Chapter 85 The Heartbeat Of Kaelen

• The air in the chasm of the dormant Heartstone crackled with unspoken tension, a palpable manifestation of centuries of ingrained animosity. The delegations from the Stone-Guard and the Sky-Riders stood on opposite sides, their leaders, Elder Lyra and Wind-Speaker Aerion, exchanging wary glances. The Moon-Tear Shard, resting on the immense, lifeless crystal, emitted only a faint, struggling pulse, needing more than just the absence of conflict to awaken the Heartstone; it required genuine, unified hope.
• Elara took a deep breath, drawing on her own reserves of Lunari energy. This was the moment. Her voice, amplified by the natural acoustics of the chasm and subtly enhanced by the Moon-Tear Shard, resonated with a profound clarity. "This Heartstone," she declared, gesturing to the dull crystal, "is more than just a power source. It is the very soul of Kaelen. It remembers the land before the war, before the bitterness. It remembers when Sky-Riders and Stone-Guard lived in harmony, their paths distinct yet intertwined, enriching each other."
• She projected a series of images, subtle psychic impressions drawn from the Heartstone’s latent memory, filtered and amplified by the Moon-Tear Shard. Not images of conflict, but of shared history: ancient festivals where both peoples celebrated the seasons, intricate trade routes where Stone-Guard crafts adorned Sky-Rider airships, joint harvests where ground crops sustained aerial hunters. The images were fleeting, almost dreamlike, but they stirred something deep within the delegations – a recognition of a forgotten past, a yearning for what was lost.