---
Elian scrambled to his knees. "Please, Lyra," he said quickly, "don't tell anyone. I don't know what this is, but I can't let anyone else find out."
Lyra, still wide-eyed, knelt beside him. "Are you okay? You could've been hurt."
He nodded slowly. "I think… the book is calling to me."
Before Lyra could respond, the book began to hum again. Then—light erupted. A circular portal of swirling light opened just above it, glowing softly but powerfully.
From the portal stepped an old man in blue robes, his beard silver, his eyes shining like stars.
Elian backed away, heart pounding.
The man looked straight at him.
"Elian… we need you to protect this village. And this book."
Elian blinked. "Protect the village?" he echoed. "How? I'm just a boy. The only thing I can do is talk to animals!"
The old man stepped closer, gently. "And that, young one, is only the beginning."
Elian's voice quivered. "I... I can't do it alone."
The man gave a knowing smile. "You won't. You were never meant to."
The portal pulsed behind him, casting soft blue light over the room.
"The legacy of Aethera is never carried by one alone," he said. "But it always begins with the one who dares to say yes."
He paused, then added:
"We'll send those that will help you."
And with that, he stepped back into the swirling light—and vanished into thin air.
The portal folded in on itself with a quiet hum. The room fell silent.
Elian stood there, frozen in awe and fear. The air still held the warmth of magic. The book lay closed again, as still as stone.
Lyra stepped closer, her voice soft. "Elian… what was that?"
He turned to her slowly. "I don't know," he said. "But everything's about to change."
---
Later, as they sat beside the now-quiet book, Elian whispered, mostly to himself,
"He said I should protect the whole village… and this book. And I don't even know how. He said I've gained some great magic from the book, but… I don't feel any different."
Lyra's eyes sparkled with hope and curiosity.
"Maybe you do have power, Elian!" she said, leaning in. "Maybe you just have to figure out how to use it."
Elian looked at her. For a moment, doubt and belief wrestled in his eyes.
But deep inside, a flicker of something new began to stir.
Just then, a loud noise echoed from outside—like something heavy crashing through the trees—followed by the rustling of leaves and the sharp snap of twigs underfoot.
Elian and Lyra froze.
They exchanged a glance—tense, wide-eyed.
"What was that?" Lyra whispered.
Elian's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't sure why, but a chill ran down his spine.
And then he remembered the old man's final words:
"We'll send those that will help you."
------