Chapter 1

The Unity Ceremony was supposed to be a day of joy, a strengthening of the Great Ward. Our families, the Sunstone Guardians and the Stormriver Protectors, had waited for this, prophesied for millennia. I, Aurora, last heir of the Sunstone, stood ready to bind my life and power to Ethan, leader of the Stormriver. I believed in our shared duty, in the respect we held, even in a love that was slowly blooming.

Allied lineages filled the grand plaza, their ceremonial gifts gleaming. The air buzzed with anticipation. This union would secure our lands against the encroaching Blight. Weeks from now, I would face my Solar Renewal, a dangerous ritual, but today was about unity.

Ethan stepped forward. He was supposed to reaffirm our pact.

Instead, he turned to the assembled crowd, his voice ringing with a strange fervor.

"I cannot do this."

A gasp rippled through the guests. I stared at him, my heart suddenly cold.

"This union," he continued, his gaze sweeping past me as if I were a stranger, "is a lie."

He then looked towards my aide, Sylvie, the woman I had rescued from the Blighted Fringes years ago.

"My heart belongs to another. To Sylvie."

Sylvie, who stood near my honor guard, looked down, a picture of feigned distress.

Ethan strode to her, taking her hand. "Our love is true, destined. Not some dusty obligation."

Sylvie looked up, tears in her eyes. "We have loved each other for a century," she whispered, loud enough for all to hear. "Please, try to understand."

A century. My mind reeled. I had mentored Ethan, protected him after his parents died, poured Sunstone resources into his growth. Sylvie had been my trusted aide, someone I shared guarded secrets with.

"Ethan," I managed, my voice tight, "the prophecy. 'When Sunstone and Stormriver stand divided, the Great Blight shall reclaim the land.' You know this."

I looked at Sylvie. "And her power, her echo-symbiosis, it's unstable. It will drain you, corrupt your Stormriver essence."

Ethan scoffed. "Old tales, Aurora. Superstitions."

He raised his hand, and a brilliant, chaotic energy, his Storm-Core, flared around him. Then, he channeled a significant portion of it directly into Sylvie.

The air crackled. Sylvie cried out, then gasped, her aura flaring with a borrowed, stormy light.

"See?" Ethan declared, triumphant. "I have stabilized her. She is my true partner, worthy of the Stormriver lineage."

The Council of Lineages, the elders from the Redwood Sentinels, the Crystal Cavern Keepers, they murmured. Some looked impressed by his power, by this dramatic display of "true love." Others looked uneasy but said nothing.

They began to pressure me. "Aurora, perhaps it is fate." "Consider the strength of their bond."

I felt a sting, sharper than any physical pain. "Generations of Sunstone Guardians nurtured you, Ethan. Protected you when you were orphaned."

He looked at me, his eyes cold. "Ancient history, Aurora. Your attempts to remind me are nothing but emotional blackmail."

My world tilted. The betrayal was absolute.