The Spire was never silent.
Even as Aria sat on the low bench, trying to slow her pounding heart, the entire tower seemed to breathe. The walls whispered with a constant thread of wind, a soft sound that made the glowing runes shiver as if alive. Every so often, a deeper sigh moved through the place, like the whole structure exhaled.
She didn't know how long she sat there. Minutes. Hours. Her head still buzzed from the storm, from falling through a tear in the sky, from the faceless monsters that had nearly dragged her away.
And from him.
Kaelen.
He hadn't said a single word since telling her to rest. He leaned against the far wall of the circular chamber, eyes closed, but she could feel him listening. Watching.
Waiting.
The key in her hand pulsed faintly, steady as a heartbeat.
Finally, she couldn't take the silence anymore. "So," she said, her voice shaky but determined. "You going to explain what just happened to me, or do you prefer the whole brooding-mysterious-stranger act?"
Kaelen opened his eyes, sharp teal slashes of color in the dim room. "You wouldn't believe me."
"Try me," she said, even though her voice cracked halfway through.
His gaze swept over her, as though weighing whether she could handle it. Then he nodded, slow.
"You crossed the Rift," he said. "Between your world and mine."
"No kidding. I figured that out when the sky split open, thanks." She hugged her knees. "What is this place, Kaelen? Why are there monsters?"
"They're called Shades," he said. "Remnants of something worse. They follow the Rift. Wherever it opens, they come through."
"And the key?" she asked, holding up the bronze shape. "What's so special about this? Why did it drag me here?"
His expression tightened. "Keys like that don't exist by accident."
"That's not an answer."
"That's all you get for now."
Aria clenched her teeth, frustration boiling under her fear. "Do you ever answer anything properly?"
Kaelen's gaze sharpened. "Do you ever stop talking?"
The retort caught her off guard. She almost laughed—but it came out more like a snort. "Wow. I risk my life, and you still manage to be a jerk. Impressive."
His lips almost—almost—twitched, but then he looked away.
Silence fell again, broken only by the restless whisper of wind through the tower.
Aria stood, restless. Her legs ached from the long walk, and her head buzzed with a hundred questions. The circular chamber had no doors except the one they'd entered through, but there were narrow stairways winding upward like vines clinging to the inside of the stone walls.
She glanced at Kaelen. He wasn't stopping her.
Slowly, she began to climb.
The stairway led her to a high balcony open to the alien sky. When she stepped outside, her breath caught.
From here, she could see everything.
The forest spread in all directions like an ocean, silver-blue leaves rippling under the wind. The twin suns—one gold, one pale—hung lower now, casting strange overlapping shadows. In the distance, mountains speared the sky, and between them, flashes of light flickered as though the air itself was tearing.
She gripped the balcony's smooth stone rail, trying to absorb it all. She'd never felt so small—or so far from home.
Her chest tightened. Aunt Celia. Home. School. Everything. Gone.
Her parents had vanished without a trace eight years ago. Now she knew why there had always been whispers, secrets no one wanted to talk about. They had known something about this place.
She blinked hard, swiping her sleeve across her eyes. She wouldn't cry. Not here. Not in front of that boy.
The wind shifted, cooler now. It carried a sound she couldn't place—like something moving far below the trees.
"Don't lean too far."
She jumped. Kaelen had followed her silently, leaning in the doorway.
"Seriously?!" she gasped, clutching her chest. "Do you make a hobby out of scaring people?"
His head tilted slightly. "You were distracted."
"No kidding! Look at this view!" She gestured wildly. "It's… it's beautiful. And terrifying."
His eyes softened, just for a moment, as he stepped onto the balcony beside her. "You're lucky you landed here. Most Rifts open in the Wastes. You wouldn't have lasted an hour."
"Thanks for the cheerful thought," she muttered.
For a few moments, they stood in silence, side by side. The Spire's height made the wind stronger, pulling at her hair, whistling softly in her ears.
Then Kaelen said, "You'll stay here for the night. At dawn, we'll see the Elders."
"The Elders? Great. That doesn't sound ominous at all."
"They'll decide what to do with you."
Her stomach dropped. "What do you mean what to do with me?"
"You don't belong here," he said simply. "Rifts aren't supposed to open without cause."
"And I didn't ask to be dragged here!" Her voice echoed off the stone, sharper than she meant.
Kaelen glanced at her, unreadable. "Maybe the Rift asked for you."
"That makes zero sense."
"Most things in Aeloria won't," he said. "Not yet."
That night, Kaelen gave her a small chamber near the main hall—a simple room with a narrow bed carved into the wall, a window shaped like an arch, and a basin of cool water that never seemed to run out.
Aria sat on the bed, staring at the strange glow of the grasses outside. The room felt like a dream she couldn't wake from. She turned the bronze key over and over in her hands, watching the faint lines on its surface shimmer in the moonlight.
Her mother's key.Her parents had known something.She was sure of it now.
A sound pulled her from her thoughts. Not a creak, but a howl—low and distant, rising like a wave through the forest. It wasn't human. It wasn't animal, either.
Her skin prickled.
She padded to the window and peered out. Below, the silver-blue forest was still, the river a stripe of light. Then—movement. Far below, at the tree line, the shadows pooled unnaturally, merging into something darker.
The howl came again.
"Shades," Kaelen's voice said from the doorway. She turned; he stood there, arms crossed.
"They're hunting," he added. "They can smell the Rift on you."
Her throat tightened. "How long do we have before they find me?"
"Not tonight." He stepped closer, gaze fixed on the forest. "The Spire holds them at bay."
"And after tonight?"
His teal eyes met hers. "You need to decide if you're just a lost girl… or someone the Rift has chosen."
She didn't know what to say.
Kaelen left without another word. The door whispered shut behind him, leaving Aria alone with the key's faint glow.
She curled under the thin blanket, listening to the Spire's restless hum. Sleep came slowly, tangled with thoughts of her parents, of the boy with the wind in his eyes, and of the monsters waiting just beyond the light.