Chapter 2

The Memory of Stars

The air shimmered like ripples on a lake as Elira followed the lion into the stardust path. Each step felt both weightless and heavy, like walking through a dream stitched together with forgotten truths.

The darkness of the cave had disappeared. In its place stretched an endless sky, radiant and deep, filled with drifting islands of crystal and fire. Planets spun slowly above her, vines of light twisting between stars, and distant whispers echoed—voices of the ancient Guardians who had come before.

Elira blinked in awe. "Is this… the past?"

The lion turned to her, golden mane flowing like a living flame.

This is the Echo Realm. It holds the memory of the world, the truth of all that was—and all that may be.

They walked forward, floating gently across glowing stones suspended in the void. Below, memories formed in swirling images—of lands untouched by shadow, of people who lived in harmony with beasts like the lion, of skies that knew no war.

Then, suddenly, the light dimmed.

A new image rose—a mountain burning with dark fire. A sky cracked in half. And a single shadowed figure standing tall atop a ruined city, wielding a staff of twisted obsidian.

Elira shuddered. "Who… is that?"

The lion's voice, still calm, held a sadness deeper than time.

His name is Malakar. He was once one of us. A Guardian. But ambition poisoned him. He believed mortals should be ruled, not protected. He broke the Circle and sought to steal the Flame of Origins.

"And did he?"

Almost. But the last Light born—your ancestor—sacrificed herself to lock him away. At great cost.

Elira's hands curled into fists. "And now… he's coming back?"

Yes. His prison is weakening. The signs are all around you—the poisoned skies, the murmurs of war, the creatures twisted by shadow. That is why I've awakened. That is why you were called.

"But I'm just a girl," Elira said, heart thudding. "How can I stop him?"

The lion stepped closer and touched her chest gently with the tip of his glowing nose.

You are not just anything. You carry the Light born Flame in your soul. You are the key to restoring the Guardians—and binding Malakar once more.

Light burst from her chest, faint but growing. It spiraled up into the sky, forming a symbol of a tree with roots made of stars and branches of golden fire.

That mark is your birthright. The world remembers you, Elira. It's time you remembered yourself.

A wind swept through the realm, and a voice unlike the lion's echoed from above—ancient, feminine, loving.

"My child… if you can hear this, then the circle has not broken. You are the last hope of Liora."

Elira gasped. "That voice—it's my grandmother!"

The lion bowed his head.

She left her echo in this place. For you. She was the one who planted the last Light seed in your heart. You must now awaken it fully.

"What do I have to do?"

The lion lifted a paw and gestured to the edge of the platform. A new bridge formed, leading to a floating temple carved from moonstone, its spires crowned in light.

Inside lies the Ember Mirror. There, you will face your true self—your fears, your doubts, and your potential. Only by walking through the fire can the Light born awaken.

Elira swallowed hard, her eyes locked on the temple. The air around it buzzed with power.

"Will you come with me?"

The lion shook his head slowly.

Not inside. This step, you must take alone. But I will be waiting when you return—Guardian to Light born, as it was in the beginning.

Elira hesitated only a moment. Then, lifting her chin, she stepped onto the bridge of starlight and began her ascent.