“I realized that maybe… things turned out the way they were supposed to.”
The breeze stilled for a moment, as if the ship itself was holding its breath.
Bálint tilted his head, his brows drawn together as he contemplated what she was saying. “What do you mean?”
Phoenix turned, facing them fully now. Her voice, soft but steady, carried a quiet strength. “When I landed on the Isle of the Dragons… Drago’s parents took me to the ruins of Arkla. There was a carving. Of a dragon with phoenix wings—just like me. Drago’s mom is the same as me.” She hesitated, then added, “She—she’s called a Guardian Protector.”
Alice straightened. “A Guardian Protector? What’s that?”
Phoenix lifted her hands, her expression changing to excitement. “There are only a few of us. We are created by the Goddesses to travel across worlds… to keep balance. A protector of all the realms, not just one.”
Adaline’s eyes widened. “You’re saying… you’re one of them?”
Phoenix looked out at the sea again, her arms dropping to her sides, her fingers catching the wind like she could grasp the truth she was still learning to hold.
“I am.”
Silence fell.
Not out of disbelief—but reverence.
Even Zohar sat up, his fingers curling in a fist as he studied her face—her expression.
Phoenix smiled faintly, her eyes shining—not with tears, but with something deeper. An internal knowledge older than time.
“It means,” she murmured, “that one day… I’ll have to leave.”
Her voice didn’t break—but the ache behind it was sharp, undeniable.
She turned back toward them then; her face radiant in the golden light, the shadow of that truth wrapped in a quiet peace. The wind played gently through her hair, lifting it like black silk in the sunlight.
The others didn’t speak.
They couldn’t.
Because the look in her eyes held them still—powerful, ancient, and impossibly young. A girl who had crossed oceans of stars… and had only just begun.
She gave them a crooked smile before adding softly, “But not yet.”
Her voice warmed, her smile blooming like sunrise. “I still have a lot to learn before I’m ready. And I’m going to need you all. Every single one of you.”
She looked at each of them—Alice’s steady wisdom, Bálint’s quiet strength, Adaline’s fierce heart, and Zohar’s loyalty flaring as bright as fire.
They were more than friends. They always had been, and she realized that her true power came from having them in her life.
Alice swallowed, her throat bobbing. “You’ll have us.”
“Always,” Bálint said, sliding forward and resting a hand on her shoulder.
“Even if we have to fly to the ends of the galaxy,” Adaline whispered, blinking back tears.
Zohar grinned. “I mean, I was planning to do something awesome with my life, but helping a Guardian Protector save the realms works too. Dad can handle all the boring diplomatic crap for a few more centuries.”
Laughter broke the tension like sunlight through clouds.
Phoenix’s heart swelled, fear loosening its grip on her chest. For the first time in days, the wind didn’t feel like it was carrying her away—it felt like it was lifting her. Guiding her.
Above them, the sails shifted, catching a stronger current as the airship tilted gently toward the horizon.
