21.4 A Guardian's Burden

"In the eternal twilight of Alfheim, Aeliana Vale prepares to accept a role that has never existed before—Ambassador-Guardian, the first to carry the Staff of Realms in three thousand years.
Gunner stands in the gallery watching the woman he loves take on a burden no one fully understands. The ceremony should be straightforward: accept the staff, receive the title, begin the work. But when Aeliana's hands close around the ancient wood, the Staff shows her something no one expected.
Visions of burning realms. A child walking through ash. Reality itself fracturing. And a sense of inevitable choice that hasn't been made yet.
The Council goes silent—some recognize what she's describing, but no one will explain why.
Before she can process what she's seen, political challenge arrives. An ambassador from Luminae questions whether someone in love with a mortal can maintain the neutrality this role demands. Can Aeliana serve all realms equally when her heart lies with one individual? Can attachment and duty coexist, or will one destroy the other?
Standing before the Council of Alfheim, still reeling from visions she doesn't understand, Aeliana must defend not just her relationship—but the very foundation of what it means to be a Guardian who cares."