Tarek Solari stood at the edge of the royal balcony, watching as dawn broke over Lyria. The capital had changed in the year since the crisis. Gleaming crystal formations now dotted the cityscape, rising like natural monuments between the stone and timber buildings. Most were small—clear blue-green growths no larger than garden sculptures—but several had grown to towering heights, their surfaces catching the morning light and casting colorful patterns across nearby buildings.

  "Beautiful and frightening," came Eliza's voice from behind him. "Much like everything else since the worlds merged."

  He turned to face his co-ruler and wife. Her appearance had settled in the past year—mostly human now, though her skin still had a shimmering quality in certain light, and her hair kept streaks of glowing blue among the auburn. The change that never faded was her eyes—crystal-like irises that shifted colors with her moods. This morning they showed a thoughtful blue-green.

  "The council reports three new growths yesterday," Tarek said, looking back at the city. "Smaller than the others, but in more crowded areas."

  Eliza joined him at the railing. "And the evacuations?"

  "Smooth enough. People are getting used to it." He sighed. "Though I'm not sure that's a good thing."

  The crystal growths had begun appearing six months ago—first along the old boundary lines, then spreading inward toward towns and cities. They didn't seem harmful; in fact, they showed remarkable benefits, strengthening nearby plant life and cleaning water sources. But they grew unpredictably and, once established, proved impossible to remove.

  "Have you been sleeping?" Eliza asked, her eyes studying the shadows beneath his own.

  Tarek grimaced. "The dreams again. Last night was... particularly vivid."

  "The wyverns?"

  He nodded. For months now, his dreams had been haunted by winged serpentine creatures—not dragons, something different—circling above a great crystal spire. Sometimes the dreams felt like memories, other times like warnings of things to come. Last night had been worse. In the dream, he'd been able to understand their high-pitched calls, though upon waking he couldn't remember what they'd said.

  Eliza slipped her hand into his. Although their paths to the throne couldn't have been more different—he, the reluctant heir of House Solari, forced to flee when his family was killed; she, once Eliza Aldamar, then changed into something both more and less than human during her imprisonment beyond the boundary—they had found balance together, ruling a kingdom transformed by magic's return.

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  "Magistrate Valen has made progress with the text," she said, changing the subject. "The parts of the Concordance Protocol he's figured out suggest there's a pattern to the crystal growth. Perhaps even a purpose."

  Tarek raised an eyebrow. "Beyond making our royal architects question their career choices?"

  Eliza's laugh was like wind chimes. "The Solari journal suggests your ancestors knew more than they revealed about the boundary system. The patterns behind it weren't just about separation, but change. The crystal structures might be..." She hesitated.

  "What?"

  "Seeds," she finished. "Or perhaps foundations."

  Before Tarek could question her further, a sharp knock came at the chamber door. Captain Thorne entered, her face serious beneath her close-cropped silver hair. Despite approaching sixty, the head of the royal guard moved with a warrior's precision.

  "Your Majesties," she said with a short bow. "We've received a report from the northern outpost at Highcrest. A delegation has arrived from the mountains."

  Tarek frowned. The northern mountains were largely unmapped, considered too harsh to live in. "What kind of delegation?"

  Thorne's expression remained carefully neutral. "They claim to be representatives of something called 'The Wyvern Court.' They've requested a meeting with—" she glanced at her notes, "—'the Boundary Breakers of House Solari.'"

  Tarek felt a chill run down his spine even as the morning sun warmed his face. Beside him, Eliza's hand tightened around his.

  "There's more," Thorne continued. "The messenger who delivered their request... The reports describe crystal features. Not like Lady Eliza's," she added quickly, with a respectful nod toward the queen. "More pronounced. Almost as if..."

  "As if they're further along the transformation," Eliza finished for her.

  Thorne nodded. "They've set up camp outside the outpost and say they'll await your arrival or your invitation to the capital."

  "How many?" Tarek asked.

  "Five visible delegates, though the outpost commander suspects more remain hidden."

  Tarek exchanged a look with Eliza. Her eyes had shifted to a deep, thoughtful blue.

  "The Wyvern Court," she murmured. "I came across that term in the ancient texts. It was mentioned just once, in a passage about the creation of the boundary system. I assumed it was just a symbol."

  Tarek turned back to Captain Thorne. "Prepare a royal escort. We ride for Highcrest within the hour."

  After Thorne departed, Eliza moved closer. "Is this wise? We know nothing about them. They could come to us."

  "My dreams weren't just dreams, Eliza," Tarek replied, his voice soft but certain. "They were waiting for me to recognize them. To remember."

  "Remember what?"

  He looked back out at the crystal growths catching the morning light across his city—his and Eliza's city—transformed by forces they'd set in motion but didn't fully understand.

  "I'm not sure yet. But I think it's time we learned what happens after the boundaries fall completely." He turned to her, taking both her hands in his. "The Concordance Protocol wasn't just about stabilizing the existing system, was it?"

  Eliza hesitated, then shook her head. "No. From what I've translated, it's about... change. Transformation. The boundary system was always meant to be temporary. A stage of growth, not a permanent solution."

  "And these Wyvern Court representatives?"

  "May be what comes next," she said simply. "What was always meant to come next."

  Tarek nodded, a strange mixture of worry and excitement settling in his stomach. "Then we should greet our future with open eyes, don't you think?"

  As they turned to prepare for the journey north, neither noticed the small crystal growth that had begun forming in the corner of their royal chamber, its surfaces cycling slowly through all the colors of their shared kingdom's new dawn.