The light swallowed me whole, a warmth that seeped into my bones, threading through my veins like liquid fire. My wings stretched wide, catching the currents of energy that pulsed from the doorway. Taidya was calling me home.
The world blurred, shifting from the familiar night sky into something vast and endless. Stars streaked past, their voices whispering in a language I had never learned but somehow understood. My mother's words echoed in my mind—Find the truth. Find your place.
Then, suddenly, I was falling.
The sky cracked open, revealing a city suspended in the air, its towers woven from silver and light. Bridges of energy arced between them, humming with power. Below, a vast expanse of swirling mist stretched endlessly, hiding whatever lay beneath.
I twisted midair, catching myself just before I crashed onto a floating platform. My feet touched down, and the moment they did, the city responded. Lights flared, pulsing in time with my heartbeat.
A voice rang out, deep and resonant. You have returned.
I turned sharply. A figure stood before me, cloaked in flowing robes that shimmered like the sky itself. His eyes—gold, not silver—studied me with quiet intensity.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.
He tilted his head. "I am Varian, Keeper of the Gate. And you… you are the lost guardian."
The words sent a shiver through me. "Lost?"
He nodded. "You were taken from us before you could take your place. But Taidya does not forget its own."
I swallowed hard. "Then tell me—my father. Is he here?"
Varian's expression darkened. "That is a question only Taidya itself can answer. But if he still lives, he is beyond the veil."
I stepped forward. "Then I'll find him."
Varian studied me for a long moment, then gestured toward the city. "Then you must prove yourself. Taidya will not open its secrets to one who does not understand its weight."
I glanced back at the shimmering doorway, the path that led home. My mother's sacrifice, my father's legacy, the truth that had been hidden from me—it all led to this moment.