Chapter 2

I stood my ground. "I will not dissolve the pact. The prophecy is clear. The Great Ward will fall."

My words hung in the stunned silence. Ethan' s face hardened. Sylvie clung to his arm, looking at me with a mixture of fear and triumph.

The Council members shifted uncomfortably. The Redwood Sentinel Elder, his face like ancient bark, spoke first. "Aurora, this is... unexpected. But perhaps a new path is forming."

The Crystal Cavern Keeper, her eyes usually bright with inner light, seemed dim. "Love is a powerful force, Guardian. Perhaps more powerful than old words."

Their meaning was clear. They were siding with Ethan. They feared his power, his recklessness, and were swayed by Sylvie' s carefully crafted image of a damsel in distress, finally united with her true love.

One by one, the allied lineages began to withdraw their ceremonial gifts. The shining Sun-Thread from the Prairie Windriders was taken back. The Earth-Heart Locket from the Deepwood Dwellers. Each retraction was a fresh wound.

They were abandoning me. Abandoning the ancient ways.

I remembered all the times my family had supported the Stormriver Protectors, especially Ethan. After his parents perished in a blight storm, my father had taken him in. I, though young myself, had become his shield, his teacher. I shared our Sunstone energy to help him master his tempestuous powers, a gift that should have forged an unbreakable bond.

Now, he saw it as a debt, an obligation he was eager to cast off. He had twisted our shared history into a narrative of his oppression.

"You hold onto the past, Aurora," Ethan said, his voice laced with contempt. "Sylvie and I look to the future."

Sylvie added softly, "We only wish for peace, Aurora. For everyone to be happy."

Her eyes, however, held a glint that was anything but peaceful. It was possessive, hungry.

I knew then this was not just about love. This was about power, and Sylvie wanted it all. My power, Ethan's power, the power of our lineage.

"You will regret this," I told Ethan, my voice low but firm. "All of you will."

He just laughed, a harsh, dismissive sound. The crowd, my former allies, looked away. My humiliation was complete.