Page 72 of Court of Aether and Shadows

Your wisdom is valued, Wise One. Your words are heeded. But know this – I would tear down the very pillars of creation to keep her safe.

The elder nodded, a sad smile on her face.

"And therein lies the greatest danger, my Lord,” she shifts her dialect, as if to ensure the others can grasp what her warning entails. “Love can save worlds...but it can also destroy them."

With those cryptic words, she bowed deeply and retreated from the room, taking Elenore and the boy with her.

Kaelon positioned himself by the door, a silent guardian against any who would disturb us.

I settled into a chair by Lirael's bedside, my eyes never leaving her face. In that moment, with my hand on her cheek and her breathing syncing with mine, I knew that everything was about to change.

The prophecy was in motion, the worlds were aligning, and the greatest adventure of all was about to begin.

Why was I still burdened with uncertainty?

Whatever challenges lay ahead, whatever enemies we would face, I would be by her side. And together, we would reshape the very foundations of reality itself. Fear would not pause what has already been written to come to life.

I’ve come too far. Do not cower. Do not fear the unknown.

Trialing circumstances like this reminded me of my Queen and how she was my comfort. How easy it was for her to say a few words and uplift my spirits like no other. She made me feel braced. Feel worthy of the power granted to me so that I could protect this Court.

She saw my worth long before I ascended to the throne — centuries ago when I was but a commoner among the vast fields, and she was born warrior with delicate beauty.

"Welcome home, my Queen,"I murmured, my voice carrying the weight of centuries of longing."I'll be here when you wake. Always."

It didn’t matter if she couldn’t hear me or not. I wanted her to feel my presence. To know despite the shifts of time and space, I’d always be at her side.

No matter if the old her wouldn’t fully come to the surface.

As the night deepened around us, I felt the subtle shift in the fabric of reality. The barriers between worlds were thinning, the old magics awakening.

And at the center of it all was Lirael, my lost star, who finally returned to the night sky.

I was anticipating a confrontation sooner rather than later. I was positive tonight would not be as solemn as I’d wish. It didn’t matter to me, though.

For me, I was ready to go into war in my Queen’s steed.

She was the other half of my soul…and with that completion came a power that could reshape the very cosmos itself.

Are the Courts ready to enjoy a taste of my wrath? I wonder…

Mysterious Goddess

~SPARROW~

Ifloated in a sea of light, weightless, and formless.

Gone was the panic of falling, the chaos of the mission, and the confusion of my arrival in the strange new world.

Here, in this place of pure energy, I felt a sense of peace I had never known prior.

Before me stood a being of indescribable beauty, her form shifting and shimmering like a living constellation. Her eyes, deep pools of wisdom and power, gazed upon me with a mixture of affection and solemnity.

"Welcome, child of two worlds,"she said, her voice resonating through my very essence."You have questions, I see."

I tried to speak, found I had no voice, and yet my thoughts reached her all the same.

"Who are you? Why am I here? What's happening to me?"

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