The Itezista Forest had remained silent since Codrion's disappearance. The air smelled of dew and raw wood, and the lake trembled slightly, like a deep breath. Sofia stood still, looking at the place where the spirit had been.
The silence was not just silence—it was like an echo waiting for an answer.
— "But I don't know whether to be happy or afraid...", she whispered.
The wind brought a cold breeze, and Dragoș came closer. His gaze was different—deep, like a night full of stars.
— "I think both, Sofia. Happiness and fear go together when you step into the unknown."
Sofia looked up at him. The ring on the boy's hand shone faintly, silver. The sign of the Moon pulsed slightly, as if it were alive.
— "Darling… your ring… every time something happens to the light, it reacts. Do you feel anything?"
He closed his eyes for a moment.
— "Yes. It's like I hear a call, an echo… something coming from far away. It's like a voice telling me that I'm not just a bearer of the Sign, but part of a greater balance. Codrion said that Miral was the chosen one of the Moon. Maybe… maybe he chose me to carry on his power."
Vlad approached, for the first time with a serious air.
— "Maybe not just him. Maybe we have our role too. Alexandra and I were sent by Miral to carry the light to forgotten places. Maybe this was just the beginning."
Alexandra looked at him gently.
— "Yes. And I think Miral brought us here today, not by chance. Everything seems to be connected. Sofia, you carry the Sun, Dragoș carries the Moon… and we have been the shadows that have guided you until this moment."
A murmur rose from the trees, like a deep breath of the forest. The leaves swayed slightly, but no wind touched them.
Sofia felt that they were not alone—that Itezista was listening to them.
— "Codrion said that a new sign would appear. What if it were right here, in the forest?"
Dragoș placed his palm over the ring, and a wave of silver light spread through the trees. Thin threads of light rose from the ground, merging into a huge symbol, engraved in the grass—the same sign of the Sun and Moon united.
Alexandra whispered in amazement:
— "It's the Gate Codrion was talking about…"
But the sign disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind only a weak ray that was lost among the trunks.
Vlad touched the place where the light had been.
— "Maybe it's not for now. Maybe it will only open when the balance is complete."
Sofia flinched.
— "I think he's telling us to go home."
Dragoș nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on the lake.
— "Sofia… do you think we'll see Codrion again?"
— "Yes," she answered after a moment. "He said the forest would speak to us when the light trembles on the water. We just have to listen."
The four of them set off on the path lightly lit by the rays of the sunset. The wind caressed their faces, and the forest seemed to silently follow them, like a living being.
As they moved away, the lake became a quiet mirror in which the Moon and the Sun touched for a moment.
On the way, Vlad broke the silence:
— "Do you know what I think? Codrion said that a new ray of sunshine would be born. Maybe… it's not just a prophecy. Maybe it's a warning."
Dragoș smiled, but his eyes betrayed a shadow of thought.
— "Or a promise. Maybe Sofia's brother will be the key that the light needs."
Sofia looked at him in surprise.
— "My brother… I can't believe I'm going to have one."
Alexandra laughed softly.
— "It's strange, isn't it? Today was your birthday, but I have the impression that the world gave you a gift that you'll only understand in years."
Sofia smiled broadly.
— "Maybe. But you know what? It was a day full of miracles."
When they reached the edge of the forest, the sky was a mixture of purple and silver. The moon was rising round, and its light reflected on Sofia's bracelet and Dragoş's ring, making them shine in unison.
On the way, they joked some more, recounting the moments of that day. Vlad laughed, saying that he would write a book about "the day a spirit beckoned to him from the lake," and Alexandra teased him that she would only write if Sofia would let her post pictures of the whole adventure.
But beneath their laughter there was a strange warmth—as if all four of them knew that something had changed forever.
When they reached the castle, torches burned softly in the courtyard.
Sofia stopped in the doorway, looking back at the forest. In the distance, the lake glowed faintly, like a heart that still beat underground.
— "Thank you, Codrion," she whispered.
Dragoş turned to her.
— "Do you know something?"
— "What?"
— "I think today was the beginning of a path that only you can open."
Sofia smiled.
— "And for me, the most beautiful birthday of my life."
In the sky, the Moon and the Sun touched for a moment, where the evening shadows and the sunset light met.
And somewhere, deep in the forest, Codrion's voice whispered secretly, carried by the wind:
"The light goes on."