The path of water was cool beneath Elarien's feet. Tiny blue lights floated above the ground like soft fireflies, guiding her through the trees. The air was quiet, filled only with the sound of leaves whispering and the distant flow of water.
The silver wolf walked beside her.
The river waits, he said. It remembers everything.
Elarien looked ahead. The trees parted to reveal a wide river, clear as glass and smooth as silk. It curved gently through the forest, glowing with silver light. There were no boats. No bridges. Just a stone step at the edge of the shore.
She stepped toward it.
As soon as her foot touched the stone, a soft ripple spread across the river. The water began to shimmer.
And then it spoke.
Not in words, but in memories.
Elarien saw herself as a little girl, sitting by her mother's side, learning the names of flowers. She saw herself hiding behind Nana's cloak the first time thunder scared her. She saw the day she first heard the wind call her name.
The river reflects, said the wolf, not just the face, but the heart.
Elarien watched quietly. The river showed her her fears. The time she wanted to speak but stayed silent. The moment she felt small while others laughed. The nights she cried and told no one.
And yet, the river did not judge.
It showed the truth like a soft song.
Then the pictures changed.
Now she saw her mother.
Not as a Guardian, but as a young girl. Running through the woods. Laughing. Holding hands with another girl who had silver hair and kind eyes.
"She was happy once," Elarien whispered.
Yes, said the wolf. Before she chose silence to keep you safe.
Tears filled Elarien's eyes.
The river shimmered again.
And now it showed something else.
Elarien standing in the forest. Elarien waking the Heart Tree. Elarien holding the glowing seed.
She saw herself not just as a child, but as someone becoming.
Someone growing.
Elarien stepped into the water.
It was not cold.
It wrapped around her feet like a soft blanket. The river did not pull her under. It held her gently, like a mother's arms.
She took another step.
And another.
Until she was waist deep in the glowing water.
She closed her eyes.
"I am not just my mother's daughter," she whispered. "I am my own voice. I will not be quiet anymore."
The river swirled around her.
It hummed, like it had heard something sacred.
When Elarien stepped back onto the stone, the water left no drops on her skin. She was dry. And warm. And new.
The silver wolf looked at her.
You have crossed the river. And now it remembers you too.
The river behind them grew still.
But the glow in Elarien's eyes stayed bright.
She did not need to carry the past like a burden.
She could carry it like a light.