The ceremony grounds sprawl before the Purple Gem like an offering laid at an altar.

Hundreds have gathered. Citizens of Eldermoor packed into the tiered seating that circles the gem’s base. Merchants and craftsmen, nobles and laborers, children held on shoulders to see over the crowd. The whole city, it seems, has come to witness this moment.

And at the center, standing in a circle around the gem itself, are the gem-born.

Not just your group of four. Dozens of others. Young people from every corner of Eldermoor, all wearing the ceremonial purple, all with that same look in their eyes—awe and fear and desperate hope mingled together.

You take your place in the circle. Sera finds a spot beside you. Tommin stands across the way, his nervous energy channeled into standing perfectly still. Lira has disappeared into the crowd of gem-born, impossible to find among so many purple robes.

The gem rises above you all.

Up close, it’s overwhelming. A crystal spire taller than three men, radiating purple light that you can feel on your skin like gentle warmth. The hum you’ve sensed your whole life is louder here—a vibration in your teeth, your bones, your soul.

But today, even that hum wavers. The light flickers.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

You turn. A young woman stands beside you—another gem-born, with bright copper hair and freckles across her nose. She’s looking up at the crystal with something like wonder.

“Terrifying,” you reply honestly.

She laughs, surprised. “I’m Neve. This is my first time seeing it up close. I grew up in the outer districts. We could only see its glow over the rooftops.” She pauses. “You feel it too, don’t you? Something’s wrong.”

Before you can answer, a hush falls over the crowd.

The Elder has arrived.