After the meeting with the dryads, Anris couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Their words — "follow what is neither heard by ears nor seen by eyes" — stuck in her mind like a splinter. The next morning, at dawn, she headed to the Academic Library. But this time, not to the main hall, but deeper — to where dust covers the books, and the silence feels alive.
Approaching the librarian Fayra, Anris quietly said,
"I need to find the way to unlock my dream's meaning."
Fayra raised her eyebrows in surprise but smiled:
"Dryads, huh? Their words are rarely simple, but if they sent you here — it must be important. I'll help you."
"Thank you, Fayra, I don't know where to start."
"Let's start with not being afraid of dust and dusty spines. You know where to look for ancient tomes," she winked.
"If I get lost, do you promise to pull me out?"
"I promise. And if not — I won't come out myself," Fayra laughed, and their light laughter echoed through the empty hall.
Anris spent several hours in the Ancient Archive. Her fingers trembled when she finally found — behind a hidden door concealed by a movable shelf, there was a narrow passage.
The room was dark, the air dry, as if no one had breathed there for centuries. Hundreds of scrolls, manuscripts, tablets... And one special item — wrapped in black cloth and covered with wind symbols.
For the past two weeks, she had immersed herself in study, barely finding time to eat, persistently searching for answers.
Anris carefully unwrapped the scroll. On the parchment was a map — her duchy. Marks in the mountains, where dragons were said to have once lived. In the center — the very symbol the dryads had given her. Underneath, an inscription:
"Where ice keeps ash, the ancient awakens."
Her breath caught.
"This all…" she whispered. "This all leads… home."
The next morning, she approached her mentor quietly and said,
"I'm feeling unwell. I need to return to the duchy."
Having received permission, Anris left — alone, without guards. On the road, she dreamt again of the same voice:
"Come to me… free me…"
Meanwhile, Liam had been searching for her for a long time. Kaelin asked,
"What troubles you?"
Liam nodded, recalling,
"Remember when I told you what happened in the forest? I haven't seen Anris since then."
"Yes, I agree," Kaelin replied. "She's been gone a long time. The little duchess is hiding something, and I think something unforeseen is about to happen."
The prince acted like a jokester but was a strong strategist and clever in politics.
Her uncle waited for Anris at the gates. Tall, with penetrating eyes, and still as young as ever, he silently embraced her. They were very close — he was only ten years older and had become more like a brother than an uncle.
"What happened, my niece?" he asked when they were alone in his study.
Anris was silent for a long time, then told everything — about the dream, the dryads, the archive, the map.
Her uncle stood, his face pale.
"I hoped this day wouldn't come in my lifetime," he said heavily. "But if you have seen this… then the Time has come."
He took out a key and opened a hidden drawer in the wall. Inside lay an ancient medallion with a dragon symbol wrapped in wind.
"Before the dragons were destroyed… our house knew the end was near. The duke then, your great-grandfather, made a vow: we would sacrifice strength and magic to preserve one of them. The last one. They hid it in the eternal cold, in the heart of the northern mountains, unreachable to people because of the wavering forests. No one will find it there. The vow was that it would awaken only when darkness returns, and its true master frees it."
"You mean to say…" Anris's voice trembled. "It's still alive?"
"Yes. And you are the Keeper. You carry within you the power of all elements and part of its spirit. This is your heritage, Anris."
She sat down, her heart pounding too loudly.
"We must find it. Before it's too late."
"You must do this, it's your destiny. Your friends and I will help you," her uncle placed a hand on her shoulder. "War is near. I feel its breath. But we still don't know from where it will come," he said, hinting that the traitor was someone among the nobility.
He lifted his gaze and pronounced,
"And this time, on the battlefield won't be just a duchy, but the entire Empire standing for good and prosperity. Your power is the last hope for all."