The golden castle rose slowly from the clouds.
It was enormous.
Its towers reached into the sky, while golden chains hung beneath it, disappearing into the clouds.
I couldn't look away.
"The First Queen," I whispered.
Celestia nodded.
"She has awakened."
Shawshank stepped closer to me.
"Is she dangerous?"
Celestia didn't answer immediately.
That frightened me more than anything.
Finally, she said,
"She was the most powerful being to ever rule the three worlds."
I looked at her.
"Then why did she disappear?"
Celestia's eyes remained fixed on the castle.
"Because she was afraid of herself."
A cold wind passed through us.
Then the castle doors opened.
A woman stepped out.
She wore a long golden dress.
Her hair flowed behind her like sunlight.
And on her head was a crown unlike any I had ever seen.
Three stones were set into it.
One blue.
One silver.
One black.
Sea.
Sky.
Darkness.
My heart began beating faster.
"She has all three powers," Shawshank whispered.
Celestia shook her head.
"No."
The woman looked down at us.
"She created them."
Silence fell.
The First Queen lifted one hand.
Every sea creature immediately bowed.
The silver army dropped to their knees.
Even the Bound humans lowered their heads.
Shawshank remained standing.
So did I.
The queen's eyes moved toward him.
"The sea chose you."
Shawshank said nothing.
Then she looked at me.
Her expression softened.
"Finally."
I frowned.
"Finally what?"
"You remember."
"I don't remember you."
She smiled sadly.
"You will."
I stepped forward.
"Why did you create me?"
The queen looked toward the sea.
"I didn't create you."
My heart stopped.
"But everyone says—"
"Everyone has been lying."
She slowly descended from the castle.
"I created the power."
She touched the three stones on her crown.
"But I did not create the soul that carries it."
I looked at the little girl.
Then at Shawshank.
"Then who created us?"
The queen's expression became serious.
"Love."
I froze.
"What?"
She looked at Shawshank.
"Your connection was born from protection."
Then she looked at the little girl.
"Her connection was born from sacrifice."
Finally, she looked at me.
"And yours was born from choice."
Nerath's voice suddenly echoed across the sea.
"Lies."
The queen turned.
For the first time, anger appeared in her eyes.
"Nerath."
The ocean became black.
Nerath rose from beneath the waves.
"You should have stayed asleep."
The First Queen raised her hand.
Golden light struck the water.
Nerath screamed.
The sea exploded.
Shawshank pulled me backward.
"What is happening?"
"The old powers are fighting," Celestia said.
Nerath's darkness spread across the sky.
The queen's golden light pushed against it.
Neither side moved.
Then Nerath laughed.
"You cannot stop what you started."
The queen looked at me.
"I don't need to."
Her eyes met mine.
"She does."
I stared at her.
"Me?"
"You were never meant to destroy Nerath."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
The queen walked toward me.
She placed one hand over my golden mark.
The moment she touched me, a violent surge of power passed through my body.
I screamed.
Memories flooded my mind.
I saw the three worlds before the war.
I saw the First Queen sitting on a throne.
I saw Nerath standing beside her.
I saw Marina carrying me.
I saw Angela running through a forest with me in her arms.
I saw Shawshank as a child, crying as his memories were erased.
Then I saw something I had never seen before.
The First Queen was holding a baby.
Me.
But she wasn't alone.
Standing beside her was another woman.
A woman with my eyes.
My heart stopped.
"Who is she?"
The First Queen closed her eyes.
"My sister."
I stared at her.
"Your sister?"
"She was the first person to discover that the three worlds could be united."
"What happened to her?"
The queen looked toward the darkness.
"Nerath killed her."
My breath caught.
"Why?"
"Because she discovered the truth."
"What truth?"
The queen looked directly at me.
"That the three worlds were never supposed to be separate."
I felt the ground beneath me tremble.
"What does that mean?"
The queen whispered,
"They were divided by force."
I looked toward the sea.
Then the sky.
Then the land.
"If they're reunited…"
Her eyes met mine.
"The boundaries disappear."
Shawshank stepped closer.
"And what happens then?"
The First Queen looked at him.
"Every creature will be free to cross into every world."
My stomach tightened.
"That could destroy everything."
"Yes."
"Then why would I do it?"
The queen smiled sadly.
"Because the choice is no longer mine."
She looked at my golden crown.
"It belongs to you."
Suddenly, Nerath's darkness struck the castle.
The golden towers began collapsing.
The First Queen turned toward the sky.
"It's too late."
I looked at her.
"For what?"
She pointed toward the horizon.
A massive black crack had appeared across the sky.
And through it…
something was coming.
Something much larger than Nerath.
The First Queen whispered,
"The fourth world."
My blood ran cold.
"There's a fourth world?"
She looked at me.
"There was."
Then the crack opened wider.
"And now…"
Her voice trembled.
"…it's coming back."