The path beyond the ruins was narrower, swallowed by thick, silver-leafed trees. Mist coiled low to the ground, glowing faintly under the twin moons that had risen fully.
Yuuto walked beside Kaela in silence, one hand still tingling from whatever power the Trial had burned into him.
"I felt something," he said eventually. "Like the fire wanted me to remember something I've never known."
Kaela glanced at him. "It wasn't just fire. That was Starfire. It reacts to the divine bloodlines. You're not just marked. You're Moonbound now."
Yuuto blinked. "Moonbound?"
She stopped walking, her eyes narrowing. "Starborn who survive their first Trial become Moonbound—warriors, mages, or prophets chosen by celestial forces. It means your presence here is no longer an accident."
Yuuto rubbed his neck. "Cool, cool. So… chosen by fate. No pressure."
Kaela didn't laugh.
Instead, she drew her cloak closer about her shoulders. "There's something else you need to see."
They camped alongside the crest of a ridge overlooking the Shimmering Vale, a fog- and moonlight-streaked valley below. When Kaela tended a low fire with flint and practiced nonchalance, Yuuto caught her eyes lifting towards the sky more than once.
"You've been through one of these Trials, haven't you?" he inquired.
She paused a beat, then nodded. "I was thirteen when I took mine. It was blood and memory and screams. I walked out. changed."
"What did you lose?" Yuuto asked gently.
Kaela gazed at him. "That's the wrong question. You should ask what I gained—and what it cost."
Before he could say anything, the earth trembled lightly.
A howl tore the darkness apart.
Kaela stood at once, unsheathing her sword.
Yuuto leapt to his feet. "Tell me that was a normal animal."
"Moonfangs," she replied sternly. "They can scent divine energy. They're attracted to Moonbound blood."
"Naturally they are," Yuuto grumbled, calling on what little energy he had remaining. "Am I getting a nap at some point or is this my life forever?"
Kaela dragged him back with her as three shining eyes materialized in the fog in front of them.
"Welcome to Velmoria," she said. "Try not to die."