“Is that your answer?”

A simple question, though its meaning went beyond what his words offered. Finnian nodded, convinced that there was nothing more he could do at that point. Going back would mean stalling and not being able to help Elthea. Even if it meant forgetting his friends, he was willing.

The world around them stopped. The aurora borealis did not disappear, but it no longer gave off the same intensity as before. However, light from them illuminated that temple as if it were a lighthouse.

“My name is Nana. I am not an elthean, but I am not a Signer either.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Finnian replied.

“I’m something else. Someone who saw what was happening in Elthea too long ago and tried to make amends as best she could.”

She did not emphasize juicy details no matter how much he insisted. She had already made it clear that he would get nowhere that way, which prompted a different explanation. She did not offer him glimpses into Elthea’s past or even her origins. The only thing Nana insisted on was something he already knew but in more detail. And that was Elthea’s cycle and its balance.

“However, someone saw the power it would find here and decided to break it.”

“Calamity?” Finnian said.

“At that time, there was no one to be called that, but it would be the beginning of what you know,” Nana continued.

With unparalleled strength, the elthean themselves found divided into three groups: those who yielded to this power, those who perished, and those who opposed it. That’s when the first Signer came.

“It was something no one knew how to foresee, let alone their link to an elthean,” Nana said.

“Were you the one who created us?” Finnian said.

“She was just a spectator.”

It was neither of them who spoke. Instead, that voice came from within him. From the same glow he gave off, a kind of ghost came out of it. It was a girl with dark skin and brown hair, though all of her gave off the same light as those present. He recognized her instantly, even though he had only seen her on one occasion.

“You were in the desert, in the sanctuary,” Finnian exclaimed. “Why was I the only one capable of it?”

“Because you are the breath of the worlds. The one in charge of maintaining the balance, just as I was once.”

His name was Nova. Like him, she was born into a world where magic was frowned upon, and only a few could use it. However, someone came to her for help.

“My magic had barely developed, but a spirit asked for my help, warning me of a danger that could spread to other worlds if someone didn’t stop it.”

“Someone like you?” Finnian said, addressing Nana this time.

And though she didn’t answer him, just staring at Nova’s spirit, his instinct told him he was on the right track.

“The union of my magic with my partner allowed me to defeat the first Lord of Calamity, though not completely.”

What Anwil told him. Nova revealed that she ended up imprisoning him in hell, a dark plane far from Elthea, but at the same time very close. Only those who perished and had been evil in their lives ended up there. It was an eternal prison for those souls because they could not be reborn or leave that place.

“However, Calamity’s strength was greater than anyone had expected. I joined with the same spirit that summoned me,” Nova said.

“Joined?”

“We became one, ensuring that other Signers would come to Elthea when needed.”

The Calm and Calamity cycle. That was a story repeated hundreds of times, for that was the way of the world. Signers like him were chosen because their magic was pure, as yet unexplored, making them fit to go to a world in need and then return to their own.

“The union between Signer, someone from outside, and elthean, someone from here, was the key to stopping the conflict, at least for a time,” Nana said.

“Until my predecessors arrived,” Finnian said.

“That’s when everything changed,” Nana continued.

They lost, and they won. Worse, it upset the cosmic order that had existed there from the beginning. The balance had been broken.

“Why do you think Calamity has that power? Or the presence of the one you call the Eroder? The loss of the Golden Orchid opened the door for chaos to break out of its prison,” Nana said.

“But everything is still in one piece. I mean... I don’t see many Lord of Calamity out there on the loose.”

“Still. You’re the one in the middle of all this and the egg that claims you,” Nana said. “Why do you think you don’t have just one partner?”

“It’s not something I’ve given much thought to,” Finnian replied sarcastically. “It’s not like anyone would give me the answer either.”

“You were born with magic, Finnian,” Nova said.

With a half-smile, she looked at him rather more fondly than Nana. It may have been the second time they’d met, but his instinct told him they were connected by more than just being Signers.

“Even if you didn’t know it, since you were a baby, you have possessed magic, more than any other Signer in many generations,” Nova continued. “And there’s a unique ability that came with you.”

She touched him on the chest, a gesture he noticed, despite her translucent, pointing out what was inside him. He can connect with other hearts, especially those with whom he bonded.

“The egg appeared due to the damage received in the Golden Orchid,” Nana said, “but it needed someone strong enough to keep you both alive.”

“Me?”

“That might you have allows you to acquire more power than others would be capable of. The egg connected to you, and you did the same with the same source of magic,” Nova said.

That would explain his dreams, the familiarity that awakened him, or everything around him. He wasn’t even able to remember when it happened, but Nova wasn’t someone he was going to doubt at that point. For that reason, he possessed tremendous energy and was able to give magic to four partners at once. His capability could be superior, but it depended on how it was used. And that’s where the egg came in.

“We are important.”

“Together and apart, yes,” Nana nodded. “Your predecessors did everything they could to protect it, knowing that anyone would try to take advantage of it. That’s why the key only reacted to you and harmed everyone else.”

“An egg hatched from the death of a Calamity and the sacrifice of a Signer’s partner? That’s not something that anyone would ignore. Its death and its life can affect everything now more than ever,” Nova said.

“If you want to settle this once and for all. Right the wrongs of past Signers and prevent the evil from spreading... Yes, your options are limited, though there is a chance that what you fear so much will not happen,” Nana said.

“But there is more. Blanche couldn’t see you,” Finnian said.

Nova twisted her face, adding nothing, though they both knew the answer.

“And not only that but what awaits me at home,” Finnian continued.

The song. He’d been taught it as a child, allowing him to mask his magic. Would his parents be aware of it? Why had they kept it from him when it had been a part of him forever?

“I wish I could answer that for you,” Nova said. “I can promise you one thing, though. You won’t be alone at any time.”

Signers were connected at a level beyond what many would understand. The most important thing was not that but because of what happened around them. Six spheres of light surrounded him, each of a different colour, symbolizing the doors he had so far opened. He was still giving off light in the centre when the last one was crossed, and a melon-sized egg appeared, just as Nana and Nova were no longer visible.

“Easy, little guy. You’re safe now,” Finnian said, rubbing the egg.

The surprise came when his Mark glowed, and from it emerged his friends. Aer, Rune, Leith and Nero appeared in front of him, stretching as if they had just woken up. Although none quite understood what had happened or its reasons, they were safe inside his pendant. Always next to his heart.

“I thought I’d lost you,” Finnian murmured, his voice trailing off, his eyes bright with emotion. “I couldn’t even feel you.”

“A strange magic prevented it, though we were still connected to you,” Rune said.

“Neither distance nor spells could separate us,” Leith exclaimed.

“Nor appear in strange places none of us has ever seen before,” Aer said, laughing.

“Where are we? How are we supposed to get back?” Nero said, not at all comfortable with being so high up.

The answer came in the form of a portal. The same one that led them there appeared, offering a way back to the Silver Orchid. At least he got what they needed, but that didn’t bring him closer to accomplishing his mission.

“Did you hear everything that happened?” Finnian said.

“Every word,” Aer said.

He wouldn’t even have to update them, which was a relief. He would have loved to spare them the fear that they would forget, that uncertainty moving toward them at an ever-increasing speed. They had already talked about how they would have to part ways at some point, even if it was something they didn’t want to see in the foreseeable future. However, a shiver ran through his body before he crossed the portal, just as Nova’s voice reached him.

“There’s something else you need to know, and it’s crucial if you want to survive.”

“Why does everything have to be life or death?” Finnian answered.

“In conflicts like this, few solutions don’t include one of those options,” she replied.