Page 57 of Favored By the Stars

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Because I've seen similar ones in the Sun King's forbidden archives." His eyes narrowed at the fading purple glow. "They were used to mark places where the veil between our world and the Void is thin."

Wyn shuddered visibly. "That explains the pull I felt. It was like... something on the other side recognized me."

An icy dread settled in my stomach. The Empress's voice from my dreams echoed in my mind: Your little mage friend is already halfway to being mine.

"We need to find Niri," I said decisively. "If these ruins contain doorways to the Void, we need to know exactly where we're stepping."

Van emerged from the shadows where he'd been conferring with Liora. "The Starforged Mirror won't be found in a safe place, Senara. The legends say it was hidden deliberately where darkness and light intersect."

"A perfect place to hide something from both courts," Thorn muttered.

"And a perfect place for an ambush," I added, my hand instinctively reaching for the Crescent Diadem that now felt like a part of my very being. "Wyn, stay close to me. If something on the other side is calling to you, we need to make sure you don't answer."

Niri appeared as if summoned by our concern, her dark eyes reflecting the dying embers of the blue fire. She looked between us; her gaze lingering on the wall where the symbols had been glowing moments before.

"You've found the Whispers," she said, her voice low and tense. "We avoid this chamber when possible."

"What are they?" I asked, placing a protective hand on Wyn's shoulder.

"Messages left by those who crossed over... and sometimes, messages from what waits on the other side." Niri approached the wall cautiously. "The Void has been pressing against our world for centuries, but lately, the pressure has increased. We feel it most strongly here in Lumerin."

Liora moved closer to me, her long ears twitching nervously. "That's why we need the Eclipse Child," she whispered. "The legends say you can mend what's been torn."

I felt the weight of their expectations pressing down on me. "I'm still learning what that even means."

"It means you're the only one who can retrieve the Mirror," Van said, his eyes gleaming with excitement that made me uneasy. "The legends are quite specific about that."

Thorn stepped between Van and me, his posture rigid with suspicion. "And how, exactly, do you know so much about these legends, musician? You seem remarkably well informed for someone who claims to be merely curious."

Van's smile didn't reach his eyes. "I've traveled widely and listened carefully. Is that so strange for a bard?"

"When those travels always seem to lead to Senara, yes," Thorn replied coldly.

I raised my hand, cutting off their brewing argument. "Where is this mirror supposed to be?"

Niri pointed down a dark corridor that seemed to swallow the light. "The Chamber of Reflections lies that way. It was once a place of meditation for our ancestors, where they could see the truth of their souls." Her expression grew somber. "Now it shows other truths... darker ones."

"And you think the Starforged Mirror is there?" I asked.

"If it exists," Niri replied, "that's where it would be hidden. But I must warn you, those who enter seeking power often find only madness."

The Diadem warmed against my skin, responding to my determination. "I'm not seeking power. I'm seeking a way to stop the Empress."

"Sometimes," Niri said softly, "the difference isn't as clear as we'd like it to be."

I took a deep breath, steadying myself against the surge of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me. The weight of expectation pressed down like a physical force, but the Diadem on my head seemed to balance it, channeling both my sun and moon magic into something more controlled.

I stepped into the dark corridor, my heart pounding in my chest as I followed Niri. Shadows danced along the walls, flickering like fragmented memories trying to escape their confines. The air felt thick with tension, a palpable warning that only heightened my senses and sharpened my focus. Each footfall echoed in the eerie silence, a constant reminder of how fragile our mission truly was and how much rested on our shoulders.

"What if we find it?" Wyn's voice broke the stillness behind me, filled with a mixture of anxiety and hope. "What if it really can help us?"

I turned to her, searching for that familiar spark of hope in her eyes, the flicker of determination that always inspired me. "Then we use it when we confront the Empress. We'll need every advantage we can get," I replied, my voice steady despite the uncertainty swirling within.

Thorn walked close beside me, his presence grounding yet taut with unease, like a coiled spring ready to snap. "Stay alert. The closer we get, the more vulnerable we'll be," he warned.

Niri led us deeper into the ruins of the temple, her breathing becoming ragged, betraying her growing anxiety as the magic in the air thickened, wrapping around us like a heavy fog.

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