Prologue: A Flicker in the Light

It had been five years since Amber wielded the relic to defeat Solaris, and the world was thriving again. The sun burned with a steady, golden glow, villages were alive with laughter, and the land was lush with greenery. Yet, as Amber stood at the edge of her homeland, gazing into the horizon, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

The first sign came a week ago—a sudden eclipse that lasted only moments but plunged the world into unnatural darkness. Then came the whispers, a chorus of voices in her dreams that called her to the sky once more. Now, even in the sun’s warmth, Amber felt the chilling grip of a new threat—a darkness hidden within the light.

Amber’s life as a leader in the rebuilt Solara had settled into a routine. She helped the people organize their trade, mediated disputes, and ensured food was distributed fairly. But her nights were restless. The dreams were growing stronger, each filled with visions of a shrouded figure standing beneath a fractured sun.

One evening, as she wandered the village outskirts, she saw it—a flicker in the sun’s light, as though something immense had passed before it. She froze, her heart pounding. The relic, long hidden in her home, began to hum softly, vibrating with a strange energy.

She knew what this meant. The peace they had fought so

hard for was in danger.

Amber sought out Jace, who now worked as a protector of the realm, training young warriors. He was sparring with a group when she arrived, but the urgency in her expression stopped him in his tracks.

“It’s happening again,” she said. “The sun… something’s wrong.”

Jace’s face darkened. “You’re sure?”

She nodded, recounting the dreams and the flicker in the light. “The relic is reacting, too. It hasn’t done that since Solaris.”

Reluctantly, Jace agreed to accompany her. Together, they retrieved the relic from its hiding place. As Amber touched it,

a surge of energy coursed through her, and an image formed in her mind: a temple, hidden high in the mountains.

“It’s calling us there,” she said.

Amber and Jace began their journey to the mountains, passing through villages that had once suffered under Solaris’s rule. The people welcomed them warmly, but Amber couldn’t shake her unease. The flickers in the sun were growing more frequent, and shadows seemed to linger where they shouldn’t.

When they reached the temple, it was in ruins, overgrown with vines and moss. Inside, they found carvings depicting a celestial battle between light and shadow. The sun was shown as a living entity, guarded by a balance of light and dark.

At the temple’s heart, they found a sealed door. The relic

flared to life in Amber’s hands, and the door opened, revealing a chamber filled with star-like lights. A voice echoed through the air: The sun’s light is not eternal. Balance must be maintained, or all will fall to shadow.

The voice belonged to a being of light named Solara, a guardian tied to the sun’s essence. Solara explained that Solaris was only one aspect of the sun’s imbalance. The true enemy was Umbra, a being born of shadow, who sought to consume the sun’s light entirely.

“Solaris sought to control the sun, but Umbra will destroy it,” Solara warned. “And he is awakening.”

Amber felt the weight of the world press down on her once more. The relic, Solara revealed, was only part of the key to defeating Umbra. They would need to find three celestial shards scattered across the world, each representing an aspect of the sun: Light, Flame, and Dawn.