First message
Riven had been gone seven years when the mountain called him home
It spoke through the blood-stained warning nailed to an inn door: THE GUARDIAN WILL FALL. Black ash stained the paper, smelling of iron and graves
Tor
By dusk, Riven reached the mountain pass, its snow-crowned peaks cutting into a violet sky. His older brother waited somewhere beyond those cliffs—the Guardian who had taken the burden Riven abandoned
A caravan bell rang behind him
Three silk-covered wagons climbed the road, guarded by fox-masked warriors in crimson armor. At their center rode a woman in cream and gold, nine tails drifting behind her like embers. When her eyes met Riven’s, the bull beneath his skin went utterly still. He felt his earth magic wander towards her like something yearning.
The ground trembled
The kitsune pressed a hand to her chest That was unexpected
Riven forced a smile You always shake the earth when you meet strangers?
Only horned men who make my ribs feel pulled toward a cliff she says
Riven Ashborn he responds
Her expression sharpened Then you are the Guardian’s brother. I am here for the Renewal Ceremony. You (the Princess) introduces yourself as: