In the middle of Auraleaf, beneath the hovering lanterns, preparations for the Gate that was soon to come had begun.
Eron stood in the lantern courtyard, instructing a group of Lantern Keepers—residents who had volunteered to take up Lila's cause—how to infuse Heartstone light through their lanterns, turning them from simple beacons to protective wards.
"Feel the light, don't push it," Eron instructed, his staff rapping the earth, sending ripples of soothing energy throughout the courtyard.
Lanterns hovered in the air, shining softly as all the keepers focused, hands clenched, eyes closed, brows sweating as the Heartstone embers responded, burning blue-white.
Lila's Awakening
Meanwhile, Lila sat with Elin in the lantern room, the Book of Eternity open on a pedestal, its pages whispering softly with each turn.
They had discovered Seven Lantern Keys—magic hidden within the book that would steady the Gate of Dawn when opened, so that it did not fall into darkness.
Opening them, however, required synchronizing with the core of the pendant.
Elin created a circle of lanterns around Lila and placed the pendant in her hands. "Breathe, Lila. Let the pendant's light guide you."
As Lila's eyes closed, she was being pulled into the heat, the light curling around her mind. Runes in the book began to shine on the lanterns, forming a network of soft light around her.
Visions swarmed her mind:
A silver lantern breaking into seven fragments, each suspended over a world.
The Gate of Dawn, revolving slowly, runes bursting into life around its rim.
The shadowed one at the gate, lantern eyes watching, waiting.
A word echoed in her mind, powerful and soft:
"Aurelin."
The lanterns flared to life, the pendant light grew brighter, and Lila's eyes opened as the runes of the Book of Eternity shifted to reveal the first Lantern Key.
The First Key: Aurelin
The Lantern Keepers moved in as Lila stepped forward, pendant shining.
Eron lifted his staff. "Speak the Key."
Lila raised the pendant, the light spilling through the courtyard like dawn, and she whispered:
"Aurelin."
The pendant's light shot upwards, forming a beacon that reached out to every lantern, igniting them with golden fire, more powerful than before. The Heartstone hummed, pulsing in time with the lanterns.
The villagers were silent as the lanterns hovered, burning steadily, their light warm but fierce, holding off the shadows even as the twilight drew in.
"This is only the start," Lila said, turning to Elin and Eron. "We need to find the other six."
A Shadow Returns
That night, as lanterns glowed throughout Auraleaf, the shadowy figure returned, by the river of lanterns.
Lila stepped nearer, pendant glowing softly.
"Who are you?" she asked.
The figure tilted its head, lantern eyes twinkling.
You have uttered the first Key. Well done. But the Gate does not open to light alone. Darkness would also have passage."
The air grew colder, the lanterns above flickering. The figure extended a gloved hand, in which a dark crystal shard pulsed with shadow light.
"You will need both to pass through the Gate."
Lila drew back, hesitant, but the figure placed the crystal on a rock nearby, stepping away.
"When the time comes, recall: light without shadow is incomplete."
The figure turned before Lila could utter a word, vanishing into the mists of the river, leaving the dark crystal behind, which shone faintly beside the lantern's reflection.
Preparing for the Next Key
Lila picked up the dark crystal, feeling a cold warmth mix with the pendant's light in her hand. She sensed no malice in it, only a deep, tired sadness, like a shadow longing for dawn.
Elin stepped beside her. "We'll study it, carefully."
Lila nodded, her eyes lifting to the lanterns above.
"We'll find the other six Keys," she whispered, "and we'll be ready when the Gate of Dawn opens."
Overhead, the lanterns burned brighter, the flame of the pendant steady, and far away thunder growled softly, a threat of things to be endured.