The chamber was quiet again, though the air still buzzed with energy.
Lila stood rooted in place, her thoughts a swirling storm. Elemental kings. Magic. Spirits. She was supposed to be the answer to a broken kingdom—and yet she barely knew how to face her reflection.
"I don't know how to use magic," she finally said, the words heavy with uncertainty. "How am I supposed to save anyone? How do I even begin?"
The Wind King stepped closer, his gaze softening. "You don't need to know everything now. Magic lives within you. It will awaken in time. But your path begins not with power, but with compassion."
Isolde joined him, her voice now filled with urgency. "There is someone who cannot wait. His life hangs by a thread."
Lila's heart tightened. "Who?"
"Cassian," Isolde said. "He is the heir to the House of Virelion, a noble bloodline entrusted with guarding the kingdom's balance. But a curse has taken hold of him. A powerful one. His sight has been stolen, and with it, his destiny."
"Stolen?" Lila repeated. "As in, he's blind?"
"Yes," Isolde said gravely. "And worse still, the curse grows. It poisons his spirit slowly. If it is not fixed soon, he will die. And with his death, a great darkness will rise."
Lila felt a chill ripple through her. "But why me? How could I possibly help him?"
"Because only you can," the Wind King answered. "The magic needed to undo the curse lies within your blood. Only a child of the elemental kings can break it."
Lila turned away, pacing the room. Everything inside her screamed that this was too much. She wasn't ready, how could she be?
But then she paused. Somewhere deep inside, a strange stillness settled. Maybe she wasn't ready. Maybe she never would be. But someone needed her.
She turned back to them, fear still in her eyes, but her voice steady. "Then tell me what I need to do. I want to help him."
Isolde gave her a small, proud smile. "That choice changes everything."
"The journey will not be easy," the Wind King added. "You will face dangers. Deceit. You will be tested. But if you succeed, Cassian will live. And this kingdom will have hope again."
Lila exhaled slowly. "Then I'll do it. I'll find a way. Even if I have to fight for every step."
"Good," Isolde said softly. "Then your true path begins now."
As the wind whispered through the room once more, Lila felt it—not just the pressure of destiny, but the flicker of something deeper.
A calling.
End of Chapter 4