Julian woke with a name on his lips.
It was a name he'd never heard before, a word that meant nothing and everything. He sat up in bed, his heart pounding, his mind racing. The name echoed in his thoughts like a bell tolling in an empty cathedral.
Sarah was beside him in an instant, her hand on his shoulder. "Julian? What's wrong? You were speaking in your sleep."
Julian shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his mind. "I don't know. There was a name. A place. I've never heard it before, but it felt... familiar."
Sarah studied his face, her eyes filled with concern. "What was the name?"
Julian was silent for a moment. Then he spoke. "Aethel. The name was Aethel."
---
The First Ones appeared in the Hall of Echoes that morning.
Their forms were bright, their light steady and wa
