The next morning, fog hung over the trees.
Kael stretched his sore arms and looked toward the rising sun. His hands still tingled from the fire he had summoned the night before.
Serin stood nearby, watching a small bird flutter between branches.
"We need to move fast," she said. "The fire golem won't stop. And the Whisper King… he's hunting the others."
"Others?" Kael asked.
She nodded. "Other emberstone bearers. If he finds them first, he can complete the crown."
Kael's chest tightened. "So we find them before he does."
Serin reached into her satchel and pulled out a silver compass. But instead of pointing north, it spun, glowing with faint sparks.
"This tracks ember energy," she said. "If there's another shard nearby, we'll find it."
They walked for hours through hills and quiet woods.
At midday, the compass lit up — bright and red.
Serin stopped. "It's close."
They entered a rocky valley with tall cliffs on both sides. The wind died. Everything was silent.
Kael whispered, "This place feels… wrong."
Then they heard it.
A crack.
A groan.
A cry.
They ran toward the sound — and found a girl, maybe Kael's age, trapped under a giant stone slab. Her hair was ash-gray, and her skin had a strange shimmer — like polished marble.
Kael rushed forward. "She's hurt!"
Serin grabbed his arm. "Wait. Look closer."
Kael froze.
The girl wasn't just under the rock.
She was turning into stone.
The girl's lips trembled. "Help… me…"
Serin knelt beside her, studying the stone that was crawling up her arm.
"She's bonded to the earth shard," Serin said. "It's too strong. It's taking her."
Kael touched the emberstone in his pocket.
"I can help," he said.
"Fire and earth don't mix well," Serin warned. "It could hurt her. Or you."
Kael looked at the girl.
She was still conscious — barely.
He took her hand. "What's your name?"
She blinked slowly. "Lira."
Kael closed his eyes and pressed his emberstone against her palm.
"Please," he whispered. "Let go."
Heat met stone.
Red light flared.
Kael gritted his teeth as fire pushed against the growing rock, melting its grip just enough to slow it.
Lira gasped — and the stone stopped.
The shimmer faded from her skin. Her hand was warm.
She was free.
Lira sat up slowly, breathing hard. "I thought… I was gone."
Kael smiled. "You're not. You're one of us."
Lira looked down at her wrist.
Embedded in her skin was a glowing brown shard — cracked and humming.
Serin stood back, watching. "The earth has chosen her."
Kael helped Lira stand. "Then she needs to learn. Like me."
Serin nodded. "We leave at sunrise. The Whisper King won't wait long."
Lira looked toward the hills, where clouds rolled in like a storm.
"Then let's stop him."