused on the finch. The words in his mind began to shift and change, glowing with a new intensity.
Evolution Conditions Met. Proceeding.
The Sunstone cracked, and a wave of warm, golden energy flowed out. The three feathers dissolved into a swirling, azure mist. Both energies—the gold and the blue—were caught by the dawn light and funneled into the small Emerald Finch.
Lily began to glow. Her form was lost in a brilliant vortex of light and wind. The air hummed with power, and the wind on the bluff began to spin around them, pulling at them with sudden force.
Sienna's hair streamed behind her, her face a mask of awe and hope. Cade and his aunts watched, transfixed.
The light grew too bright to look at. There was a sound like a thunderclap mixed with the beating of a thousand wings. Then, silence.
The light faded.
Where the small finch had been was a new creature.
It was larger, with a wingspan as wide as Cade's arms. Its feathers were no longer just green. They were a magnificent mix of emerald, sky blue, and brilliant gold, like a stormy sky at sunrise. Its eyes crackled with intelligence and power. It let out a cry that was not a chirp, but a clear, piercing call that echoed over the cliffs.
Beast: Storm Finch
Rank:Gold 1-Star
Potential:[Data Missing]
Evolution Path:→ [Data Missing] Materials Required for Evolution:???
Cade read the words aloud, his voice filled with wonder. "Gold. She's Gold rank now."
Sienna stared, her hand over her mouth. Tears streamed down her face freely now, but they were tears of pure, uncontainable joy. She slowly held out her arm.
The Storm Finch looked at her, its new, intelligent eyes full of recognition and a deeper bond. It flapped its powerful wings once and glided gracefully onto her offered arm. It was light as a feather for its size.
Sienna laughed, a sound of pure happiness that was carried away by the wind. She stroked the bird's beautiful new feathers. "Lily," she whispered. "You're so beautiful."
The Finch nuzzled her hand gently.
The first rays of the full sun broke over the horizon, bathing all of them in warm, golden light. It felt like a blessing.
Raven let out a low whistle of appreciation. Zara was smiling so widely her cheeks must have hurt. The twins, Eris and Vera, held each other's hands, their blue eyes wide with happy tears.
Cade felt a warmth spread through his chest that had nothing to do with the sun. He had done this. His power had made this possible. The look on his mother's face was worth every second of fear in the mine and the caverns.
Sienna turned to him, her expression so full of love and pride it nearly took his breath away. She pulled him into a tight hug with her free arm, the Storm Finch adjusting its grip seamlessly.
"You did this," she whispered into his ear, her voice choked with emotion. "You gave me this gift. I will never forget it, my son. Never."
As they stood there on the cliff, surrounded by his family and the brilliant dawn, Cade knew something had changed forever. He was no longer just a boy they protected. He was the source of their hope. He was the key to their future.
And as his mother held him, her embrace felt a little tighter, a little longer, and held a new, deeper meaning that made his heart beat faster.
The first evolution for his family was complete. It was a perfect success.