The echoes of the temple bells had long since stopped, and the silence that clung to the night like dew. Ren Zian strolled by himself through the hallowed hall of statues blessed by dusk, each one adorned with images of suffering, beauty, and selflessness. He detested the way they stared at him as if they were aware of him.
He really didn't belong here. Not with the taste of Lyra still on his lips and the curse of the gods churning in his veins.
He was her choice. Once more. It also frightened him.
When he arrived at the silent alcove where Elowen, the Astral Garden clairvoyant, was waiting, his pace slowed.
Moonlight poured over her white-blonde hair as she sat cross-legged on a cushion. Her fingers were spinning incense into smoke patterns that defied all known laws while her eyes were closed.
She whispered, "You're late."
Ren answered, "I wasn't coming."
Her eyes opened. "However, you did."
On the other side of her, he sank to the stone floor. "You anticipated my breaking."
"I noticed you would. However, I had no idea who would be there to support you when you did.
Ren took a swallow. "Lyra. Lyra was the one.
Elowen's eyes grew piercing. "Then the veil has begun to thin already."
He raised his head. "What do you mean?"
"The agreement you made with her is more than just a physical one. It has a spiritual component. old. binding. However, your soul is still broken. A piece of you is still imprisoned in that lost world. You must find it in order to be whole.
Ren gasped. "That's how the gods want it."
Elowen reached out and whispered, "No." "When you're whole, the gods are afraid of what will happen."
He shuddered.
An image flashed into his mind, hot and burning: a battlefield bathed in gold light, Lyra lying injured under a shattered moon, and him with a blade of stars, his face a stranger.
He let out a gasp. "What was that?"
"The future. or a cautionary tale. or both.
Shaken, Ren stood up. "Where do I start?"
Elowen stood up as well, her voice quiet. "Where you were first broken, at the altar. You have to go back to the Maw.
Ren stumbled back. "No. That location..."
It contains the part of you that cried out but was ignored. what you left behind. Without him, you are unable to claim the throne.
He didn't respond. He was unable to. However, the truth was already churning inside of him, uncoiling like a long-awaited beast.
Elowen's tone grew softer. You know she'll accompany you. even in the dark. That is the curse of love. as well as its promise.