The sky had never been so quiet.
Even the stars seemed to hold their breath as the red sun dipped lower and the Eclipse Convergence began—an event whispered about in fragments of star-lore, long dismissed as myth. But Maelin knew now: it was real. And it had been waiting for her.
Inside the Scholar's Tower, the cracked Celestial Locket pulsed steadily in Elara's hands. Its second layer had revealed more than Liraen's name—it showed a map.
But not one of the world.
It was a map of the void between stars. A chart of where light had never reached. The places Liraen had touched first. Forgotten realms. Choir graves. Vanished constellations.
Caelum leaned over the glowing threads. "They form a shape… a sigil."
Maelin nodded. "A key. The Whisper wasn't just a prophecy—it's a locking mechanism. Something the first Choir left behind to keep him contained."
"But now," Elara said softly, "you've opened it."
Maelin looked away, shame threading through her voice. "No. He opened it—through me."
Just then, the shadows in the Archive began to twist. Elara's oil lamp dimmed. The silver-glass windows turned to a dull black, reflecting no moonlight.
And then…
> A voice.
Cold. Familiar. Ancient.
"Little Echo."
Maelin's blood froze. The temperature in the room dropped sharply.
> "You wear the crown… but you do not hear it yet, do you?"
She turned sharply. The shadows moved—no, formed—into a tall figure. A suggestion of a man. Robes like unraveling constellations. Hollow eyes. A crown of thorns made of voidlight.
Liraen.
Caelum reached for his blade—but Maelin held out her hand.
"Don't," she whispered. "He's not… really here."
"A projection," Elara confirmed, trembling. "He's found a way to reach into the light's memory."
Liraen stepped forward. His presence rippled the room.
> "Do you think they left you the truth? The Whisper is not a gift. It is a curse—a burden meant to delay the inevitable."
Maelin met his gaze. "Why now? Why return?"
His voice cracked with a cruel melody.
> "Because the stars have gone silent. And in silence… my song reigns."
Then he vanished.
The shadows snapped back.
The locket dimmed.
The tower stood in stunned quiet.
Maelin turned to the others. "We have to go to the Solstice Gate."
Elara's face paled. "That gate hasn't opened in two hundred years."
"It will," Maelin said. "Because that's where the Whisper began. And it's where I'll end this."
Outside, the Eclipse had reached its peak.
And the first star to fall landed in the forests just north of Silverwood—with a sound like a scream made of light.