The faint buzz of the woods turned into a low, unclear murmur as Mira, Elion, and their friends stood beneath the huge trees that led to the entrance. The air seemed cooler and more curious, as if it were waiting for their footsteps. Mira promised the Lantern of Light in her heart that she would protect her kingdom from whatever had begun to stir.

As Lumi's tiny light touched her face, Mira knew right away that this was not a little problem but something that was woven into the very fabric of the kingdom's lifeblood.

This gentle warmth was both hopeful and wary. The trees in the forest around us appeared to be listening too, with their branches leaning inward as if they were interested in what would happen next.

Lumi said that a strange shadow—not a scary monster or a creature of horror, but a lost spirit made up of lost wishes—had entered the kingdom's boundaries. This made the ancient thread of light that kept Luminara together start to fall apart. It quietly collected bits of unmet dreams as it wandered around the land's secret corners and crannies, shattering the enchantment without meaning to. This shadow didn't want to hurt anybody; it simply didn't know how much it was hurting them.

It liked being sad, so it frequently hung around where youngsters felt neglected or uncomfortable. Mira's heart swelled with compassion instead of fear when she learned that everything in the world, including shadows, had a story behind it. It was only a heart chosen by the Lantern of Light that could fix what had begun to break. Lumi's voice wavered as she realized that the guardian's might was no longer enough to keep the darkness from the fragile thread it had broken. Elion, who was always daring and curious, inquired where they might find this moving shadow.