Vaticinia Caelorum- The Prophecy That Destroyed The Heavens

"You must leave, Serenya," Master Aeron said slowly, every word measured, as though he were offering them to fate itself. "I am sure your mother told you, but I'm not sure just how much."

The air in the room tightened. Serenya turned towards him, unsure whether the chill she felt was from the cold stone floors beneath her—or the weight of what she already suspected.

She remembered it all too clearly now. That moment in the in-between space, in the clouds of memory where her mother had appeared like a vision, speaking not with power but with softness.

"My enemies," her mother had said finally. "A secret society. One that I once formed myself. A group I thought I could control. I was wrong. But you—you must leave. To Middle Earth. Take what is most dear to you and protect it. You will find answers there. And truths you will not like. But you must go."

The words echoed in her mind again, aloud. Serenya blinked. Her heart was thudding, steady and loud in her chest, like it wanted to remind her it was still there. Still alive.

The room was completely silent, until the old wooden door behind her creaked itself shut with a croaking groan. Serenya flinched. She came to her senses and looked around.

This chamber—Aeron's chamber—was unlike anything she'd ever stepped into.

It felt alive.

The walls were etched with runes that glowed faintly with ancient magic, shifting ever so slightly when you weren't looking directly. Shelves upon shelves of scrolls and tomes were suspended mid-air in spiraling formations. A slow-moving celestial chart rotated above their heads, casting soft starlight across the stone floor. The whole space felt like it knew—everything. The past, the future, the feelings she hadn't spoken aloud. It knew.

"But Master Aeron, why must I leav—"

"Because there will be a war," he interrupted, and this time, his voice was deeper, more stern. "Like nothing you have ever seen or heard of, Serenya. A war that doesn't only shatter cities...but destroys people. Memories. Bloodlines. The war of all wars. The end of this world."

His words hung in the air like a guillotine.

Serenya felt it immediately in her bones. She had known. Deep down, she had always known this wasn't just about a duel. Or about Kael. Or even about her mother.

It was about all of them.

Riven went still beside her. Lyara's eyes widened with a silent gasp. Neither of them could move. The weight of the prophecy was no longer abstract—it was crawling across the room now, breathing on their skin.

Then—Aeron lifted a hand. With nothing but a flick of his fingers, the air split open. A shimmering vision unfolded in front of them—slow, painful, vivid.

The palace. Shredded.

The skies blackened with storm clouds too dark to belong to nature.

Children—crying, running, and then silent.

The people of Aetheria screaming, and the defenders falling.

And then there he was.

Caelous.

The leader of the Astral Concord.

Sitting atop a beast that should not exist—a dragon forged in silver and smoke, wings that split the clouds, eyes that burned white. Caelous did not look monstrous. That's what made it worse. He looked calm. Pleased. Almost kind. A dangerous kind of calm.

Serenya couldn't look away. Lyara's tears had started to fall silently. Riven's fists clenched so tight they shook.

"And this," Aeron said softly, "is what can happen to Aetheria, Serenya."

The vision closed.

"You must go."

The silence after that was unbearable.

"You have powers," he said carefully now, looking straight at Serenya, "that no one—not even your mother—can fully understand. The power to create. The power to destroy. But you must learn to wield it… and to do that, you must leave. To Middle Earth. You must go down there. Not just to protect what remains, but to become who you are meant to be."

Serenya's heart felt like a glass has been pressing down on it.

"I... I can't," she whispered. "Why can't I just stay here? Learn here. Why must I go down there? What even is down there?"

Her voice cracked on the word there, as if Earth was already a curse on her tongue.

Master Aeron gave the softest smile. "Patience, my child. Patience. You will know. When it is time. But you won't be alone."

He turned to Riven and Lyara then—who stood wordlessly, like statues cast in loyalty.

"They are not just your friends. They are two of the most gifted wielders in all of Aetheria. And with you, they will grow. With you… they will become something even they cannot imagine."

He paused.

"This is what Aetheria needs from you, Serenya. Not a warrior. Not a Queen. You. The real you."

Serenya felt something flicker inside her—fear, yes. But also… a strange pulse of power. Of being seen.

Then—Vaelina stepped forward. The most skilled water wielder in Aetheria, now standing in the shadows like a mirror of serenity.

"You'll need these," she said.

She handed Riven a bag—light and soft, embroidered with symbols Serenya had never seen before. It looked ordinary. It wasn't.

"You will find what you need inside. And when the time comes, it will know what to become."

Riven nodded once. Quietly with his stone-cold expressions.

Then Vaelina turned to Serenya and handed her something small—a pendant. Sapphire-blue, nestled in a silver cage, hanging from a velvet thread.

"Keep this close, Serenya," Master Aeron said, watching her reaction closely. "It will protect you when you most need protection. And remind you of who you are."

Serenya held the pendant in her hand. It was warm. Strangely warm.

"I…" she started. But the words weren't forming.

She looked at Lyara—who wiped away her tears and nodded. Then at Riven—who gave her a look she would never forget. Unwavering. Not brave, not fearless—but steady. Like he would fall with her, if it came to that.

"We'll leave at sunrise," Serenya finally said. Her voice was no longer shaking.

"Middle Earth awaits you," Aeron said. "And it will not be what you expect."