The first rays of dawn crept through the towering windows of Starwhisper Academy, casting soft gold over its ancient stone walls. The corridors, usually abuzz with early risers, were wrapped in an almost sacred stillness. Harper Quinn and Asher Reed—bleary-eyed, sleep-deprived, but lit with quiet fire—moved through the quiet halls like shadows.
They'd barely slept. But their discovery in the Arcane Library had ignited something far more powerful than rest: purpose.
Harper sank into a worn armchair near the hearth of the common room, grateful for the fire's warmth. Asher dropped into the seat beside her, stretching with a groan. The flames danced across their faces, but it was the fire in their eyes that truly burned.
"I still can't believe we found it," Asher murmured, rubbing his face. "I thought we were just looking for background info. But this... this is something else."
Harper leaned forward, her green eyes shining with urgency. "This isn't just research. It's a game-changer. That book—it talked about relics that could counteract the Eclipse Stone. We need to tell Nova and Luna. Now."
He nodded. No hesitation. They were running out of time.
They hurried toward Nova Rivera's dorm room, the enchanted sconces on the walls glowing softly as the academy began to stir awake around them.
Nova opened the door mid-yawn, her glasses lopsided and her hair a wild mess. But one look at their faces was enough to jolt her to attention.
"What happened?" she asked, blinking.
"We need to talk," Harper said. "It's about the Eclipse Stone."
That was all it took.
Inside Nova's room, potion vials glowed softly on a cluttered desk, and the smell of dried herbs and ink lingered in the air. Harper and Asher dove into their tale—how the detention had led them to an ancient tome, one that hinted at the existence of Celestial Relics.
"We think one of them could neutralize the Eclipse Stone," Harper explained. "But we don't have much—just that the relics are tied to celestial events. And one of those alignments is coming up soon."
Nova's eyes widened. "If that's true, then this could be our only shot at stopping it."
Before they could say more, the door creaked open again, and Luna Evergreen stepped in, her silver-blonde hair damp from morning mist, her expression instantly alert.
"What's going on?" she asked, looking from face to face.
Harper quickly filled her in.
"A relic that can undo the Eclipse Stone?" Luna echoed. "That's huge. But where do we even start?"
There was a pause. Then Asher spoke with quiet certainty.
"Harper and Nova should go back to the Arcane Library. There has to be more. Luna and I will talk to Professor Aeliana Celestia. If anyone knows about celestial relics, it's her."
"Agreed," Nova said, already grabbing her research notebook. "Let's not waste any time."
The Arcane Library greeted Harper and Nova with its usual eerie grandeur. The air shimmered faintly with magic, and rows of towering shelves stretched into the misty shadows. Every book felt like it had a soul.
"I'll check the celestial events section," Harper said, already scanning titles. "You take magical artifacts?"
Nova nodded, already deep into a stack of volumes. The only sounds were the soft rustle of pages and the hum of magical wards keeping the more volatile texts in check. The deeper they read, the more Harper felt a subtle urgency threading through the air. Something was coming.
Meanwhile, Asher and Luna climbed the spiraling staircase to Professor Celestia's observatory tower. The air shimmered with golden light, and constellations swirled across the ceiling like a living sky.
Professor Aeliana Celestia was waiting, robed in violet starlight. Her presence was calm, powerful—like gravity with a heartbeat.
When Asher and Luna explained what they'd found, her expression turned solemn.
"The Eclipse Stone's power is drawn from corrupted celestial energy," she said. "A relic of equal or greater force might be able to neutralize it... if the stars align."
She handed them a celestial map—alive with glowing orbits and shifting constellations. It pulsed with cosmic energy.
"This will help you," she said. "Track the alignment. But be warned—some relics are hidden behind powerful wards and ancient trials. And not all were meant to be found."
Asher and Luna exchanged a look.
"We'll be careful," Luna promised.
By evening, all four met in the common room again, the map spread across the table like a puzzle from the stars themselves. Nova scribbled translations. Luna traced ley lines with her fingertip. Asher tapped notes into the margin of his journal.
Harper stared at the constellation forming near the map's center—the one predicted to rise within weeks.
"We don't have long," she said. "And we don't know how many others are after the relics. But we do know where to start."
The fire cracked. Outside, wind howled softly against the tower walls.
"We find the Equinox Pendant," Harper said. "We figure out how to use it. And we stop the Eclipse Stone before it corrupts Avaloria."
No one argued.
And as the storm outside gathered strength, it felt like Avaloria itself was holding its breath—waiting.