The voyage across the Azure Sea was unlike anything Tara had ever experienced. The waters shimmered with silver light, and at night, the stars danced close enough to touch. The crew whispered of islands that floated, storms that sang, and sea serpents that guarded secrets from the First Age.
But Tara's heart beat only for one destination: the Edge of the World.
The Storm Gate
On the seventh night, a massive storm erupted from the horizon—a swirling wall of thunderclouds and lightning arcs. The captain, a scar-faced woman named Kaela, turned to Tara.
"This is the Storm Gate. Beyond it lies the floating archipelago of Aeravale… and the City Beneath the Sky."
The ship creaked and groaned as it passed through the roaring tempest. Tara gripped the railing, wind and water lashing her, the feather at her chest burning with light.
Then silence.
The storm parted.
And there it was.
Aeravale
Dozens of islands floated in the air, tethered by vines of living crystal. Waterfalls spilled endlessly into the sky, vanishing before they reached the sea. And above them, the city itself—a shining metropolis suspended beneath a colossal floating rock, lit with glowing symbols.
Bird-like airships circled its perimeter. Beams of energy pulsed from ancient towers. Music drifted through the air, made of voices and wind.
A shimmering bridge of light extended toward them, connecting their ship to a sky harbor.
Tara stepped onto it, heart pounding.
A Welcome and a Warning
She was greeted by a council of robed guardians, each wearing a halo of floating feathers.
"You are Tara of the Flame," said one, his eyes glowing pale blue. "The wind has whispered of your arrival."
They led her to Jasmine—waiting in a glass tower garden, her eyes tired but bright with hope.
"Tara…" Jasmine embraced her tightly. "I wasn't sure you'd come."
"Of course I came."
Jasmine's smile faded. "Something is wrong here. The Skycore—the energy that keeps this city aloft—is failing. Someone is draining it. And I think it's connected to what we defeated in Moonshine."
The Mirrorborn
At night, Tara was drawn to a central spire. There, she saw it—reflected in the crystal floor: a shadow version of herself, flickering in the glass, watching her with hollow eyes.
Then it spoke.
*"You shattered one darkness… but every light casts a new shadow."*
Tara stepped back. "What are you?"
*"I am what comes after the flame. I am the mirror that remembers."*
The reflection shattered. Tara screamed—and the tower trembled.
The Betrayer Among Them
Jasmine, Neha (who had arrived two days earlier by sky-glider), and Tara gathered in the Council Hall. The Skycore had begun to flicker, its light unstable.
The council accused Jasmine of tampering with the core.
Then, from the shadows, a figure emerged—one of the guardians.
"Because she did tamper," he sneered. "She brought her flame here… and now everything will fall."
His hood dropped, revealing eyes that were pure black, pulsing with ancient shadow.
Tara shouted, "He's one of them—the Mirrorborn!"
A fight broke out in the skies, among floating towers and wind-tunnels, crystal blades and feathered wings clashing in a storm of magic and memory.
Tara faced the dark guardian mid-air. "Why now?"
"Because you woke the stars. And now they remember who they were."
He vanished in a burst of mirror shards, but not before whispering:
*"Meet me at the Shattered Moon. And learn the truth of yourself."*
The City Trembles
With the guardian gone, the city began to descend—slowly, dangerously. The Skycore flickered and dimmed.
Jasmine gripped Tara's hand. "We need to go to the Shattered Moon. I think that's where all of this began. And maybe where it can end."
Tara nodded.
"No more running."