Chapter 2 - The Awakening of the Stone
Before anyone could cry out, the magnificent creature lowered its luminous beak and touched the apex of the Crown of Aurelion.
A shockwave of raw, thermal energy rippled outward from the crown, rattling the stained-glass windows and knocking the armored soldiers off their feet. Selene was thrown backward against the steps of the throne, gasping for air as a searing heat filled the cathedral. The air smelled of ozone, crushed white roses, and ancient earth.
On the dais, the gray, lifeless slate of Elara’s stone skin began to fracture. A golden light bled outward from the cracks, pulsing like a newly awakened heartbeat. The petrified surface crumbled away in fine dust, revealing warm, smooth skin underneath.
Elara gasped, her lungs dragging in air for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. Her eyes flew open, burning with a fierce, amber luminescence that mirrored the creature hovering above her. She stumbled forward, her knees trembling beneath the heavy folds of her ivory gown, but she did not fall.
King Aldric broke out of his stupor, scrambling past the golden throne to catch his daughter. "Elara... by the gods, you're alive."
"Father," Elara whispered, her voice carrying a resonance that shook the foundation stones of the cathedral. She looked past him, her gaze settling on her younger sister, who was scrambling backward on the marble floor, clawing at her silk skirts in sheer panic.
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"No," Selene muttered, shaking her head wildly. "No! The crown rejected you! I saw you turn to stone! You are a fraud!"
"The crown did not reject me, Selene," Elara said, rising to her full height as the radiant bird perched gracefully upon her shoulder, folding its magnificent wings. "It tested me. And it exposed the truth of who stands in the light, and who cowers in the dark."
