Morning in Lysara was being inside a gemstone—light refracted in strange hues through floating glass spires and clouds etched with runes. Even the streets lacked any solid ground. Some moved on bridges of air. Others stood on lily-pad-shaped platforms, floating amid markets suspended over yawning chasms.
Yuuto clung to Kaela's cloak, not risking a glance down.
"Still think this place is cool?" she said dryly.
He scowled. "It's like navigating a death trap set by a sugar-addled architect."
They were headed to the Woven Quarter, a patchwork of ruined temples and mystic sites stitched together by rope bridges and cast-off enchantments. Kaela moved through it with a practiced ease, though her hand didn't relax its grip on the hilt of her sword.
"Tell me about this Diviner," Yuuto breathed, ascended a rope bridge that swayed ominously with every step.
"Her name is Serah. She's an ex-Ember Throne initiate," Kaela said. "Cast out when she refused to brand a child."
Yuuto winced. "That's dire."
"All things with the Ember Throne are dire. She is not our friend. But she hates them more than she'll ever hate us."
They found Serah in a fallen observatory, beneath a dome that showed stars even in the daytime. Her shape was draped in shimmering silks, and liquid gold gleamed in her eyes. She was blind—but not insensitive.
"You've come," she said before they spoke. "The Brand burns bright today."
Yuuto opened his mouth. Closed it again. "Hi. I guess I'm. branded now?"
She laughed—a harsh, humorless sound. "More than that. You're a nexus. A breach. Do you dream of fire, boy?"
He nodded slowly. "And stars. A sword. A voice I don't know."
Serah's gaze slid to Kaela. "You brought him here knowing what he is?"
"I brought him because he didn't ask for this. And he needs guidance," Kaela said firmly.
The Diviner moved in closer to Yuuto. He tensed, but she merely raised a hand, sketched the air above his shoulder. The Brand glimmered apparent under his clothes—tracings of liquid silver, constellations midway to being born.
"Starbrands are ancient," Serah whispered. "Rare. But yours… this is no gift. It is a summons."
Yuuto's eyes went wide. "Summon? Like, someone called me here?
Serah's tone turned grim. "Not someone. Something. A power older than gods. When a Starbrand stirs, it doesn't choose—it responds. And the Flame you bear was waiting."
Kaela's hackles rose. "What does it want?"
"I don't know. But others will say. There are remnants in this world—pillars of flame sealed in shrines long forgotten. If the Brand calls them, you must answer. Or others will."
Yuuto frowned. "Others? Like who?"
"The Throne Eternal," she said. "Those who would bind fire to their will and forge this world anew in ashes."
Yuuto sat, suddenly cold despite the magic in the air.
"So I'm… some kind of torchbearer in a race against end-of-the-world crazies?"
Serah nodded. "You can flee. You can die. Or you can shine so brightly they fear the sky again."
Kaela stepped forward. "What will it cost to learn where the nearest shrine is?"
Serah smiled thinly. "Nothing. Not yet. But someday, you'll owe me."
She touched Yuuto's forehead, and for a moment, the world vanished.
He saw mountains on fire. A temple of glass and smoke. A chained sword buried in the heart of a dying forest.
When his vision returned, his nose was bleeding.
".Ow."
Serah turned away. "The Shrine of Hollow Flame. South of Lysara, past the Singing Dunes. That's where your Brand points next."
Kaela dragged him to his feet. "We depart at dusk."
As they departed, Yuuto looked back over his shoulder at the starry vault. "Hey," he said, low. "Do you think this Brand will. change me?"
Serah did not turn back. "Of course it will. Power always does."
Outside, the city pulsed with life and danger. Kaela took the lead, sword belted, eyes slitted.
Yuuto became aware of the warm heartbeat against his back.
Transformation had already begun.