Zyar is thoroughly displeased that the Kairon didn’t help me learn the Weaving of Thoughts right away during our first meeting. Since I’ve spent my life far from the Losniw, he is convinced that my powers lie dormant deep within me, waiting to be awakened. In his opinion, every Elindine possesses the powers of their village by the age of five. That I have yet to access mine, he believes, is due to my indecisiveness.

But what he doesn’t realize is that my encounter with Noctalis and Solaria has already left its mark. I was uncertain, hesitant to oppose the Losniw — but now I feel clarity, I have made a decision: to make a choice, I must see this world with my own eyes, understand the Solniw, the Losniw, and all the places in between.

“I will stand by both of you,” I finally confess, feeling the determination in my voice. “If necessary, I will become the new vessel for the Sonatius Mortaeda, to protect its power from the Losniws. I will face this task.”

The idea of sharing my soul and body with this powerful being fills me with deep fear. But if this is the only way to avert the impending evil, I will no longer avoid my fate. I look at Zyar, and in his gaze, I see satisfaction — but also a trace of worry reflected in the furrows of his brow.

“That’s a good start,” he says authoritatively. “But we still don’t know where the Sonatius Mortaeda is.”

I am shocked, my eyes widening. He could have told me this earlier! Seventeen years, since my mother’s decision, and no one has seen this ancient being?

“How are we supposed to find him if he’s been hiding for so long?” I ask, confused and a little desperate.

Zyar thinks for a moment, his expression serious. “That’s the tricky part,” he admits. “Since the murder of Keldor Entium, the Losniws have completely withdrawn. No one knows what’s going on in the village.”

“Doesn’t the king know what his subjects are doing?” I can hardly believe what I hear.

“The king is only interested in what could harm him,” Zyar sighs. “He’s obsessed with his power. He’s made an agreement with Velris and her people: as long as the power struggles remain within the village, he lets them be.”

A king who places his people second and makes agreements that only benefit himself — disgusting! A king should protect his realm, not make secret deals.

“And what is the plan if no one knows where the Sonatius Mortaeda is?” I want to know. “I don’t know the size of Elindros, but combing the entire world would be impossible.”

Zyar raises his hand. “You focus on the Weaving of Thoughts. Leave the planning to me. Sylas will help me.” He turns to his son. “We have much to do, and it must be done before Ves awakens her powers.”

Sylas nods, sets his book aside, and comes toward me. His gaze briefly lingers on my bandaged abdominal wound. “Before you sleep, I need to treat it once more,” he says with a gentle smile — the only warmth in this cold world.

Both of them head inside, leaving me alone with the Kairon. The two fish watch me ceaselessly, and since our last encounter, I feel uneasy in their presence. But I have no choice. If I want to master the Weaving of Thoughts, I must pass their test. I know it will demand everything of me, but a first failure cannot stop me.

I step resolutely toward the mighty beings who, although insignificant compared to the Sonatius Mortaeda, still instill fear in me. This time, they do not rise from the depths of the ocean; instead, they swim in a circle, just like in Zyar’s garden, and I stand in their midst.

“The vessel has made a decision,” Noctalis announces, his voice dangerous and cold. “Speak, what is your answer?”

Solaria steps forward. “What do you fight for, Vespera Entium?”

“For myself,” I answer, feeling the certainty within me, the clarity of my decision. The Kairon fall silent, their circles remaining still. “I don’t know if this choice will lead me to a better Elindros. But no one, no Elindine and no other being, can demand this of me. I will fight by the side of those who stand with me for peace. But first, I will understand Elindros itself and discover what the concept of ‘peace’ means in this world.”

Noctalis and Solaria face each other, their gazes merging, penetrating and full of unspoken meanings. No breeze, no swell of the sea can distract my senses from the weight of the moment. My heart pounds wildly in my chest, and a paralyzing fear sweeps through me — the fear that they might reject me again, that they won’t grant me a second chance. This fear suffocates my breath.

“Awakened through blood...” Noctalis speaks with a voice that sounds like the roar of a storm.

“…bound by fate,” Solaria adds with a melody that resonates deep within my soul.

At the same time, as if their voices were one, they call: “Be you the vessel as your predecessors were. Fulfill your purpose and serve the agreement. From now on, your life is no longer your own, and your body is no longer solely yours.”

The Kairon swim faster in their circle with every passing second. The vortex they create lifts my hair into peaks, and the sea rages. The colors of Noctalis and Solaria merge into each other, their forms unrecognizable, a swirl of light and darkness.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Suddenly, the world around me is plunged into the deepest darkness. The only thing my senses can reach is a faint light in the distance. Without thinking, I begin moving toward it, as if an invisible force is guiding me. With every step I take, the light takes shape.

It is a baby. Calm, peaceful, as if it knows nothing of the world. I hear the delicate, steady breathing, as though it were happening directly in my ear. In this darkness, there is no one but me, no one but this child, who — whatever it is — is completely alone in this void. I lean over the cradle to see the child’s face more clearly.

And then it happens. The infant opens its eyes — one red as blood, the other a glowing gold. Its gaze pierces me, as if it wants to erase my very soul, and an icy terror jolts through my body. My instinct urges me to leap back, but an invisible force holds me captive, forcing me to remain in the darkness.

In a single, jarring moment, images flash before my eyes — images I cannot comprehend, images that threaten to tear me apart. An abandoned, bleak village, devoid of hope. The infant is carried into the darkness of a house by a woman — a woman with long, snow-white hair and green eyes, in which worry settles like a fog.

Is it possible? Could this woman be... my mother? And the baby — could that be... me? But how? Where am I — in the world of humans or in Elindros?

The woman gently strokes the child’s hair, a tear rolling down her cheek as she places a finger on its forehead. The infant bursts into a loud, piercing cry, a cry that strikes me with such force that I am thrown back like a leaf in the storm. But instead of falling to the ground, I find myself moving upward. The blue sky stretches above me, as if it has absorbed me to carry me away.

Before I can comprehend what’s happening, my body shoots upward at a wild speed — and then, as if the universe itself has hurled me back, I suddenly find myself back before the Kairon. Panicked, I run my hand across my forehead and feel a pulsing deep inside me, as if the woman from the vision has inflicted this pain upon me.

“Are you all right?” Sylas’s concerned voice reaches me as he kneels down beside me. His eyes quickly dart to Noctalis and Solaria, who stand silently, watching like guardians. “The Kairon have shown you.”

“What... what have they shown me?” I stammer, still dazed from the vision that has shaken me.

“Fragments of your past,” Zyar says softly, his gaze fixed on me with an unfathomable depth. “They’ve unlocked the blockade in your subconscious and made the Weaving of Thoughts possible.”

A realization overwhelms me: “I’ve taken the first step!” But one question burns deep within me. “Why did I feel the pulsating pain on my forehead as if the woman in my vision inflicted the same suffering on both me and the infant?”

“Quite simple,” Zyar responds with a serious expression. “You were that infant. Your body has been made the vessel for the Sonatius Mortaeda back then.”

“Then my mother carried it within her! But why can’t we find the creature now?” I ask, my voice trembling.

“I’ll find that out,” Zyar says thoughtfully and advises me to gather strength for tomorrow’s journey. A protest wants to escape my lips, but my body desperately demands rest.

“I’ll take you on a little tour of the village,” Sylas announces with a gentle smile, one that simultaneously fills me with nervous excitement and hope. “Don’t worry, the Solniw have already been informed of your arrival. Soran Vaylon, the current leader of Solnya, has permitted that you stay here in the village to begin your journey.”

“Doesn’t anyone mind that the vessel has returned to Elindros?” I ask with a hint of concern in my voice. “Isn’t that considered a bad omen?”

Sylas shakes his head resolutely, as if the idea that my arrival in Elindros could bring disaster is utterly absurd. “On the contrary,” he says, his voice lowering, almost reverently. “That you have found your way into our world is a beacon of hope for many Elindine. Elindros has not been a safe place for a long time. For us, you are the salvation we’ve been desperately waiting for—the redemption promised to us in our darkest hours.”

His words pierce through me like a beam of hope, blossoming into a radiant certainty within me. In the human world, where wars are fought over lands or riches, I never truly imagined that Elindros could be shaken by such struggles—a world steeped in power and wonders. How naïve I was to believe everything here would be different.

But the vastness of this world, the unknown lands beyond Zyar’s estate, fills me with an uncomfortable sense of dread. So far, I’ve only met the father and son—not any other Solniw. But standing at Sylas’s side, I am ready to face all the dangers ahead.

Zyar hasn’t come with us. He decided to stay home to conduct further research, so now it’s just Sylas and me walking through the streets of Solnya. And, surprisingly, I find myself enjoying this unexpected situation. Would ordinary girls my age be interested in going out with a handsome man? Should I even allow myself such childish thoughts? I used to be the presumed-dead princess of the human world, and now I’m the long-awaited savior of Elindros—the one who could change everything.

“You shouldn’t think too much about what lies ahead,” Sylas whispers suddenly, his words like a calming breath in the heat of the moment. He’s noticed I’m lost in thought and gently draws me back to reality. “Since your escape from the human world, you’ve been constantly faced with new challenges. Don’t you think you deserve a break, too?”

I don’t want to resist anymore. It feels as if the resistance is pointless, as if the strength within me has been depleted. He’s right—his words echo inside me, like an undeniable truth.

“I’ll show you a new restaurant that just opened recently,” Sylas says, his voice calm but firm. “Do you like fish?”

I hesitate for a moment, feeling the weight of the question and standing at an inner precipice. “I don’t eat meat,” I finally admit, the words heavy on my lips. He looks at me in surprise, and I can almost read the question in his gaze.

“I don’t like the thought of consuming other living beings,” I add, and the memory strikes me like a blow, an old shadow that suddenly drags me into the darkness. “As a child, King Mukuta forced me to eat a rabbit because he believed humans needed to eat meat.” I look down at the ground, as if I could still see the rabbit, as if I could smell the bloody memories. My stomach tightens, and the images from that time—the sound, the taste—flood over me. “I threw up afterward,” I murmur, the words as heavy as lead.

“I understand,” Sylas replies, his voice muted, almost apologetic. “Forgive me if I’ve reopened old wounds. We don’t have to go.”

But something within me resists the retreat, the hiding of weakness. “No,” I say hastily, shaking my hands as if to banish the words. “Let’s go there. Maybe they have other dishes I can try.”

Sylas smiles, and in that moment, as his smile falls like a gentle ray of sunshine into my heart, I feel something bloom inside me. A warmth spreads through me, a spark of joy after all the sorrow that has held me captive for so long.