The woods were quieter now. Not peaceful—just waiting.
Leora moved carefully along the forest trail, her hood pulled low, the sigil pendant hidden beneath her cloak. The deeper she went, the stranger the trees became. Some bent unnaturally, growing in spirals. Others were charred, as if struck by lightning long ago. There was a smell in the air too—burned leaves, and something faintly metallic.
She didn't sleep that night.
Even when she leaned against a tree to rest, her eyes kept darting toward the shadows. She didn't see the masked figure again, but she could feel it—someone was following her. Watching. Waiting. The forest was not empty.
By the second night, she reached the foot of the Hollow Peaks. Sharp cliffs pierced the sky, and a narrow trail snaked upward between jagged rocks. No signs marked the path. No birds flew above it. Only silence and wind.
Leora stared up at the mountain. "The Seer's up there?" she muttered. "Of course he is."
The climb was slow. Harsh. Her legs ached. Her hands bled from gripping the rocks. Every step upward felt heavier than the last, as if the mountain itself didn't want her reaching the top. Magic clung to the stone—wild, ancient magic, untamed and strange. The wind carried whispers, though no one was around.
Once, she thought she heard her name.
She didn't turn around.
On the third day, she reached a plateau. A narrow bridge of rock stretched across a chasm. Fog drifted below, hiding the bottom in a swirling sea of grey. On the other side stood a broken stone archway covered in glowing blue runes. A door, carved directly into the mountain.
Something about it made her chest tighten.
As she approached the bridge, the sigil on her chest burned. The one on her palm pulsed in response. And then the wind stopped completely.
A voice echoed from the fog.
"You've come far, Starborn."
Leora spun around.
A woman stood at the other end of the bridge, where Leora had just climbed up. Cloaked in black, her face hidden behind a silver mask shaped like a moon. She held no weapon, but the air around her vibrated with power.
"I saw you before," Leora said.
"Yes," the woman replied. "And you'll see me again. But not here. Not yet."
"Who are you? Why are you following me?"
"I follow no one," the woman said. "I only watch. And I warn."
Leora's grip tightened on the strap of her satchel.
"What do you want?"
"To see if you survive."
Before Leora could answer, the woman stepped backward—vanishing into the fog.
The moment she disappeared, the wind returned. A gust nearly pushed Leora off the bridge.
She hurried across, heart pounding.
The runes on the archway flared as she stepped through.
Beyond the stone door was a narrow tunnel, lit by dim blue crystals embedded in the walls. The air smelled like old parchment and dust. After a few turns, the tunnel opened into a wide chamber filled with shelves, scrolls, and floating orbs of light.
A man sat cross-legged in the center of the room, surrounded by books. His robes were torn and patched with different colors, his beard long and braided with silver threads. His eyes opened the moment she entered.
"I was wondering how long it would take you," he said. "You almost fell off the bridge, by the way."
"You're the Seer?" Leora asked, breathless.
"Former Seer," he said. "The Order doesn't like when you tell people the truth. They said I was mad."
"Are you?"
"Of course," he smiled. "But that doesn't mean I'm wrong."
He stood and walked toward her, eyes scanning her face. Then he reached out, fingers gently brushing her cloak. The moment he touched her, the sigils flared.
His eyes widened.
"Oh. Oh stars. You're further along than I expected."
"You know what I am?" Leora asked.
"You're the crack in the sky. The broken thread. The first and last flame." He stepped back. "You're the reason the stars are shifting again."
Leora pulled the sigil stone from her satchel. "This. It reacted to me. What is it?"
The Seer took the stone carefully, eyes narrowing as he turned it in his hand.
"It's a shard," he murmured. "From the Celestial Forge. A place that hasn't existed in thousands of years."
He placed it gently on the table and motioned for her to sit.
"You're not just Starborn, Leora. You are a conduit. Magic—true magic—moves through you. You've already awakened two sigils. There are seven."
"Seven?" Leora asked. "What happens when they all awaken?"
The Seer was quiet.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low.
"Then the world either resets… or burns."
Leora swallowed. "I don't want to burn anything."
"That's not your choice. The stars chose you long ago."
She looked down at her hands.
"I didn't ask for any of this," she whispered.
"No Starborn ever has. But you were born under the fractured moon. Your name is carved into the final verse of the prophecy."
Leora looked up. "Can you show me?"
The Seer hesitated, then walked to a wall lined with scrolls. He pulled one free and unrolled it on the table.
Leora leaned in.
The symbols were in an ancient language she didn't know. But the last line shimmered faintly, as if it had only recently been written.
"She who bears the Flame and Void shall break the cycle and bind the end."
"That's you," the Seer said.
"But I don't even know how to control it. When it happens… it hurts. It destroys things."
"You're still awakening. The third sigil is close. When it appears, the choice will come."
"What choice?"
"Whether to let the fire consume… or to give it away."
Before she could ask more, the mountain trembled.
A dull roar echoed through the cave.
The Seer froze.
"They've found you."
Leora jumped to her feet. "The Order?"
"No," he said. "Something worse."
He moved quickly, grabbing a crystal orb from the shelf. "This will lead you to the Shattered Gate. It's the only way to the eastern skylands now."
"But—what about you?"
"I've been running from fate for too long. It's time I stood my ground."
A second tremor shook the floor. Dust fell from the ceiling.
The Seer grabbed Leora's arm, pushing the orb into her hand.
"Go! Now!"
Leora hesitated. "Thank you."
He nodded. "We'll meet again. If I live."
She turned and ran.
The tunnel collapsed behind her as she sprinted back through the stone doorway. The orb in her hand glowed, casting a beam of light onto the path through the peaks.
As she crossed the ridge, she looked back just once.
Smoke rose from the mountain.
The Seer was gone.
But in the wind, a whisper reached her ears.
"She has begun."
---
End of Chapter Five Cliffhanger:
Leora reaches the Seer and learns the terrifying truth about the sigils and her role in the prophecy. She escapes just as an unknown force attacks the mountain, killing or capturing the Seer. Now guided only by a glowing crystal orb, she must find the Shattered Gate—alone, hunted, and closer than ever to unlocking her third sigil.