You take the main road.

The avenue leading to the ceremony grounds is lined with banners today—purple and silver, the colors of the gem-born. Flowers have been laid along the path. Citizens gather on either side, forming a corridor of faces.

This is tradition. Every coming-of-age ceremony is celebrated by the whole city. The gem-born are Eldermoor’s pride, its future, its connection to the crystal that has protected it for three centuries.

As your group walks down the avenue, people call out blessings.

“May the light guide you!”

“Eldermoor’s hope walks among us!”

“The gem’s children, blessed be!”

Tommin straightens, a genuine smile returning to his face. He waves to the crowd. This is what he’s been waiting for—recognition, celebration, the beginning of his real life.

Sera walks with her head down, overwhelmed by the attention.

Lira ignores the crowd entirely, her eyes fixed on the distant purple glow of the gem.

You walk in the center, feeling the weight of their expectations. These people look at you and see hope. Promise. The continuation of everything they hold dear.

They don’t see the dreams. The visions. The feeling that something terrible is gathering just beyond the edge of sight.

An old woman reaches out as you pass, her wrinkled hand catching your sleeve.

“You,” she whispers. Her eyes are milky with age, but they fix on you with unsettling precision. “You’re the one.”

“I’m sorry?”

“The dreams,” she says. “You’ve seen them, haven’t you? The founders. The truth.” Her grip tightens. “He’s waiting for you. He’s been waiting for three hundred years. Don’t let him—”

A younger woman, her daughter perhaps, pulls the old woman back. “I’m so sorry. She gets confused sometimes. She doesn’t mean anything by it.”

The old woman’s eyes never leave yours as she’s led away.

“He knows,” she calls out. “The hollow one knows you’re coming!”

Then the crowd swallows her, and she’s gone.

Your heart is hammering.

The hollow one.

Sera appears at your elbow. “What did she say to you?”

“Nothing,” you hear yourself say. “Just blessings.”

But Sera’s eyes tell you she doesn’t believe it.

The ceremony grounds appear ahead. The Purple Gem rises above everything, pulsing with unsteady light.

It’s time.