Shadow Bands

XLIII. Equinox Pt.3

 Lyra stood before Speaker Elatiri, awaiting judgment. The heavy silence was broken only by the rhythmic pulsing of the Moon-Tear Stone's light filtering through the woven tent.

"You have shown us the rot in your roots, Lyra Algernon. Your Senator Velius, he is the broken trust. He caused Veil's enshinae and destroyed the peace. But this truth does not buy our alliance."

"Then what does?" Lyra questioned. "We are talking about survival! The Shadow will consume your forest, piece by piece."

"We do not believe your North Army is marching to our aid, human. We believe it is marching to yourselves." She turns to Fogan. "Fogan. You will stay here. You will honor your oath to Veil and guard the truth."

Lyra realized the Elerians intended to let Kogeer fall to preserve their own isolation. "You are wrong," she shouted in protest—perhaps desperation. "They are not coming for me. They are coming for you. It is possible that Velius has directed them here to secure the Moon-Tear Stone.

"You cannot remain isolated! Whether it's the demons or Velius, your forest is about to become a battlefield. If the Moon-Tear Stone is truly the heart of your protection, I will prove to you that a human can be worthy of defending it."

"Prove it, human." Elatiri raised her chin, skepticism filling her expression. Her eyes were like daggers as she stared down at her. "Words are less than the wind, human. You speak of worthiness, but your people bring only iron and greed. We shall see if your heart holds the true frequency of life."

Elatiri slammed her wooden staff against the mossy ground. The ground beneath their feet began to shift, and the ambient blue light intensified.

Follow me. You will face the Tears of Ivul'altanta."

She led Lyra and Fogan out of the tent and toward the colossal glowing tree that stood behind the compound. At the tree's base, a small, dark pool of water, almost hidden by luminous roots, pulsed with a sickly green light. It smelled faintly of decay, an unnatural stench in the pristine forest.

Elatiri waved a gentle gesture towards the pool of water. "The water here. It is normally pure—blessed by the Ocean Goddess. But a shard of the Shadow-Metal fell here from your broken world many seasons ago. It has poisoned the water and stunted the growth of a young Elder Root."

Lyra stepped closer to the pool. She reached out with her mind, letting her Aether senses penetrate the scene. The Shadow-Metal wasn't just inert; it was slowly consuming the natural life force of the pool, turning the energy into rot.

"You claim your. . . Aether power is pure. You claim your technology can heal. We ask you to show us this truth. You must remove the Shadow-Metal, but you cannot touch the pool, or the corruption will consume your hand. You must clear the poison without disturbing the living root beneath it."

This was the perfect test: a display of precise control over Aether energy, requiring respect for the environment rather than destruction. Lyra looked at the Shadow-Metal: a jagged, black shard glowing faintly in the sickly green water.

"Lyra, if you fail, they will take you." Fogan whispered quietly. "If you contaminate the water further, they will execute us both."

Lyra ignored him, though his words threatened to pull her into the water. She dropped to one knee and extended her hand over the pool, careful not to let the the Aether Cell touch the contaminated air. She closed her eyes, focusing entirely on the shard.

Instead of drawing on the cold, sharp Aether she used for fighting, she drew on the warming, stable Aether of pure creation—the frequency she had learned to stabilize during her days rebuilding the Aether Cell prototypes.