Autumn Village — Three days after the vision

  Leli still hadn’t told anyone.

  The vision remained locked inside her like a secret too hot to touch. But her training had grown more intense. Her eyes, deeper. She barely ate, barely slept.

  Until, on a humid and golden afternoon, the guild raven landed on the parapet of the initiates’ tower, with a golden seal tied to its left leg.

  A letter.

  With two seals:

  The first, official: the solar crest of Kyros Fernandes.

  The second, familiar: the discreet symbol of Catarina, now representative of the Tenth House.

  —

  Leli ran down the stairs, her eyes fixed on the envelope. The parchment was firm, scented with pine oil. The red wax seal broke with a soft crack.

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  She read.

  “Leli, I know you are safe. And I also know you are no longer as calm as you were in the first days. The forest awakens things… but stay well, okay…”

  The handwriting was Catarina’s.

  “Everyone here misses you, and we are excited to see how much you will grow…”

  Leli gripped the parchment tightly.

  “Marcos discovered something in the northern ruins. A hidden book, veiled by magic. With help from the Blacksmith — yes, her — we managed to reveal a fragment of the truth: the tower is a bridge. A lock. An entrance.”

  “It connects this world… to the world of Aegir’nul.”

  Leli gasped.

  “According to the book, to accelerate the openings… blood is required. A lot of blood. A massacre. What we saw in Sorriso was only the beginning. But we failed in one point: we thought the man Lukas killed was just a madman. He was a key.”

  “A key that broke the first ancient seals.”

  —

  Kyros’s words came next.

  Shorter. More direct. Written with the strength of a patriarch.

  “Leli. The forest will show you things. Some beautiful. Others monstrous. Trust what is growing inside you. Trust Autumn. And, above all, trust Lukas.”

  “If the tower awakens… it will be you who must protect the weak, while he carries the weight of the impossible.”

  “Do not fear the echoes. They only warn. There is still time.”

  — “There is still time…” — Leli repeated softly.

  She folded the letter carefully. Kept it close to her chest. Stood still, looking at the forest.

  And then she felt it.

  Something… moving between the branches.

  —

  Sarya appeared right after.

  — “Leli… you’ve been acting strange. Did something happen?”

  Leli startled at her sudden presence, appearing like the wind. There was no way for anyone to go unnoticed by Sarya’s eyes.

  — “And I thought I was doing well…”

  But she shifted the focus.

  — “Sarya… I saw something moving between the branches. It passed like a shadow. It didn’t seem… to be from this forest.”

  Sarya narrowed her eyes.

  — “Hm… they wouldn’t dare…”

  — “Dare?”

  — “Come, Leli. We need to investigate.”

  That was enough to change the direction of the conversation, but Leli was certain: Sarya had not forgotten what she had been observing with those sharp eyes.

  A chill ran down her spine.

  End of Chapter 6