I realized the voice of the world had returned only when I felt the cold breath of the earth walking its way into me.
The explosion from moments before—the Sentinel's scream, the tearing of the Sky Gate—still echoed in my ears, but none of that scream existed here anymore. Only a hum. An endless hum. As if the universe had been holding its breath, waiting for me to wake up.
My eyelids were heavy. Even before opening my eyes, I knew this place wasn't the world I came from.
The air… heavier.The earth… more alive.The silence… more attentive.
I took a deep breath. What filled me wasn't mud or dust, but the scent of a hidden spring—fresh, vibrant. Everything inside me—my power, my fears, even the long-forgotten echoes in the corners of my mind—shivered for a moment.
Then I opened my eyes.
And my breath literally caught in my throat.
I was in a forest, but nothing like any forest I had ever seen. The trees weren't normal trees… they rose upward like thin, translucent membranes stretching toward the sky, turning more transparent the higher they reached. Their roots extended not into the soil but into the light beneath the soil.Yes… you heard that right. Into light.
The ground was glowing.
I used to be an archaeology student; I was used to living among stones and dust. But the ground pressing beneath my knees now wasn't a product of history—it was a product of some entirely different order. It felt as if the earth was breathing. As if it was aware. As if it recognized me.
"Jess…?"
Harper's voice came through the mist like a hand reaching out. I turned. She looked as breathless and stunned as I was. Her hair was slightly puffed—never a good sign. Air elements never lied about emotions.
"This place…" Harper whispered, eyes tracing the trees. "This isn't Earth."
I nodded.
"No. This is… beyond the Sky Gate."
Even as I spoke the words, part of me still didn't want to believe them—like I was trying to explain a fake dream out loud. But with every breath, I felt it more:This place was real.And there was something inside me that felt… aligned with it. A strange blend of fear and comfort.
I took a step. The earth shimmered softly beneath my feet. As if greeting me.
Harper's voice reached me again:
"Jess… someone's there."
I turned.
And for the first time, I fully saw the forest.
Under the soft green light dripping from the tree canopies, there was a wide clearing. In the center of that clearing stood a moss-covered stone platform. And on that platform, a man lay still.
Not a man, actually.
A figure. A body. A spirit.
A something.
As we approached, the details sharpened: long dark hair, pale yet flawless features, a deep stillness. His chest rose and fell… but not like someone asleep. More like someone living deep beneath water; every exhale thinning the air around him, every inhale tightening the silence.
And his eyes were closed.
But I already knew.
If he opened his eyes, their color would be green. A deep green. The kind that carried the darkness of ancient forests.I didn't know how I knew. But I did.
Just as we reached the edge of the platform, Harper sucked in a sharp breath. Because beside the man… there was a tiger.
And not just any tiger—there weren't enough words to describe it.
Its fur carried the depth of the night sky, but as it moved, the stripes on its coat seemed to shift, changing shape, then returning to what they had been. Its eyes… not gold, not yellow, not amber—
They were pure, unbreakable wisdom.
The tiger watched us. Calm. Commanding. Almost… with recognition.
Harper whispered, voice trembling:
"Hi… beautiful tiger… um… are you okay?"
That was Harper, always. No matter where we were in the universe—whether she stood before a divine guardian or some ancient creature that could tear the elements apart—she would always ask, Are you okay?
The tiger turned its head.
Its gaze moved first to Harper, then to me.
And then… it spoke.
Not like a growl echoing in a cave.Not like a human voice.It was as if the forest itself was speaking.
"The sacred spirit within him has awakened.He only needs to accept it."
Its voice was like the voice of the earth—deep, heavy, indisputable. We both knew it meant the man. I looked at the sleeping figure. The tiger was right… something was waking. Something powerful. Something dangerous. Something… tied to us.
The tiger turned back to us.
There was a smile in its eyes—strange even for a tiger."Well done. You have completed your task successfully.Welcome home, Heirs."
Something inside me stopped.
Home.
That word split me cleanly in two.Comforted and frightened me.Made me feel found and lost at the same time.
Harper's voice cut through my thoughts:
"So… is it over? Is Orinlafec… saved? I mean… there's no more danger now, right?"
The tiger laughed.Then spoke again—this time with both gentleness and terrifying seriousness.
"Everything is only just beginning.Your next and most difficult task…is to discover who you are."
It felt like a stone had been dropped inside me.Find out who we are?Weren't we… Heirs?Wasn't that what we had been told?Weren't we the saviors?So why did we still not know who we were?
The tiger continued.
"Until you learn your true identities, you will only wield the shadow of your power.That is why, in the ancient heart of Orinlafec… at Zoradia Academy,you will be trained."
Harper's eyes widened.My mind twisted in confusion.We both tried to speak, but the words got stuck in our throats.
But the tiger didn't wait.It kept speaking—each word an omen, a warning, a prophecy:
"And remember, Heirs…You are as much saviors as you are targets.Choose carefully whom to trust,and whom not to trust.Every choice has a price.And sometimes… those prices crush you.Everyone must know who you are.And yet… no one must know who you are."
The ground seemed to tremble.The forest's breath shifted.The light sharpened.
I opened my mouth to ask something. Harper did too.But before either of us could speak, the tiger's eyes flashed.
Then everything happened at once.
The ground turned to light.The air turned to crystal.The trees became transparent.The sky changed colors.We were being pulled into something.
A beam of light descended over us.Like a pillar.Like a blade.Like an invitation.
And the tiger's final words echoed inside that light:
"May your path be clear, Heirs.Your real journey begins now."
The light wrapped around my body.I felt Harper's hand.Saw her fear.Felt the dark power inside me stirring.
Then—
The world changed.
When my body hit the ground, the breath was knocked out of me.The earth… was soft.The air… warm.I opened my eyes—
And we found ourselves in the middle of a lush, green valley.
In the distance, a colossal structure pierced the clouds.Its towers reached toward the sky.Its walls seemed carved from the stones of an ancient prophecy.Its gates… felt like they had been waiting for us.
Zoradia Academy.
Our new beginning.
Our end… or our beginning.
And the story… had finally, truly begun