The wind howled through the Sky Kingdom as final preparations began. Beneath the translucent halls of the Sky Temple, warriors moved in quiet formation, gathering supplies, crafting enchanted weapons, and repairing airships damaged during Kaen's sabotage.
Sophia stood at the edge of a high balcony, gazing toward the jagged line of mountains far in the east—where the skies turned violet, and the Core lay hidden beyond storms that never died.
The map before her shimmered with symbols that only responded to her touch. Old routes carved into mountains, paths spoken of only in legend. Her fingers hovered over a marked ravine called The Scar of Elyra.
Noah approached silently. "That's where it begins?"
"Yes," Sophia murmured. "A rift in the earth, made when my mother unleashed the full power
