Chapter Ten: The Blind Seer

They traveled in silence, save for the wind that howled through the crags of the Forgotten Ridge. The mountains here were unnaturally shaped—jagged, bending as though the earth itself had tried to flee what lay beyond them. The air held the scent of old magic, bitter and burning.

Elira's heart pulsed in rhythm with the Tear of Solun tucked inside her satchel. It hadn't stopped glowing since the battle at the Red Sky Hotel. Every few hours, it would pulse against her skin, like a heartbeat not her own.

"She's close," Lysena murmured, breaking the quiet as they reached a mossy cliffside. "Mareia's domain begins here."

Kael, still wounded but walking, glanced around. "This doesn't look like a garden."

"That's because you're looking with mortal eyes."

Lysena stepped forward and raised her hand. From her palm, golden dust flickered and scattered into the air. Where it landed, the cliffside shimmered—and then cracked open like a curtain lifting from stone.

Beyond the illusion was a valley of light.

It was breathtaking.

Flowers of violet flame bloomed under moonlight that didn't belong to this world. Trees twisted upward like cathedral spires. Crystal rivers flowed against gravity, and orbs of soft white light danced through the air like fireflies.

In the center stood a lone cottage, covered in living vines and glowing leaves, as though it had grown from the land itself.

Elira stepped forward, awe flooding her senses. "Is this… still Earth?"

Kael took her hand gently. "No. This is the Seer's realm. Half in this world, half in the world of the Magi."

Lysena turned to them, serious. "Be careful what you say. Mareia sees truths others fear to know."

---

The cottage door opened before they knocked.

A woman in a deep blue cloak stood waiting. Her eyes were covered by a veil of silk, and yet her head tilted as if she saw more than any sighted being.

"Daughter of the crystal," she said softly. "You have come."

Elira's voice caught in her throat. "You knew I was coming?"

"I've known you since before your soul took breath."

The inside of the cottage smelled like starlight and rain. Herbs hung from the rafters. Candles floated midair, flickering with hues that defied description.

Mareia led them to a low table and gestured for them to sit. As they did, she brought out a crystal bowl and poured water from a narrow vial. The liquid shimmered gold and silver.

"You seek the truth," Mareia said. "But truth requires a price."

Lysena stepped forward. "She's already paid. The hotel, the fight, the blood—"

Mareia held up a hand. "I speak not of pain, but of memory. There is something Elira must see."

Elira leaned forward, eyes wide. "What is it?"

"The moment your father stole the key," Mareia whispered, "and the reason he ran."

---

The water rippled. Images formed.

A young man—Elira's father—ran down the corridors of the Red Sky Hotel, cradling something wrapped in a bloodstained cloth. Behind him, alarms blared. Magic bolts shattered walls. He turned sharply, gripping a glowing key.

At his side was Lysena—bloodied, fierce, younger.

"We can't hold them!" she yelled.

"Then we don't," he said. "We run."

The image shifted—he placed the crystal inside a hollow box and spoke ancient words. The box vanished in light, disappearing into another dimension.

"I hid it in her," he whispered. "She'll be born with it."

Lysena gasped, both then and now.

Back in the present, she turned to Mareia. "He said that… to you?"

Mareia nodded. "He brought the girl here as a baby. He begged me to hide the trail. I gave her a new path. A false name. A human town."

Elira's voice trembled. "So everything I knew was a lie."

"No," Mareia said. "It was protection. And love."

Kael reached out, gently taking Elira's hand. "You were never alone. Not truly."

---

The Seer poured another vial into the bowl. This time, the water turned black.

"The Magi High Court will send the Reapers soon," she warned. "Their leader has already marked you. The moment you used the Tear, your energy echoed across both worlds."

Kael paled. "Then we don't have time."

"There is a place," Mareia said. "A sanctuary once used by the original bearers of the Crystal Heart. Hidden in the lost city of Velmorra."

"I've only heard legends," Lysena whispered.

"Velmorra is real," Mareia confirmed. "And inside its temple is the only spell strong enough to awaken the full potential of the Heart. But be warned—it may cost more than magic."

Elira sat straighter. "Then that's where we go."

Mareia placed a small, glowing compass in Elira's hand. "This will guide you. But beware—many will follow. Including someone you once trusted."

---

They left before sunrise.

The Forgotten Garden faded behind them like a dream, and the path to Velmorra stretched ahead—across ruins, deserts, and mountains filled with creatures long thought dead.

Kael walked beside Elira, his hand brushing hers occasionally.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I just… I feel like I'm walking into something I can't control."

"You are," he said. "But you're not alone anymore."

She turned to look at him, her eyes reflecting the first golden light of dawn. "Kael… why did you help me that first day? Why didn't you just capture me, like the others?"

He smiled faintly. "Because your eyes looked like hope. And I hadn't seen hope in a long time."

She smiled too, softly. "Then maybe we both needed saving."

Their hands intertwined as they walked into the rising sun.

And far behind them, in the shadows of the Seer's garden, a Reaper stood watching.

Smiling.

Waiting.

....

To be continued…