Dawn had not yet broken, but the city was already beginning to breathe. Streetlamps flickered like dying stars, casting long beams across empty sidewalks and shuttered storefronts. A thin fog clung to the ground, curling around Arianna's boots as she walked beside Kaelith through the quiet streets. The silence felt different today—charged, alert, expectant.
Her body ached from the trial. Every muscle throbbed, every joint felt bruised from holding too much power too quickly. But the ache was nothing compared to the hum under her skin—a lingering echo of shadows and light that refused to settle.
She touched her wrist, tracing the glowing crescent mark now hidden beneath her sleeve. Even covered, she could feel its pulse, like it was listening to the world around her, gauging danger, waiting for its next command.
Kaelith glanced at her as they walked. "You should rest."
She shook her head. "I'm fine."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "You are not fine. You used more energy last night than a newly awakened bearer is meant to. The mark draws from your spirit, not just your body. If you push too hard, it will take what you cannot afford to lose."
Arianna slowed. "Then teach me how to control it better."
His answer was silence—not dismissal, but consideration. As though he were weighing the truth of her words against the dangers he had not yet revealed.
Finally, he said, "Very well. But not here."
They turned down a narrow street, where the fog thickened into something almost tangible. Arianna felt a prickle at the back of her neck. Not danger—memory. Something familiar lived in the air, though she could not place it.
Kaelith stopped at an old iron gate bordering a forgotten cemetery. The fence was bent and rusted, as though something enormous had collided with it years ago. Blackthorn bushes grew in tangled masses between the graves.
A chill ran through her.
"This place…" she whispered.
"Yes," Kaelith said quietly. "You've been here before."
Arianna swallowed. "In… a past life?"
He shook his head. "Recently. You came here as a child."
Her breath caught. "I don't remember."
"You wouldn't," Kaelith said. "Your guardian erased the memory to keep you safe. But now the past is unraveling, and you must face what you once saw."
The gate groaned as he pushed it open. Fog swept through the opening like a sigh. Arianna hesitated only a moment before following.
Inside the cemetery, the world felt suspended. Sound dimmed. The breeze stilled. Even her heartbeat seemed to slow. Kaelith walked with a strange, reverent caution—as though stepping through a sacred threshold.
They passed rows of old graves, some broken, some so eroded they were little more than faint impressions. Arianna sensed eyes watching—from the stones, from the shadows, from memories half-buried.
"Why bring me here?" she asked softly.
Kaelith stopped before a lone tree—twisted, ancient, its branches bare and black as soot. Beneath it was a simple stone slab, unmarked.
"You once came here," Kaelith murmured. "At the age of eight. Alone."
Arianna blinked. "I… wandered into a cemetery alone?"
"You were called here by something older than fear." His voice lowered. "By a memory embedded in your soul."
She felt the air shift—colder, tighter.
"What did I see?" she whispered.
Kaelith hesitated. His silver eyes dimmed. "The truth."
A sudden gust of wind tore through the cemetery, whipping her hair around her face. The fog thickened until she could barely see Kaelith through it. Her heart thundered.
"Kaelith?" she called.
His figure blurred—then vanished entirely.
Arianna spun around, panic rushing up her throat. The cemetery twisted. Graves shifted positions. Shadows lengthened unnaturally. Her breath fogged in the air as the world bent around her.
Then—silence.
And a whisper behind her.
"Arianna."
She froze. The voice was soft. Feminine. Echoing. Like a lullaby she half-remembered from childhood.
She turned slowly.
A woman stood beneath the ancient tree, wearing a gown of luminous silver. Her hair fell like strands of moonlight, her eyes glowing faintly—too bright, too knowing. Her presence radiated warmth and sorrow, like a star mournful of its own fading light.
Arianna staggered backward. "Who… who are you?"
The woman smiled—gentle, bittersweet.
"You know me," she said. "Your soul has known me for lifetimes."
Arianna's throat tightened. "I don't—"
The woman raised a hand, and the cemetery dissolved around them like sand swept by wind.
Suddenly they stood in a vast hall lit by floating lanterns. Banners of deep blue and silver draped the walls. The air smelled of incense and ancient magic. The floor beneath them was polished marble, veined with celestial patterns.
Arianna gasped. "Where…?"
"This is your past," the woman whispered. "Your throne room. Your kingdom."
Arianna's mind spun. She stared at the throne at the end of the hall—tall, elegant, shaped like a crescent moon. Shadows curled around its base, as if guarding it.
Her chest ached with a strange, sharp familiarity.
The woman approached her, hands clasped gently. "I am Liora. Your mother."
The words hit like a physical blow.
Arianna staggered. "My mother…? But—my mother died when I was young—"
Liora shook her head. "Your human mother raised you in this life. But I speak of the soul. The power you carry came from me. From our line. From the queens who ruled the realm of dawn long before earthly kingdoms existed."
Arianna's breath quickened. "I don't understand. What realm? What queens? What does any of this have to do with me"?
Liora's expression softened. "You were born with a light that the darkness feared. A light older than stars. You were hunted long before you were born into this life. And when I died… the mark passed to you."
Arianna looked down at her wrist—the mark glowed faintly through her sleeve.
"You were meant to rise again," Liora continued. "To reclaim what we lost. To stop what is coming."
The hall trembled suddenly—as if something enormous pressed against the walls. Lanterns flickered.
Liora's gaze sharpened. "There is little time. The remnants are not your true enemies. They are shadows of a greater force. Something ancient, something that remembers our fall."
Arianna's pulse pounded. "What force?"
Liora opened her mouth—then her expression shifted to fear.
The hall darkened. The marble floor cracked beneath them. A roar echoed through the space, shaking the pillars. Liora reached toward Arianna.
"Listen to me," she said urgently. "Trust Kaelith. Even if he guards secrets from you—especially then. He is your protector. He always has been."
Arianna's eyes widened. "Kaelith… knew you?"
A shadow slammed into the hall, ripping open the air behind Liora. She gasped as the force dragged her backward.
Arianna lunged toward her. "No!"
Liora's fingers brushed hers—warm, soft, fading.
"My daughter," she whispered, voice breaking. "Awaken fully… before it finds you."
The world shattered like glass.
Arianna hit the ground hard—stone, cold and real. The cemetery snapped back into focus. The ancient tree loomed overhead. Fog swirled violently.
Kaelith stood in front of her, sword of shadow drawn, eyes blazing silver. "Arianna!"
She gasped, clutching his sleeve. "Liora she"
"Stay behind me," he snapped, pulling her close.
From the darkness between the graves, something moved. Not a remnant. Something far larger. Far older. Its presence pressed on the air like a weight, bending the shadows.
Arianna's mark flared in agony.
The creature stepped forward—its form shifting like tar and starlight, its eyes burning with ancient hunger.
Kaelith exhaled sharply. "No… it's too soon."
Arianna stared, heart hammering.
"What is that?" she whispered.
Kaelith tightened his grip on his shadow blade, voice low and grim.
"That," he said, "is the thing even the remnants fear."
The creature's gaze locked onto Arianna. The fog curled toward its mouth like it was breathing in her presence.
Kaelith stepped closer, shielding her fully.
"It found you," he growled. "The Harbinger."
Arianna's blood ran cold.
The Harbinger tilted its head and smiled.