Starfania watched the last ember fade into darkness. For a heartbeat, she stood…almost too still. Then the grief surged back. Harder. Sharper. Violent. Her breath hitched. Her fingers curled so tightly around her arms that her knuckles blanched. Aeron stepped toward her, sensing the shift in her energy, but she lifted her hand slightly—wordlessly asking him not to touch her yet.
" Star…" he whispered. But she was unraveling. Her knees buckled, and Aeron caught her before she hit the ground. She didn't collapse into him gently this time—she fell, her body trembling, her sobs ripping out of her like something feral had finally broken free.
" I can't—" she gasped through tears. " I can't keep losing everyone…"
Aeron held her as tightly as she'd let him, but she shoved at the ground with her free hand, anger rising beneath the grief.
" It's not fair!" Her voice cracked against the stone walls. "It's not fair, Aeron! Why does everything I touch disappear?!"
Her scream echoed through the cavern, shaking loose dust from the rock. Drogo lowered his head, rumbling a sorrowful note. Violet shrank back, uncertain and frightened. Aeron reached for Starfania again, slower this time, gentler—and she finally let herself be held. Her anger melted into shaking grief. Her grief melted into exhaustion. Pressed against Aeron's chest, she whispered brokenly, " I don't know how much more I can take."
Aeron rested his hand at the back of her head, grounding her.
" You won't face this alone," he promised. Starfania didn't have the answer—but she stayed in his arms. And that was enough.
Violet's brows knit together, confusion tightening her young features. She looked at Starfania, then Aeron, then back again—clearly desperate to understand what was happening. Aeron moved as if to explain, but Starfania placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. A small signal: Let me. She knelt before Violet, taking her small hand in both of her. Meeting her gaze softly, she spoke with a fragile calm: " Violet…sometimes when someone we love is tired, they go to sleep for a long time. They don't wake up like we do. But they're not hurting anymore. They're at peace."
Violet's eyes shimmered with confusion and sadness. Starfania continued gently: " Think of it like Bone has gone on a long adventure. A place where he can rest, and watch over us—like the wind, or the stars."
Aeron knelt beside them and rested a reassuring hand on Violet's shoulder.
" And even though Bone isn't with us the same way anymore," he added, " we still fill him. His love...our memories with him…those stay with us forever."
Violet lunged forward and hugged Starfania tightly. Starfania closed her eyes, kissing the top of Violet's head.
" We'll find a way forward," she whispered. " No matter what."
Suddenly, Starfania felt a gentle pressure against her side—a nudge. She turned, expecting comfort from Drogo, but instead found the massive dragon extending something toward her. A weapon. A sword. She took it carefully from his jaws. The blade gleamed like snow in moonlight, the guard carved like curling ocean waves. It was impossibly light yet solid in her hands. A dark gem sat in the hilt—deep, shimmering, almost alive. And Starfania knew she had seen this sword before. She just couldn't remember where.
The gem brightened. Starfania's breath caught. Light poured from the blade, growing brighter and brighter until Drogo shielded Aeron and Violet with his massive wings.
" What just happened?" Aeron whispered, eyes wide. " Where did that light come from?"
" I…I don't know…" Starfania breathed. But as she stared into the gem, something whispered. Something ancient. Calling through her mind. Then Starfania spoke—words not entirely her own. " Go to where water meets the sea…alone. As the shore draws near, a figure of intrigue shall manifest in the enshrouding darkness…"
Her voice changed—slow, echoing, prophetic. " Follow the whispers of the tide. Let the moon guide your path. Trust your instincts…even in the darkest hours."
The air thickened—charged, waiting.
" Remember," she finished softly, " in vulnerability, strength is born."
The glow faded. Silence returned. But nothing felt the same anymore. Starfania steadied her breath. Her finger tightened around the sword. She understood now. This was only the beginning.