Together, begin your journey to the center island, where the particles have gathered in a strong, spiraling wind around the massive stone ruin. The runes on its surface flash brightly, casting an eerie, pulsating glow that bathes the area in a spectral light.

As you leave the Crystalline Forest, you hear a low hum in the air, a deep, resonant vibration that seems to originate from the very core of the island. To your astonishment, small pieces of metal begin to rise from everyone's gear, drawn inexorably toward the ruins far off in the distance as if compelled by an unseen force.

Drue shouts, but the roar of the wind and the hum drowns his voice. He points urgently into the distance, where islands of various sizes drift toward Vay from out of the clouds. Some are small and others large, all seemingly influenced by the same mysterious energy that affects the metal objects you carry or those on your clothing and stirs the air.

Then, as abruptly as it began, the wind and humming cease. The sudden silence is almost deafening, your ears ringing from the abrupt quiet. The metal pieces drop back into place with soft clinks, and you exchange bewildered glances with your companions.

"Amazing," Drue breathes, awe etched across his face. "This ruin… it must be what binds Vay together. The secret was here all along."

You stare at the approaching islands that were out of sight in the clouds but now they drift towards you causing you to look in wonder. They continue to coast through the clouds toward Vay, drawn slowly but surely by the powerful energy at the heart of the island. Each island has geographic featuers that you can see from where you are, moutains, glasslands, streams. Griffons fly off the moving masses surprised by the change in location. 

Your thoughts turn to the runes' message and the enigmatic power source they spoke of—the Heart of Vay. This central power must be the key to restoring the island's stability, and perhaps even finding the final sibling of light.

"I wonder what secrets those new islands hold?" you muse aloud. "And do you think the final sibling of light is waiting for us on one them or do we go to the ruins in the middle island?"

The group stands in a hushed circle, the gravity of your quest clearer than ever. With the Heart of Vay revealed and the islands converging, you know that your next steps are crucial. The fate of Vay—and all its inhabitants—rests on your shoulders so you can't waste time going in the wrong direction. As you prepare to move forward, the weight of the runes' message and the strange behavior of your gear lingers in your mind, urging you onward with a newfound sense of purpose.  

Drue can also feel the urgency and says, "We are going to need some more riders to get you all to the center of Vay quickly. I will send my griffon to fetch them. Make a camp for now and they will return in a few hours. You welcome the break and are the first to look for a place to make a fire. "Haden, you couldn't catch us something that moves could you. I am feeling a little peckish, you know I am a growing girl?" You say as you look at her coyly. She smiles and says, "On it!" as she walks off to the nearest clump of trees in hunting mode. 

How does the discovery of the runes' message and the behavior of the metal gear around the central ruin impact the characters' understanding of the island's instability, and what implications might this have for their approach to restoring balance to Vay and locating the final sibling of light? Enter your answer as a paragraph in Thy Quests to continue.

Next: E7Q2 The Lost Islands