It might be the calm he experienced with the views of the observatory, or perhaps it was due to Aer’s words, but that morning he rose up renewed. He did not have strange dreams again and did not even take his eyes to close, surprising him. Between the exhaustion of the last days, emotions, along with the hikes, had left him exhausted in many ways. In fact, it wasn’t until he woke up when he saw that he had company.

Ailfryd’s voice emerged gently on his head, trying not to scare him and asking him to go outside.

It should be relatively early because there was hardly any light on the outside. Walking lightly, using the inner ninja within himself to not hit the furniture and wake them up. He wanted them to rest as much as possible, as it was never known when they would have to leave.

He followed the Guardian into the tree, where he saw the eggs the day before, although they did not enter.

“Slowpoke,” Ailfryd mocked.

“You wake me up soon. What did you expect?” Finnian defended himself, crossing his arms.

“At least you were quite,” Ailfryd nodded in his usual calm. “Why do you think I’ve asked you to go come?”

“There’s something you want to talk to me about without interruption. Or teach me,” Finnian said, raising both eyebrows.

They weren’t taking care of the eggs again, and it wasn’t for the views either. Giving him a curious look, almost as Ailfryd was reading his mind or something, he didn’t say a word for a brief moment.

“I knew Aer show you the observatory last night, and I would love to show you the upper city,” Ailfryd began to say. “But there is something that only concerns you as a Signer and me as protector of the Galya.”

Standing in front of the lobby, a small symbol appeared in the air, disappearing instantly, showing them a new door magically connected to the Galya. Who would have imagined that he would end up inside a tree for the second time? Far from being a dark place, the interior was the opposite of what he saw in Ellery.

With an invisible floor where a golden light passed through, his footsteps made it acquire a whitish tone. Instead of the usual brown colour of the wood, with its grooves and lines, the wall there was utterly smooth in ochre. And just above it, inscriptions of a language unknown to Finnian stood out, shining with a soft greenish glow.

“Anyone can not enter here. We are in… The heart of the Galya?” Finnian said.

“Why do you think that?”

“It reminds me of what we saw at Ellery, but it’s different at the same time.”

“It’s more than that. But you are not wrong,” Ailfryd said.

They climbed the visible steps, reaching a rectangular surface like the observatory, but with an orb in its centre that emitted the same colours as all around it. The Guardian, using his magic, make the sphere get closer to him, regulating the light inside so that the marks on the walls will come to life. The letters increased in size and were grouped into rows of texts that he did not understand, and then combined and displayed images of other humans. It almost seemed like a magical version of cinema!

“It’s your story,” Ailfryd began to say, “or rather part of the Signers myth.”

“Does it explain why we are chosen? Or how?” Finnian said, without turning his eyes away from the images that came and went.

Humans like him, with different clothes and elthean partners, fighting side by side. Sometimes they were alone like him, but in others, more Signers were sharing the mission. He didn’t even know when that happened, but it didn’t matter.

Ailfryd did not answer him and instead let him continue to attend to what the tree showed. The symbols began to take shape, being able to read them even when they did not seem minimal to Spanish, his native language. They narrated their story, their mission. It was a sort of summary and at the same time gave him a glimpse of what Signers had always done.

Life in Elthea was not easy; they had told it too many times. There was civilization, order. Elthean with human appearance and others with animal traits live in many places. And at some point, everything was in danger. The story was repeated in different ways, with different names, but the basics rarely changed. The Guardian cleared his throat, explaining what he had already experienced.

“You are the key to bringing the balance back to Elthea, even if you have no control of your powers yet,” Ailfryd said.

“I know that, but...,” Finnian began to say.

“Don’t get impatient and listen.”

The relationship between humans and elthean was more complex than it seemed at first. The ability to empower them and reach new levels of power was within him. This intense connection is activated not only by danger but also by the feelings of the Signer and partners.

“We don’t choose what we will look like as we evolve, although there are a couple of factors that could influence”.

The education they had received, also where they were raised. But more fundamental, their personality, situation, and even how they face it.

“The Lords of Calamity seek to cause chaos and destruction. That affects all the elthean, the environment...”

“And also to domains, right?” Finnian asked, forcing a smile, “Sorry.”

“Elthean are very sensitive to change. Look at me! Until a few days ago, I wasn’t like that,” Ailfryd said, looking at his body. “Your power is different, and it touches those who are at your side with whom you have a strong connection. That is why you could face me the other night and survive.”

“You’re telling me to... be careful? “Finnian frowned his eyebrows, folding his arms.

If the Signers are the ones that come to Elthea to restore balance if his partners could channel his energy... His influence could be pretty significant, more than that, actually. Finnian sighed when he finished speaking. Even there, far from any curious who could interrupt (or attack) them, the reality was brutal.

“Eadward is right: the danger is greater than ever. That’s why you have to be careful. There can be worse consequences than you imagine if you don’t make the right decisions,” Ailfryd said emphatically.

Both frionach and Guardian were alike as far as tact was concerned. At least they did not hide the reality, which was an advance.

“But if one thing is clear to me, we’re safe with you,” Ailfryd said, patting on his shoulder. “You care about us. Your connection is deeper than ever, so your powers may be different.”

“Rune believed you would understand where they came from,” Finnian muttered.

“Even I have my limits, but maybe you don’t need an answer. They come from your magic, your heart, and that’s what we need now,” Ailfryd said, pointing his chest. “There’s something I want to show you that will help you, or I hope so.”

He asked him to hold his pendant, the Signer’s Mark, in the palm of his hand. Once he did, Ailfryd returned to the sphere. The gems of his double tail were shining along with his eyes. Then, with a clear and firm voice, he pronounced a phrase that managed to put him on the skin of hen:

“Ailfryd, as Guardian of the Great Galya Tree, I recognize Finnian as a Signer worthy of his position and express my desire to help him and his companions in any way I can.”

He did not interrupt him. Every fibre of his being asked him not to do it and wait. The light extinguished, the symbols stopped shining so that two columns of light surrounded Ailfryd and him. The orb emitted a fire just toward Finnian, causing something to appear in front of his hands. Then, before his eyes, a black cover book with the drawing of a tree went toward him. His pendant reacted to that moment where they were giving him something of value.

“If you have doubts, this book should answer them,” Ailfryd explained. “Its knowledge is not unlimited, but you will have what you need to find out the rest. It’s up to you how you use it.”

“This is… an Eltheaclopedia?” Finnian asked.

“What do you have with names?” Ailfryd snorted.

“Nothing, but that way, they’re easier to remember,” Finnian admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

“You have my support, Finn. Here you will always be well-received. Never forget that.”

Thanks to that, he showed him the key he obtained from Lelile. They had told him about her the day before, but he didn’t have the opportunity to show him. That item disturbed the rest of the elthean, so he tried not to keep it in sight. The Guardian observed it until he moved it to the orb he had previously manipulated with his purple eyes shining.

“This is an artefact, one that should be guarded,” Ailfryd said with a hoarse voice, uncomfortable at his mere presence.

“Isn’t a coincidence what happened in the Forest of Ellery, am I mistaken, Ailfryd?”

“I’m afraid not. However, if what you say is true, The Key looked for you for a reason,” Ailfryd said. “It has power beyond that of opening doors, but it was created for one in particular.”

“Is it one of my visions?” Finnian said. “Do you know why these pictures come to me?”

“You’ll have to find out for yourself, even though I think you know your next destination.”

Nor that he was in a mystery book!