268 AC
Starfall – The Old Tower
The old tower of Starfall was the kind of place where forgotten times clung to the stones. Moss covered the cracks in the walls, and few dared to enter. Elia had warned them. Oberyn had laughed. And of course, Mars went anyway.
"You do know this place is haunted, right?" Ashara whispered beside him as they cautiously climbed the creaking wooden stairs.
Mars grinned. "The ghosts better run when they see me."
[Overconfidence detected. Predictable.]
"Sage… seriously, not helping."
"What did you say?" Ashara asked.
"Nothing. I talk to myself sometimes."
Ashara giggled.
At the top, they found a small chamber with a window overlooking the river and the endless Dornish hills. In the corner lay an old, dusty chest covered in cobwebs.
Mars stepped closer while Ashara opened the window.
At that moment, a sudden gust of wind lifted a loose scroll from the chest — sending it straight into Ashara's hands.
Mars frowned. "That was… weird."
Ashara stared at the scroll, then out the window. "I didn't do anything… I think."
[Minimal magical resonance detected. Element: Air. Subject: Ashara Dayne.]
Mars' heart thudded. "Sage… what does that mean exactly?"
[Latent affinity for wind magic. Still unstable. Recommendation: observe.]
Mars glanced at Ashara. She seemed unaware, her fingers carefully unrolling the brittle parchment.
He flopped down beside her. "If you ever see a ghost, let me know. I know a trick."
Ashara laughed. "You're insane."
"I know."
And in the hush of the old tower, between yellowed scrolls and mossy stone, Mars felt something shifting in the air.
They weren't just two children anymore.
Something unseen had begun weaving threads between them.