The chamber wasn't empty. Still, yeah, but not empty. The Whisper's voice just kinda hung there, like the last chord of a song you can't get out of your head. And right in the middle, that little star pulsed—faint, nervous, almost like a kid blinking awake after a nap that lasted way too long.
Elara took a step closer. You could hear her breath catch, like she was scared she might spook the whole room.
"You… remember?" Her voice barely made it out.
The star flickered. Then, boom—voice in her head, but not just talking, more like singing. Sort of wild, right?
"I was once called Liora. Keeper of the First Light."
That name hit Elara hard. Liora. It was like stumbling on a song lyric you haven't thought about in years but instantly know by heart.
Virella's eyes went huge. "Liora… That's in the lost verses. Wasn't she the first Guardian? The one who sang the stars straight before silence wrecked everything?"
The star swelled, stretched, and suddenly there's this shimmering silhouette—just barely a woman, all comet-hair and galaxy-eyes, like something out of a fever dream.
"I gave my body to the stars," Liora said, real soft. "Let my voice scatter through time… But the world, yeah, they forgot the song. Silence took over. Now it's got a name, wears cloaks, struts around pretending it owns the place—the Starless."
Elara just nodded, slow. "But you're coming back."
"I am," Liora said. "Because you remembered. You listened."
And then she turned, all lit up—like, blinding, but in a kind way.
"You carry my spark, Elara. My last gift. But you don't get gifts for free."
Elara's breath stuck in her chest. "What's the price?"
Liora wavered. "The song needs a vessel. When I wake up for real… you'll start to fade. Unless—"
"Unless what?" Virella cut in, way too fast.
"Unless she chooses to stop being fully human. Join the constellation. Be more than just a voice for the song—become a guide, a protector of every voice after."
Elara's brain spun. Friends, her world, her whole life on one side. On the other? Something bigger. Legacy, I guess. The chance to make sure the Whisper wasn't just another forgotten tune.
"I'll think about it." She barely got the words out.
Liora nodded. "Don't take too long. The last note's coming."
And then, bam—walls shaking. Not subtle at all. Roar above, and it wasn't just one. It was a whole crowd.
"The Starless," Virella muttered, jaw tight. "They're not running anymore. They're coming."
Elara straightened up. The light around her caught the rhythm of Liora's.
"Then we meet them together," she said, steady as a drumbeat. "And this time? We're the storm."