Wind screamed in Kael’s ears as she plunged through the air, her cloak flapping violently behind her. The compass clutched in her hand grew warmer with every second, its pulse syncing with the frantic rhythm of her heart.

She wasn’t falling — not in the usual sense. It was as if the air beneath her thickened, like invisible hands guiding her descent.

The mist rose to meet her, wrapping her in cold breath and silver silence. For a moment, everything blurred. Then—

Thud.

Her feet struck solid ground.

Kael stumbled, dropping to her knees, coughing. The air here was strange — thin, but laced with energy that made her skin prickle. When she stood and looked around, her breath caught in her throat.

The island was real.

It wasn’t large — maybe the size of the village square — but it shimmered faintly, like it only half-belonged to this world. The grass was dark teal, almost black in places, and speckled with tiny lights that looked like stardust. A single tree stood at the center: twisted, silver-barked, leafless, and ancient.

But what stunned her most was the stone.

Rising from the ground at the base of the tree was a flat circular slab, covered in the same glowing runes that curled across her palm. As she approached, they pulsed in recognition, and the mark on her hand burned.

The stone spoke.

Not aloud, but directly into her mind.

“One awakens. The Fracture deepens. Will you bind the pieces or let the sky die?”

Kael stumbled back, eyes wide. “What… what are you?”

The compass floated from her grip and hovered over the stone, spinning gently. A beam of light shot out from its center, pointing westward — toward another floating island barely visible through the mist.

Then a voice — softer this time, female, tired.

“Six stones. Six keepers. One bearer. You must find them, before the last moon falls.”

Kael’s heart pounded. She didn’t understand — not yet — but she didn’t need to. The ache in her palm, the dreams, the sudden appearance of this place… it was all connected.

The compass dropped into her hand again, its glow fading slightly. The runes on the stone quieted.

Kael looked up at the distant floating shape on the horizon.

Another island. Another piece of whatever this was.

Her journey had just begun.