The water spirit listened in quiet, its huge, shimmering tail trailing behind it. Then it offered a soft nod, which made the water ripple. It told Orion that danger was coming, especially at the Crystal Ravine, where shadows had just begun to move because the fallen Starling's light had gone the wrong way. The ghost warned that even if the Starling was beautiful, its brightness would attract bad beings who fed on fear and uncertainty. Orion took a deep breath and felt a flutter of fear in his chest, but when he saw the Starling's trusting radiance, he felt courageous again.

He told the ghost that he would keep his word and not betray it. The water spirit waved its luminous tail and called out a floating bridge made of water that turned into glass-like stairs that crossed the river. Its eyes sparkled with gratitude. Orion hugged the Starling close and thanked the ghost from the bottom of his heart before crossing. The air became thicker, the woods got quieter, and the light got a bit dimmer, as if clouds had gathered far above. Strange sounds, like whispers, drifted through the woods and disappeared before he could figure out what they meant.

But Orion kept on, following the Starling's soft glow. Eventually, they reached a slope where the trees tilted back, maybe because of forces they couldn't see. From the top, they could see the Crystal Ravine's distant, shimmering edge, which seemed like a crack in the earth. Orion was both fascinated and worried when he saw it since he knew that their quest would only become tougher from there. But Orion took a deep sigh of relief when the Starling sang a happy song. He was ready to face whatever lay on the other side of the abyss. Orion never slowed down, but the trek to the Crystal Ravine took longer than he thought it would. It was as if the landscape itself was trying to test their willpower.