The night sky stretched wide and endless above the palace. The stars burned quietly, and the moon hung low, spilling silver light across the Whispering Pool. Everything felt still like the world itself was holding its breath.
Lila knelt at the edge of the water. The grass was cool beneath her knees, and the faint glow from the pool reflected in her eyes. Her chest rose and fell with slow, steady breaths. She wasn't nervous anymore. Not afraid. Just… ready.
The air shifted. The silence deepened.
They came to her.
Naelith of Water rose first from the pool, her body rippling like a living current. Pyrion of Fire appeared next, his outline flickering in orange and gold. Then Terran of Earth, steady and massive as stone. And finally, Sylas of Wind—half there, half everywhere at once, a whisper in the air.
They didn't come as rulers or judges this time.
They came as family.
"You are no longer simply heir," Pyrion said, his tone steady but proud. "You are our bond."
"Our child," Naelith added softly. "Our chosen," Terran's deep voice followed. "Our promise," finished Sylas, his words drifting like a breeze through her hair. Lila swallowed hard, her throat tight. "I don't know if I can be what you need," she admitted quietly. "I'm not perfect. I still doubt. I still fail."
Naelith knelt in front of her, the edges of her form rippling with gentle light. "And that's exactly why you're ready," she said. "Perfection is cold. It breaks. But you…" she touched Lila's cheek, cool as rain "you bend. You feel. You care." Lila's eyes stung. She bowed her head, unable to find words. The four spirits stepped closer, forming a circle around her. Then, one by one, they reached out:
Pyrion placed his hand on her chest.
Terran rested his palm on her back.
Sylas touched her brow.
Naelith pressed her fingers to Lila's heart.
A pulse of energy moved through her warm, cool, heavy, light all at once. It wasn't pain. It wasn't even power. It was connection. A merging.
Their energy didn't consume her. It became her.
The air shimmered. Light spread through her skin, glowing softly like gold beneath her veins. The symbols carved into the stones around the pool lit up, one by one, until the entire courtyard was alive with ancient color.
Lila could feel them all, every heartbeat of the elements, every breath of wind, every whisper of flame. The spirits weren't separate voices anymore. They were part of her.
She opened her eyes slowly. The world seemed different brighter, deeper, alive.
Sylas's voice was the last she heard, faint and full of warmth. "We cannot leave descendants. But through you, we live on. You are our memory, our legacy." Naelith smiled, her shape beginning to fade into mist. "Because you loved, when others chose power. Because you listened, when others commanded."
And then they were gone.
The Whispering Pool rippled with golden light. When it finally settled, a fifth mark shimmered at its center—four for the spirits. And one for her. Lila rose to her feet, breathing in the cool night air. The world felt lighter, but her heart heavier with meaning. She wasn't just carrying their power anymore.
She was carrying their faith.
From the shadows beyond the trees, Isolde stood silently, her eyes glassy with emotion. She didn't move closer. She only watched—the girl she had trained, the child of fate, now standing where no mortal had ever stood before.
Her voice was soft when it came, almost lost to the night.
"The Spirit Queen is awakening."