The Unchosen Gift

Previously

…Valerius’s gaze was steady, and for the first time, Elara saw a flicker of something beyond his usual stoic wisdom. It was a hint of weariness, a shadow of past struggles. “Your journey begins where the veil between worlds is thinnest,” he said, pointing to a faded illustration of a jagged mountain range on one of the scrolls. “The Peaks of Whispers. Legend says the Sky Shard lies there, a fragment of a fallen star, said to resonate with the very core of elemental power.” Elara’s breath hitched. The Peaks of Whispers. Even the name conjured images of biting winds and treacherous climbs. “And what is this Sky Shard?” “A conduit, child