Three days prior.
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Eclipsa sat on the edge of her bed, the soft glow of her phone illuminating her face in the dim light of her room. The walls were adorned with photographs of her daughter, Solstice, captured in moments of laughter and joy. But tonight, the atmosphere was heavy with tension as she listened to her grandmother, Elara, speak from the other end of the line.
"Eclipsa, you must understand. Solstice is at a pivotal moment in her life. The awakening is not just a rite of passage; it's a necessity. Time is running out," Elara insisted, her voice steady yet tinged with urgency.
Eclipsa clenched her jaw, her heart racing. "I disagree, Grandma. She's not ready for this. Letting her receive her power now could change everything. She doesn't have that choice to choose that, not be pushed into a trial she might not want."
"Elcipsa, this isn't just about her. It's about the balance of our world. If she doesn't complete the trial, the consequences could be dire," Elara replied, her tone softening slightly, but the weight of her words hung in the air.
"I will take care of my daughter," Eclipsa asserted, her voice firm. "There's no need for you to interfere with my decisions. She deserves the chance to choose to live a normal life."
With that, Eclipsa ended the call, and the silence that followed felt like a void. She stared at the phone, her heart heavy with the knowledge that her grandmother was right in some ways. But Solstice was still so young, and the thought of her being thrust into a world of power and responsibility filled Eclipsa with dread.
The next morning dawned with a sense of normalcy, the sun filtering through the trees outside their home. Eclipsa went about her day, preparing breakfast and tidying up, but her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't shake the feeling of impending change, a storm brewing just beyond the horizon.
As night fell, the tranquility of the day shattered when Solstice came through the front door, her face pale and her eyes filled with distress. Eclipsa rushed to her side, concern flooding her senses. "Solstice! What happened? We were worried! Where were you?"
Solstice shook her head, her voice trembling. "I was... I was in the woods."
Eclipsa could see that was not what she wanted to say, but didn't want to press her to clarify.
Eclipsa's heart sank. The only thing on her mind was "Did grandma pressure Solstice? What happened tonight?"
With all that on her mind, Eclipsa still hugged her daughter to comfort her softly.
"What happened?" asked Wyatt Grimm, Solstice's father, with his brow knitted with concern.
Elcipsa can feel that Solstice paused for a moment in her embrace before she continued to say, "It's hard to explain." Eclipsa saw that Wyatt wanted to push more, so she gave him a side-eye to tell him not to keep asking her for details, as she noticed her pale face.
Eclipsa instead went to make a warm cup of tea just the way Solstice liked it. Then they all gather together, talking and acting like nothing was wrong for Solstice's sake.
Solstice spent some time with them, talking about nothing and everything. Then she left for her room.
Eclipsa stood at the threshold of the living room, her heart heavy as she watched Solstice retreat to her room. The door clicked shut, a sound that echoed in the silence of their home, amplifying the tension that hung in the air. Her daughter's distressed expression lingered in Eclipsa's mind, a haunting reminder of the burdens youth often bore.
"Is she alright?" Wyatt's voice broke through her thoughts, laced with concern. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, his brow furrowed.
Eclipsa turned to him, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's just boy trouble," she replied, dismissing the worry that gnawed at her insides.
Wyatt's gaze narrowed, a flicker of doubt crossing his features. He knew her well enough to sense the lie beneath her words. But he chose silence, allowing Eclipsa's facade to hold for just a moment longer. She was lost in the memories of her own youth, tangled in the threads of her past, and the weight of her family's legacy pressed heavily on her shoulders.
She was reminded of her grandmother Elara's cottage in the forest, which had always been a sanctuary. It had been years since Eclipsa had visited, but now, the urge to return surged within her like a tide.
Right in that instant, Wyatt broke her facade because the silence between her brows was troubling him.
"Did you see her face?" he asked, his voice low, almost a whisper. "Something's bothering her."
Eclipsa waved a dismissive hand, her heart heavy with the weight of secrets. "It's just boy trouble, Wyatt I told. You know how it is at that age."
He studied her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You're not being honest with me, Eclipsa. I can tell."
But she couldn't bear to delve into the depths of her daughter's distress, not when her own thoughts were tangled in memories of her grandmother, Elara. The old woman had been a force of nature, a keeper of family secrets and ancient wisdom, and the need for guidance gnawed at her.
"Maybe I'll go see her tomorrow," Eclipsa murmured, more to herself than to Wyatt. The thought of the cottage, nestled deep in the forest, brought a flicker of warmth to her heart. It had been too long since she'd felt the embrace of that familiar place.
The next morning, Eclipsa set out late in the morning, and the sun was almost at its peak in the sky. That's when she reached the end of the road for cars. Eclipsa got out and stared at the forest, alive with the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves —a symphony that soothed her troubled mind.
As she walked the winding path, memories flooded back—her grandmother's laughter, the scent of herbs drying in the sun, the stories spun around the fireplace on cold winter nights.
But as she approached the cottage, a sense of foreboding settled over her. The door creaked open, revealing a space that felt eerily empty. The familiar warmth was gone, replaced by a chilling silence. Eclipsa stepped inside, her heart racing.
Not taking a moment to look around, she rushed to the attic study. Her grandmother loves this place, and she was always seen in this attic study, reading a book. But the moment she entered, she instantly spotted something missing on the bookshelves. The two golden books that had continually graced the wooden shelf were missing—the Awakening Book and the History Book of their family heritage. Panic surged through her veins. Where could they be? Where was her grandmother?
"Grandma?" she called, her voice trembling. The only response was the echo of her own words, swallowed by the stillness.
It dawned on Eclipsa to check on her daughter, just to be sure she was safe. She pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling as she dialed Solstice's number. It rang once, twice, then went to voicemail. "Solstice, where are you?" she whispered while calling Solstice's cellphone, anxiety creeping into her voice. "Please call me back."
She paced the small room, her mind racing. "Something must have happened to my grandmother? She wouldn't just do that without telling anyone?" The thought was unbearable. Elara had always been the anchor of their family, a guiding light in the darkest of times.
Eclipsa's thoughts spiraled, weaving through the threads of her past. She remembered the last phone call she had with her grandmother, and it frightened her to the bone.
Eclipsa's emotions began to react with the sigil seals coursing through their veins.
Eclipsa was just about to lose it when suddenly, a rustle outside caught her attention. Eclipsa rushed to the window, her heart pounding. A Figure emerged with the trees—a young woman with wild hair and a determined stride was seen entering the forest. It was Solstice.
Eclipsa stood at the only large window in the attic study, her heart racing as she spotted her daughter, Solstice, stepping into the embrace of the shadowy forest. The girl's golden hair glimmered like a beacon, but the moment was fleeting, swallowed by the dark woods.
"Solstice!" Eclipsa called, her voice echoing against the trees, but it was as if the forest itself had conspired to muffle her cries. Panic surged within her as she now saw her daughter's Figure as a flicker in the distance. Eclipsa's heart pounded like a war drum, and she felt an unsettling chill creep up her spine.
Turning back to the inside of the attic study, Eclipsa's eyes darted around the dimly lit room. Shadows danced along the walls, twisting and writhing as if they were alive. A sense of dread washed over her as she realized that these shadows were not mere tricks of the light; they were sentient, hungry, and closing in.
"Not now," she whispered, her voice trembling. Eclipsa quickly cast the teleportation sigil seals and incantations. With a steady hand, the teleportation sigil seal was formed, as her fingers were trembling with urgency. The air crackled with celestial energy as she invoked the spell, feeling the familiar pull of energy envelop her.
In an instant, she was transported to the edge of the Eldernose Forest, the scent of damp earth and moss filling her lungs. Eclipsa's heart raced as she scanned the area, her eyes searching for any sign of Solstice. She knew the direction her daughter had taken; the path was marked by the faint glow of the green sigil seal gate, a portal that led to the trail realm.
But as she sprinted toward the gate, dread clawed at her insides. Eclipsa pushed forward, her determination unwavering, but when she reached the gate, her heart sank.
The green sigil seal gate shimmered slightly, announcing that it had been used just moments ago. Solstice had already passed through, and Eclipsa could feel the weight of time pressing down on her.
"No!" she cried out, desperation lacing her voice. She could not lose her daughter to the darkness that lurked within the realms. Eclipsa took a deep breath, steeling herself against the encroaching shadows that threatened to engulf her.
With a fierce resolve, she activated her own sigil seal gate to the Earth Trail Realm. As she stepped through, the world around her shifted, and she entered the Trail grounds. The air was thick with magic, and the desert loomed like ancient sentinels, their hills reaching out as if to engulf her. Eclipsa's instincts screamed at her to turn back, but she pressed on. Her heart knew she mustn't do that, but all be damned.
"Solstice!" she called out, her voice echoing out in the desert sands. The silence that followed was deafening. As she ventured further, the desert revealed its secrets—twisted paths and hidden dangers lurking under the sand. Eclipsa's mind raced with thoughts of her daughter, the image of Solstice's bright smile fueling her determination.
Suddenly, a flicker of movement caught her eye. Eclipsa turned, her heart leaping as she spotted a Figure in the distance. It was Solstice, standing at the edge of a swamp, bathed in an ethereal light. But as Eclipsa rushed forward, a shadow surged out from the swamp, a serpent, and it was blocking Solstice's path.
"Solstice!" she shouted, but the serpent roared, drowning out her voice. Eclipsa felt a surge of power within her; the celestial energy resonated with the sigil seals responding to her desperation. With a fierce cry, she summoned the light sigil seal to increase her speed, aside as she charged toward her daughter.
But as she reached the swamp edge, Solstice's battle had already begun, and all she had to do was stand and stare as her baby girl bravely fought.
Eclipsa fell to her knees, the weight of despair crashing over her like a tidal wave. Everything she tried to protect her daughter, Solstice, from was beyond her control.
In that moment, Eclipsa knew that the battle was far from over. There was a secret event that transpired in this swamp in the past because she had stopped at nothing to protect Solstice from this world. With a heart full of determination and a mind sharpened by fear,
Eclipsa rose to her feet upon seeing that her daughter had won and was beginning the ritual to gain her ancestors' blessing and approval.
Eclipsa had also concluded that the two golden books were with Solstice now.
As she had planned to confront her daughter afterward, she felt the presence of the guardian of the realm, Elowen, coming from the now open void.
Eclipsa hid herself using the erase present Sigil seal and just watched everything unfold. She only made her presence known after Solstice had gone through the next gate.
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Now flash forward to Solstice's second trail—the trail of water and the most deadly trail by far.