The jungle path lay still underfoot as the group left the shadowkin village behind. The only sound was the soft crunch of soil and leaves beneath their boots and Stormclaw's low, rhythmic breathing. The air was heavy with silence—none dared speak, not after what had just happened.
Then, suddenly, the silence broke.
"I can't believe those spineless idiots!" Selena shouted, her voice sharp with anger. Birds scattered from the trees above. She turned back toward the village they'd left behind, her eyes burning. "They know what those humans are doing! They know! But they just hide behind their traditions—behind their fear!"
Arya flinched, walking beside her. "Selena—"
"No! Don't tell me to calm down, Arya. They let this happen!" She clenched her fists. "Ariwin is one of their own! Farakin died trying to save her, and they just—what? Stay behind their trees and pray it goes away?"
Luther stepped in then, calm but unshakable, like a shield rising between rage and reason. "It's their way, Selena," he said gently. "They've survived by not fighting back. That's how they were raised… how they believe they must live. We don't have to agree with it—but we have to understand it."
Selena stopped, the anger shaking her hands, but Luther's words sunk in slowly like water over fire. She breathed out hard, shoulders sagging.
Kael walked up, Stormclaw silently at his side, and tilted his head. "You didn't say what happened… when you touched the Icehart."
Selena was quiet for a moment, still staring down the path. Then she looked up at them, her voice quieter now, but no less urgent. "Jaina came to me. In the vision. She told me what to do—and how to save Ariwin."
Arya's brow furrowed. "How?"
Selena paused, placing a hand lightly on her abdomen, then lifted her eyes to them again. "When I touched the Icehart… it gave me something no shadowkin ever received. A power not from the Icehart alone, but from the divine."
Luther and Arya exchanged glances. Kael leaned in.
"A power?"
"A blessing," Selena said. "Jaina called it that. For one hour, I can amplify someone's abilities—double them. Magic, strength, precision… all of it."
Kael's jaw dropped slightly. "That's… that's incredible."
Selena turned to him, voice firm now. "She told me to use it on you. You're the one who can find Ariwin."
Kael blinked, stunned. "Me?"
"She said the child Ariwin carries… her daughter… that child might one day change Arthur's fate. For the better. A bond that could reshape the path he's destined to walk. Jaina said this kind of chance may never come again. We must save her."
Kael swallowed hard and nodded, his hands trembling as he summoned the threads of his magic.
"Alright," he said, taking a deep breath. "Let's see where this blessing takes us."
Selena stepped forward and touched his shoulder. Her eyes glowed softly as a bluish pulse of light coursed from her hand into Kael's body. A shimmer rippled over him, like water across flame. His breathing quickened.
Kael raised his hands. "Let's find her."
He whispered the incantation, one hand lifted, the other tracing symbols in the air. Sparks danced around his fingers, and then a glowing map of ethereal light hovered before them, floating in midair.
Kael's eyes widened. "I can see… everything."
"What do you mean?" Arya asked.
"I see her current location," he said. "But not just that. I see where they're taking her. How many there are. Even how long it'll take them to reach the outpost. It's like I'm watching a trail written in light."
Selena looked at him, hope returning to her eyes. "Can we catch up?"
Kael turned to her, determination on his face. "We can do better than that. We can get ahead of them."
"Teleportation," Luther said, nodding.
Kael pointed to a flickering beacon of light near the glowing trail. "That's their destination. A small garrison near the northern ridge. Looks like they're holding more shadowkin prisoners."
Selena's voice turned cold. "Then we free them all."
Kael started preparing the spell, while Arya readied her blades and Luther checked his gear in silence.
As the golden runes formed around Kael's hands, Arya turned to Selena. "A blessing, huh?"
Selena smiled faintly, her tone softer. "Let's just hope it's enough."
"Whatever comes next," Luther said, tightening his sword's grip, "we end this together."
In a flash of brilliant light, the group vanished—teleporting not just toward battle, but toward destiny.