The journey back from the Heartstone took eight days. The ground shook more with every step. The dark line in the sky grew thicker and darker. The elements grew weaker by the hour. Fire sputtered in every hearth. Water stood still in every stream. Wood withered on every tree. Earth cracked in every field. Air grew thin in every valley. Lightning stayed hidden in the clouds. Light dimmed in every home. Darkness spread across the land like a blanket.
When the guardians reached the Whisperwood, they found hundreds of people already waiting. Villagers from Darkveil had heard about the trouble from traveling merchants. They had brought sacks of grain and baskets of fruit. They had brought barrels of water and piles of wood. They had brought tools for building and cloth for making tents. They had come not because they were told to. They had come because they wanted to help.
" We need to tell everyone," Ashreign said, standing in the middle of the training clearing. "Every village in every corner of the world. Every person who can travel. We have three weeks to gather them all. Maybe less, if the darkness wakes up faster."
The guardians split up to carry the news. Leo took a group of fire keepers to the Fire Mountains. He rode on a horse that could run fast over rough ground. Kidlatina flew to the Lightning Plains, her wings of air carrying her faster than any bird. Lira took a boat down the Sylvara River to the Water Marshes. Elara walked to the Wood Forest, her feet light on the forest floor. Terrax led a caravan to the Earth Hills, his Earth power fixing potholes as they went. Aeris flew to every small village in between, carrying messages in her hands and calling them out to people below. Ashreign and Mai stayed in the Whisperwood, organizing the people who had already arrived.
In the first week, more than two thousand people came. Farmers from the Charred Wastes, where crops had once grown tall. Fishers from the Coastal Villages, where the sea had once teemed with life. Healers from the Water Marshes, where water had once healed the sick. Fire keepers from the Fire Mountains, where flames had once warmed the cold. They came with their wives and husbands. They came with their children and parents. They came with hope in their hearts and fear in their eyes. They did not know if they could win. But they knew they had to try.
Ashreign and Mai built a large camp in the Whisperwood. They made hundreds of tents from cloth and wooden poles. They dug ten wells for fresh water, using Lira's Water power to fill them fast. They built twenty fires for cooking, using Leo's Fire power to keep them burning bright. They organized the people into groups. One group gathered food from the forest and fields. One group cut wood for the fires and tents. One group made tools from stone and metal. One group practiced using their small bits of elemental power making plants grow, warming water, moving small stones, calling soft breezes. They practiced every day, so they would be ready when the time came.
" I have never used my power for anything important," said a young girl named Rose, who could call soft breezes to cool her mother on hot days. "Do you think a little breeze can really help save the world?"
" Every bit of power counts," Mai said, kneeling down to look at her. "The Heartstone needs all the elemental energy we can give it. Your breeze is just as important as my Light or Ashreign's Darkness. Without Air, the other elements cannot live."
Rose smiled. She ran back to her group, her head held high. She practiced calling her breeze, making it stronger and steadier than before.
In the second week, more than five thousand more people arrived. They came from every corner of the world. They filled the Whisperwood so full that tents stretched from the training clearing all the way to the edge of the Frostpeaks. The air was full of voices people talking in different languages, laughing, singing. They shared their food and their stories. They taught each other new skills. They made new friends. For the first time in weeks, the fear in their hearts began to fade. Hope began to grow, like a small plant pushing through hard soil.
The guardians returned from their journeys at the end of the second week. Their faces were tired from traveling. But their eyes were bright with hope. " Every village has heard the news," Leo said, standing in the training clearing with the other guardians. "Every person who can travel is on their way. We will have more than ten thousand people here by the end of the week."
" Good," Ashreign said. "But people are not enough. We need a plan. How will we get ten thousand people to the Heartstone safely? How will we protect them from the tremors that shake the ground? How will we channel all our power into the Heartstone at the same time, so it is strong enough to stop the darkness?"
The guardians sat together in their cottage that night, talking until the sun came up. They made a plan. Aeris would fly above the group, looking for the safest path and warning them of danger. Terrax would walk at the front, using his Earth power to fix roads and stop tremors as much as he could. Leo would walk in the middle, keeping fires burning to warm everyone and cook food. Lira would walk beside the group, making sure there was enough water for everyone to drink. Elara would walk at the back, growing trees along the path to give everyone shade from the sun. Kidlatina would fly above the group, using her Lightning to scare away wild animals and light the way at night. Ashreign and Mai would lead the group, walking at the front with Terrax and making sure everyone stayed together and safe.
" When we reach the Heartstone," Mai said, "we will all stand in a big circle around the crystal. We will hold hands, so our power can flow from one person to the next. We will all close our eyes and think of the balance. Think of the world we want to save. Then we will all channel our power into the Heartstone at the same time. It will be one big wave of light full of Fire and Water and Wood and Earth and Air and Lightning and Light and Darkness. It will be enough to strengthen the Heartstone. Enough to seal the darkness away forever."
On the third week, the final group of people arrived. More than three thousand of them, from the farthest corners of the world. Now there were more than thirteen thousand people in the Whisperwood. The air was full of hope and determination. They were ready.
Ashreign stood in the training clearing that night, looking out at the thousands of people who had come to help. The dark line in the sky was now so thick it covered almost all the stars. The ground shook softly beneath his feet.
" Tomorrow," he said, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Tomorrow we leave for the Heartstone. Tomorrow we fight to save the world. We will not let the Chaos win. We will not let the elements break apart. We will stand together. We will fight together. We will win together."
The crowd cheered. Their voices echoed through the Whisperwood, so loud they made the leaves on the trees shake. The eight colored tree glowed faintly in the dark, as if it was cheering too.
That night, Ashreign and Mai sat together by the eight colored tree. They held hands, watching the few stars that were still visible. The ground shook softly. The dark line in the sky stretched from one end of the horizon to the other.
" Do you really think we can do it?" Mai asked, leaning her head on Ashreign's shoulder.
" Yes," Ashreign said. "We have thirteen thousand people who care about the forest. We have each other. We have the elements, even if they are weak. We will do it. We have to."
Mai looked up at him. Her eyes were bright with tears. " I love you," she said. "No matter what happens tomorrow. I love you more than anything in the world."
" I love you too," Ashreign said. He leaned down and kissed her. As they kissed, the eight colored tree glowed a little brighter. The few stars that were visible shone a little clearer. The ground stopped shaking for a moment, as if the world was holding its breath.
Tomorrow would be the day. The day they would begin their journey to the Heartstone. The day they would face the darkness. The day they would fight to save the world. They were ready.