The new island hovered in the distance like a ghost ship drifting across a silver sea.

Kael adjusted the strap on her satchel and stepped to the edge of the mysterious isle. There was no bridge, no path — only sky and swirling mist between here and the place the compass pointed toward. She didn’t expect it to be easy.

But she didn’t expect what came next either.

A rumble rolled beneath her feet. Not from the island, but from the air itself. The mist ahead parted in slow spirals, and out of the emptiness came a shape — long, smooth, and gliding silently: a serpent of wind and light.

Kael froze.

It had no scales, no eyes — just flowing lines of air held together by glowing veins of pale energy, like living ribbon bound in wind magic. It circled above her once, then began to descend, coils tightening, drawing closer.

Her instinct screamed to run — but the compass pulsed in her hand again. Not with urgency, but calm. Steady. Welcoming.

The creature stopped just a few paces from her, its long neck arched, the head hovering at her eye level. A whisper curled into her ears, though its mouth never moved.

“Bearer.”

Kael’s lips parted. “You… know what I am?”

“You carry the mark. The seed of memory. The last breath of the Stonekeepers.”

She gripped the compass tighter. “What do you want from me?”

“Not want. Guide.” The voice was soft, like wind brushing leaves. “The second isle is hidden. Not far — but fractured. You must ride the current. I will carry you.”

Kael hesitated.

There was no logic to trust a creature made of wind and light — and yet… she felt no fear. Only purpose. Deep, buried knowledge stirring in her chest.

She stepped forward.

The serpent lowered itself like a bridge of air. With one breath, Kael climbed on, gripping a soft ridge that felt like wind-solidified into bone. The moment she settled in, the creature rose.

They soared.

Above the mist. Between the clouds. The broken moon high above, casting fractured light across the sea below. The world stretched wide in every direction — floating isles scattered like shattered memories across a forgotten sky.

The compass pointed ahead, glowing once again.

As they flew, the wind whispered old songs — lullabies in languages Kael had never learned but somehow remembered. Runes danced in the clouds. Stars blinked messages.

“Stonekeepers... scattered. Bound by oath. Broken by betrayal.”

Kael clutched the compass. Her path was no longer just hers — it was inherited.

Ahead, the next isle appeared.

Larger than the first, overgrown with dark vines and crowned with ancient ruins half-swallowed by the earth. Lightning danced lazily above it. The wind serpent slowed its pace.

“The second stone sleeps. But the guardian does not.”

Kael’s breath caught.

The serpent circled low, preparing to land.

She was ready for ruins. Ready for more runes. Even ready for more voices in her mind.

She was not ready for what stood waiting at the center of the second isle.

A figure. Cloaked in shadows. Watching her approach.