Kael doesn't take her to the village.
Not this time.
He leads her to an ancient stone sanctuary, hidden in a mountain crevice where even light struggles to penetrate.
A place that smells of dust, cold earth... and something else.
Something ancient.
Lunaya trembles slightly.
"Kael... where are we?"
"Where it all began."
He pushes open a heavy circular stone, a primitive door that creaks as if it hasn't been opened in years.
Inside, frescoes carved into the rock cover the walls.
Animal silhouettes, lightning bolts, suns, moons.
And... a human figure.
Always the same one.
A woman.
Bright eyes.
Outstretched hands.
Surrounded by kneeling beasts.
Lunaya stops dead in her tracks.
"Is that me...?"
Kael closes his eyes as if it pains him to admit it.
"No."
He places a hand on the fresco, respectfully.
"Not you."
"Then who?"
"The first Resonant."
She feels a shiver run down her spine.
"You never told me..."
"Because it's taboo."
He takes a deep breath.
"Among us, talking about her... would bring bad luck. Among the draconics, it's blasphemy. And among the Felids... a warning."
"Why?"
Kael turns to her.
"Because she almost destroyed this world."
Silence falls, heavy as a stone.
Lunaya shakes her head.
"No... that's impossible. How?"
"Look."
He points to a particular fresco:
The woman extends her hands.
The beasts around her bow down.
But another beast, gigantic, draconic, falls to its knees, crushed by her power.
Then another fresco:
A wounded wolf, crawling at her feet.
Then a feline chained by light.
And finally,
A human silhouette disappearing, swallowed by a whirlwind of energy.
"The texts say she came from another world."
"Like me..."
"Yes."
"And that she had a power based on emotions. Like you."
He approaches, his eyes dark.
"She could calm a wolf.
She could overthrow a dragon.
She could blind a feline."
Lunaya places a hand on her heart, icy cold.
"So... she controlled everyone?"
"No."
He shakes his head.
"That's the worst part.
She wasn't trying.
She didn't control anything.
Everything she felt, fear, desire, anger, sadness, became a weapon against the beasts around her."
Lunaya turns pale.
"Kael... am I... am I dangerous?"
He abruptly places his hands on her shoulders.
"No."
Then, more gently:
"Not yet."
She takes a shaky breath.
"What about the prophecy? Why are the three clans reacting now?"
Kael swallows.
"That's where it gets complicated."
He guides Lunaya to a more recent fresco with clearer lines.
It depicts three beasts:
A wolf.
A dragon.
A feline.
All turned toward a human figure in the center, as if drawn to it... or threatened by it.
Beneath the fresco is an inscription in wolf runes.
Kael reads it slowly:
"Three instincts, one Resonant.
When the last link breaks,
The human will bring down a king.
And a world will bow down."
Lunaya takes a step back.
"A king? Which king?"
"No one knows."
"And "the last link"... what does that mean?"
"Perhaps... when one of the three falls in love.
Or when one of them dies.
Or when one of them... loses their instinct."
A shiver runs down her spine.
"Kael..."
"Yes?"
She whispers, almost terrified:
"Sahr told me that my power slips over him."
"I know."
"That means he has no instinct to control."
"Yes."
She takes a step back.
"So if he's the last link..."
Kael turns abruptly, interrupting her:
"Don't think about that."
He takes her face in his hands, his eyes shining with sincere fear.
"Lunaya... it doesn't matter what the prophecy says.
IT DOESN'T MATTER.
You are you.
And I will protect you, no matter what I have to face."
He moves closer.
His voice is now just a whisper:
"Even if it's them."
A low rumble echoes above the cave.
Then a crash.
Then another.
Kael freezes.
"No...
Not now..."
The stone trembles.
Shadows appear in front of the entrance.
A scaly silhouette.
A feline silhouette.
And Dravik's voice echoes:
"The human.
She must come out."
Sahr sneers softly:
"Wolves have never known how to share."
Kael stands in front of Lunaya, fangs bared.
"You won't touch her."
But the other two advance.
Together.