Liara couldn't sleep.
The darkness of her room felt suffocating, heavier than it had ever been before. Her thoughts kept spiraling back to Farin's words. "The truth will tear everything apart."
She sat up, clutching the pendant he had given her. The cool silver seemed to burn against her palm, pulsing with an energy she couldn't fully understand. The mark on her chest thrummed in response, as though urging her to listen, to act.
What did he mean by "the truth"? What was beyond the door?
She couldn't answer her own questions. But one thing was certain: she was at the center of something much larger than herself, and it terrified her.
The next day, Liara couldn't focus in class. Her mind kept drifting to the silver-robed figure, to the pendant, to Farin's warning. It felt like a storm was brewing inside her, threatening to break free at any moment.
During lunch, she found herself alone on the balcony, staring out at the sprawling academy grounds. She needed to think, to clear her head. But every time she closed her eyes, she saw the door, the sigils, and Seralyn's spirit guarding it.
"Liara."
She turned at the sound of her name. Cassian stood in the doorway, looking at her with concern. He had been distant since her match, but now, there was a new intensity in his gaze.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Liara forced a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
Cassian stepped closer, his expression softening. "About the tournament?"
"No," she replied quickly, her voice sharper than she intended. "Not the tournament."
He tilted his head, studying her. "Then what's going on?"
Liara hesitated. She wanted to tell him everything—about the sigil, the vision, the figure in silver, the warning from Farin. But something held her back. She wasn't ready to share it. Not yet.
"I just need time," she said finally. "I need to figure things out on my own."
Cassian seemed to understand. He nodded, but his eyes betrayed his worry. "If you ever need help… you know where to find me."
She nodded, grateful for his support, but it didn't settle the gnawing uncertainty inside her.
Later that night, Liara stood in front of the mirror, tracing the sigil on her collarbone with trembling fingers. The mark burned with an intensity that sent sharp jolts of heat through her chest.
"You will need it to unlock the Vault—or it will consume you."
The words echoed in her mind again. Farin's warning. The third key. The Vault.
Her reflection in the mirror flickered—Cassian's face, Aeron's shadow, then the silver-robed figure's golden eyes.
She stepped back, her heart racing.
What am I becoming?
The sigil pulsed, urging her forward, and she stumbled back into her bed, the weight of the truth too much to bear. But then, through the darkness, she heard it—a whisper, too faint to catch with her ears, but it cut through the silence of her room:
"The door is waiting."
Liara bolted upright, gasping. The pendant, still lying on her nightstand, shimmered in the moonlight.
The following day, Liara couldn't ignore it any longer. She needed to confront Farin. She needed to understand what he meant by "the door" and why it was so important.
She found him in the library, deep in the stacks of forbidden texts, his presence so quiet it was almost as if he belonged to the shadows themselves.
"Farin," she called, her voice steady despite the chaos swirling inside her.
He looked up, his sharp gaze meeting hers. "I was wondering when you'd come."
She took a deep breath. "You need to tell me everything. About the door. About the third sigil. About Seralyn."
Farin stood slowly, his expression unreadable. He didn't speak for a long moment, as if weighing her words. Finally, he said, "You're right to ask. But be careful, Liara. Once you open this door, there's no going back."
Liara's resolve hardened. "I'm not afraid of the truth. I need to know."
He nodded, as if expecting her response. "The Vault was never just a prison for Seralyn's power. It was a way to contain her. To keep the world from unraveling. But the door was something more. It was the last piece of a prophecy—a prophecy about three souls destined to unlock the Vault."
Liara's eyes narrowed. "Three souls?"
Farin's gaze darkened. "Yes. You're one of them. But so is Aeron. And the third… well, that's where the danger lies. The third soul is Seralyn's essence—her will, her magic, her very being. But it can't be controlled. Not by anyone."
Liara felt her breath catch. "You mean… it could possess us?"
"Not just possess. It could destroy you—consume you whole," Farin warned.
A cold shiver ran down Liara's spine. The sigil burned hotter against her skin.
Farin leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You've already started to unlock it, Liara. And now, you need to decide. Will you face the truth, or will you turn away? Because once you open that door, there's no turning back."