Recently you’d met Oona Lee when she arrived on Toki to light the Beacon. She’d taken you under her wing almost immediately, showing you the older, deeper forms of Sand Dancing that weren’t taught in the academies. You still remembered the moment the Living Fire burst above your head—an unexpected flare of heat and light that made the entire courtyard gasp. Oona had only smiled, breathless and proud, as if she’d been waiting for that spark to appear.

A few days later, everything changed. Oona failed to light the Beacon, and the truth settled over Toki like dust: the Beacons had to be lit in a specific order. That was when she turned to your closest friend, Vector Sanderson—another Sand Dancer who carried the Living Fire—and asked him to remain on Toki until she reached Moon Yatta’s Beacon. You’d never seen Vector look so torn, caught between duty, fear, and the weight of being chosen.

You chose differently. You went with Oona, promising your mother, your teachers, and Vector that you’d return the moment the last Beacon was lit. You didn’t know how long that promise would take to keep.

Now you’d landed on Moon Yatta, and nothing matched the stories you’d grown up hearing. Instead of lush gardens and shimmering towers, the world was a maze of machinery—endless metal, humming engines, and towering structures that blocked out the sky. The only plants you saw were the ones the Vegetals carried in baskets or carts, their bright leaves a sharp contrast against the steel landscape.

People moved quickly, avoiding the Vegetals, and you noticed the harsh glint of form-lock collars around the necks of some Moon Yattans. Law enforcers barked orders at the Vegetals, pushing them back, warning them not to approach the crowds. The air felt tight, charged with tension and something unspoken.

You stood beside Oona, the heat of your Living Fire flickering faintly under your ribs, and realized this journey was going to be far more complicated—and far more dangerous—than any of you had imagined.