The journey to the capital took two weeks. As they traveled, they encountered more fractures—some so large they had to detour miles around them. In one village, an entire street had simply vanished, leaving nothing but empty air where homes had stood.
When they arrived at the capital, they found the city in chaos. People were fleeing, believing the end of the world was coming. The king had declared a state of emergency, but his advisors had no answers for the strange occurrences plaguing the city.
Clara, Alessandro, Kai, and Mara were brought before the king in the great hall of the palace. The room was filled with nobles, scholars, and military leaders—all watching with a mix of hope and suspicion.
"Tell us what you know," the king said, his voice heavy with worry.
Clara stepped forward, holding up the crystal that glowed with soft silver light. "Your Majesty, what we face is not an act of gods or demons. It is damage to the very fabric of reality itself damage caused thousands of years ago by a civilization that lost control of its own power. We have a way to stabilize the fractures, to give us time to find a permanent solution. But it will require all of us to work together."
She explained the techniques Lyra had taught her how to weave small amounts of power into the fractures, how to balance them rather than fight them. She demonstrated on a small fracture that had appeared in the corner of the great hall, watching as the shimmering air calmed and faded away.
The room erupted in murmurs. Some were skeptical, some were afraid, but many saw the hope in what she was offering.
"We will help," said the head of the capital's scholars. "We have libraries filled with ancient texts perhaps we can find more information about these First People you speak of."
The military leader nodded. "We'll provide protection and resources. Wherever you need to go, whatever you need to do, we'll support you."
That night, as they sat in the palace gardens planning their next steps, Alessandro pointed to the sky. A new star had appeared bright and silver, shining with the same light as the Heart of Creation.
"Lyra said that would happen," he said. "It means the Heart is holding for now. But we need to return soon. The keepers can't hold back the damage forever."
Clara looked at the star, then at her companions Kai, Mara, and the new allies they'd made in the capital. "Then we work faster," she said. "We learn everything we can here, help as many people as possible, and then we go back to finish what the First People started."