Cael found himself in a desert.

Sand stretched in every direction, endless and unforgiving.

The sun was high, merciless, baking the earth until the air shimmered with heat.

Cael looked around, searching for any sign of the True Iridescent Monarch.

’Where was she?’

A hand burst out from the sand a few meters away, followed by a voice cursing under its breath.

"Tch. I almost got buried alive while sleeping."

The Monarch pulled herself out of the ground, shaking sand from her hair and clothes.

She was dressed like a man, in loose thug clothing that prioritized movement over appearance.

Unlike the last time Cael had seen her in the second resonance, she looked older.

Early twenties, perhaps. Her features had sharpened. Her posture carried a weight that had not been there before.

The wind picked up, sending grains of sand skittering across the dunes.

In the distance, the remnants of collapsed structures jutted out from the desert floor like the bones of some ancient beast.

Whatever civilization had once stood here was long gone.

Then, suddenly, Cael’s vision shifted.

Cael found himself in a forest of towering rock formations.

Stone pillars rose from the ground like petrified trees, their surfaces covered in strange patterns and symbols.

The Monarch stood before one of the largest rocks, her finger tracing the carvings as she studied them intently.

It was night. The air was cool, carrying the scent of dry earth and ancient dust.

Crickets chirped somewhere in the distance, their rhythm steady and unbothered by the presence of the Monarch. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

A cool breeze wound its way through the pillars, carrying with it the faint smell of rain that had not yet fallen.

Cael, bored from watching her work, lifted his head and gazed at the sky.

Three moons hung above him. Their pale light bathed the rock forest in an ethereal glow, casting multiple shadows that shifted and overlapped in unnatural ways.

One moon was large and silver, the other two were smaller and tinged with blue.

Cael had never seen anything like it. He did not know where or when this was, but he did know it was not his world.

"Ha. Finally."

The Monarch’s voice broke the silence. She had found something.

Cael’s vision blurred again.

This time, he stood in a tunnel.

The walls were rough, carved by no human hand. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood.

Water dripped from somewhere above, each drop echoing through the confined space like the slow ticking of a clock.

Moss clung to the corners of the tunnel, glowing faintly in the darkness, casting pale green light across the carnage.

Bodies lay scattered across the ground, their forms twisted in death. They were Sporcians.

Cael recognized them from their size alone, ranging from two meters to four meters in length.

More than ten of them. Their blood had pooled in the low spots of the tunnel floor, dark and thick, reflecting the faint glow of the moss above.

In the center of the massacre, the Monarch stood holding a yellowish-orange orb.

It glowed faintly, pulsing with a warmth that seemed out of place in the cold tunnel.

The light from the orb pushed back the shadows, revealing more carvings on the walls, older than the Sporcians, older than the tunnel itself.

Then a ring formed on Monarch’s finger.

A silver ring with blue patterns. It materialized as if it had always belonged there.

Cael wondered,

’Was this the same ring she found in that dungeon?’

His vision blurred once more.

He stood before a large and beautiful architectural structure.

Marble columns. Arched windows. Gold trim that caught the light of the setting sun.

The building stretched upward in graceful curves, its rooftops adorned with statues of figures Cael did not recognize.

A gentle fountain stood at the base of the steps, its water clear and still, reflecting the orange sky above.

It was a palace, or something close to it.

The Monarch ascended the steps slowly, her boots clicking against the stone.

The sound echoed off the marble walls, sharp and deliberate. Shadows lengthened as the sun dipped lower, and the air grew cooler.

She reached the entrance.

Guards stood on either side of the massive doors, their armor polished, their spears crossed to block her path.

They spoke, but Cael could not understand them. He was used to it by now.

In these resonances, he could only understand the Monarch.

The Monarch did not argue. She did not plead as she simply turned, preparing to leave, while saying,

"You will regret that."

Then suddenly, a maid came running from inside the grand hall, shouting words Cael could not understand.

Her footsteps were frantic, her voice high with urgency.

The guards’ expressions changed as their eyes widened. Their spears uncrossed. They bowed to the Monarch.

Monarch smiled and said,

"I told you. You will regret that."

The maid led her inside.

Cael followed as a spectator, his vision drifting through the halls until they reached a door. The maid pushed it open.

The room beyond was modest compared to the grandeur of the palace.

A wooden table sat in the center, its surface bare. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with scrolls and tomes, their spines cracked with age.

A single window faced the city below, its glass slightly open, letting in the distant sounds of merchants and travelers.

A golden-haired lady stood beside the window; her gaze fixed on the city below.

She was in her mid-twenties, her posture regal, her features soft but not weak.

Her golden eyes turned toward the Monarch as if she wanted to read her very soul.

The fading sunlight caught her hair, making it glow like molten gold.

The Monarch knelt on one knee. She placed her right hand over her heart and said,

"I, Valeria Duskbane, greet the Sun Maiden."

The Sun Maiden smiled softly and said,

"There is no need to bow to me."

Cael’s eyes widened.

For the first time since his resonances began, he understood someone’s words, other than the Monarch.

Cael’s mind raced. He could understand her. The words were clear, distinct, as if she were speaking directly to him.

The Sun Maiden continued, her voice warm.

"I imagine you have many questions. But do not overthink it. Every answer you seek will be found eventually, in your journey."

"However, if you give me what I want, I can make an exception and answer your questions now."

The Sun Maiden tilted her head slightly.

"What do you think, Dame Valeria?"

The Monarch nodded without hesitation.

She looked directly at the Sun Maiden and asked,

"What is the pathway?"