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This felt like the real thing.

This was the closest I’d ever come to a real holiday. And somehow, I knew, even if I had left Ash Town back then, nothing would’ve ever compared to this. Eari didn’t just feel like another world. It felt like another plane of existence.

Kleitos approached with a knowing smile, placing a hand firmly on my shoulder. “This is nothing,” he said. “There’s so much more beyond Eari. Your mother’s daughters rule two other nations, but there are five more landmasses in this realm.”

My eyes flicked to him, wide with quiet wonder. “Are they all cast in this… ice age?” I asked.

His head tilted slightly, eyes drifting somewhere far off, as if he were watching another time unfold behind the horizon. “It’s hard to explain,” he said, voice low. “But I do believe that’s true for the parts ruled by this kingdom. Eari’s territories are frozen under its own judgment. The other five lands… they have their own abnormalities. But that isn’t Eari’s concern.” He paused, almost as if choosing his next words carefully. “The land will correct the course of its leaders,” he added. “Just as it’s doing here.”

My ears perked up at that.

Would the land correct things?

Did he mean it literally? Like the terrain itself? Or something deeper, spiritual, magical, or ancient? Was the land somehow forcing a succession? A transition of power? Were there other prophecies? Or was I the one who had to connect it all? Questions ricocheted through my head like ping-pong balls, rapid and relentless. This was bigger than just me. I wasn’t sent to be a next-edition savior. Not some glorified Jesus figure. I was a piece on a board. One of many. Maybe? Even if it wasn’t true, that theory… gave me hope. I wasn’t alone in this.

“That’s an interesting thought,” I said slowly, unsure how much of my process I wanted to voice aloud.

Kleitos smiled knowingly, the hand on my shoulder dropping away. He tucked it into his coat for a moment, fingers searching for something inside. When he pulled it back out, his fist was clenched tight around a small object; whatever it was, it fit easily in the center of his palm.

I couldn’t make out the shape. Couldn’t feel any heat or pull from it. But I knew. That was the relic. Valentina stepped beside me just as Kleitos began to open his palm. Looping her arm around mine, she gently pulled me into her side.

Resting in the center of his broad palm was a deep blue sapphire jewel, cradled in a delicate band of gold. Intricate vine-like etchings were carved into the metal, coiling across its surface like ivy across stone. The craftsmanship was impossibly fine. It couldn’t have been larger than a dime, yet the detail was breathtaking; two flowers bloomed in its center. A black rope looped through a small metal ring attached to the top, allowing it to be worn like a necklace. To most, it would’ve looked like an ordinary piece of jewelry. Beautiful, yes, but forgettable. Unimportant.

But to me?

It thrummed. Subtle, yet undeniable vibrations spread through my chest, down my arms, curling around my ribs like tendrils of energy reaching out to claim me. It called to me, not with a voice, but with a presence. A pulse. “What is it?” I asked, eyes never leaving the stone.

“It’s a very old gift,” Kleitos said, his voice quieter now, more reverent. “It was bestowed upon two of the Original Sisters. There were two made, one red, one blue, crafted for each of them.” They were my family's heirlooms. Thousands of years old. I wondered how it would have looked placed on my grandmother’s collarbone. He lifted the jewel slightly, so it caught the low light, the sapphire glowing faintly. “Before they found these lands, they used these to hide themselves from the other magical beings that once roamed more freely through the human world. They were relics of survival.”

Swallowing hard, I let the weight of it settle in. “Why would King Victor have it?” I asked.

Kleitos gave a light shrug, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “He’s a descendant of Aribella, of course. That’s why he has domain over Eari.”

Nodding, the information settled into place. Victor and I were, technically, distant cousins, depending on how far down Aribella’s bloodline stretched. That was a question better left for later… when we were alone. One revelation at a time.

Kleitos turned the jewel in his fingers, spinning the emblem gently before slipping both hands through the thin black rope. He stepped forward, holding it out.

Bowing my head, I allowed him to lower the necklace over my curls. “Keep this on,” he said quietly. “Always. That’s the only way it will work.” As the pendant settled against my chest, a soft pulse blinked through it, one gentle flash of blue light, then faded just as quickly. It returned to a subtle shimmer that only caught the sunlight if it hit right.

No smoke.

No sudden burst of power.

No levitating or collapsing trees.

It just… sat there. It was a delicate weight against my skin, still and silent. Looking back up at Kleitos, I lifted a brow with quiet confusion. “How do you know it’s working?” Before he could respond, Valentina stepped in.

She leaned in, sniffing the air around me like a bloodhound with royalty in her nose. Then she got closer, burrowing her nose into my curls, inhaling deeply. She pulled back with a satisfied grin. “I can’t even smell the Woukme on you,” she said, voice tinged with awe. Taking another breath, slower, deeper, her brows lifted in surprise. “It’s like you’re not even standing here.”

I sighed in relief at Valentina’s proclamation. I shouldn’t have doubted Kleitos, not even for a second. He hadn’t lied to me yet. If anything, he’d gone out of his way to bear the truth, even when it hurt. Still, the reassurance felt good. Looking down at the jewel once more, I tapped it lightly with my finger, then glanced back up at Valentina. “That’s what I like to hear.” I slipped the necklace beneath my tunic to keep it safe, its presence now warm against my chest. “I should probably tell you both… before we get started.” Pausing, I rubbed the back of my neck. “My Naemira came to me this morning. Said he was giving me a gift, too. Seems like everyone’s handing out belated birthday presents today.” A dry chuckle rumbled in my throat, but the air around us shifted subtly. Tightening with attention.

Kleitos’ brow lifted, and he stroked the stubble along his jaw, contemplative. “And what might that be?” he asked.

Valentina mirrored his expression, eyes narrowing slightly, the curiosity blooming across her features. She leaned just a bit closer. “Wait… what does that even mean?” she whispered, eyes flicking to mine like she wasn’t sure if I was joking.

With a half-shrug I admitted, “It was mostly a riddle. But I think… I think it meant I can control the air. Or the wind. Around us.” I wasn’t fully confident saying it out loud, but the words still held weight. He said I’d be light as air. That I’d summon storms. And I trusted him not to lie to me. Even if he scared the shit out of me.

“Then show me,” Kleitos challenged, his voice sharp enough to cut through the roar of the waves. Without waiting for a response, his hand closed around Valentina’s wrist. Gently, but firmly, he pulled her away from my side. She resisted for half a second, her arm still looped through mine, but Kleitos gave another insistent tug, and her touch slipped from me like silk.