castle's stone walls seemed to press in on her, the silence broken only by the echo of their footsteps. He moved wi

door, and she stepped inside, the heavy wooden beams above casting deep shadows across the stone floor. The room was sparsely furnis

t the kind of conversation one expected in the quiet hours of the night. Sir Alden stood by

" he began, his voice low but steady. "The peace

canning the map. There were markings along the borders of Eldoria-dark r

ce betraying her growing concern.

in the shadows, watching. We believe they are gathering, preparing to strike when we least expect it." Sir Alden's eyes

had heard whispers of strange happenings beyond the borders, but to hear it from

e king's forces are unmatched. How could they get p

enemy is not human. They are something far older than any of us. And they come from the ve

sed down through generations. It was said that the ancient kings had sealed away magic, locking it deep within

?" she asked, her voice tre

the lost relics-artifacts from the ancient times that can protect Eldoria from this darkness. The relics are hidde

seemed impossible- how could they, a knight

her life in the shadows of others' decisions, bound by duty and obligation. But now, in the presence of this myst

voice steady, though her heart raced

ned. "We leave at first ligh

or a moment, then nodded

etween them. She knew this journey would change everything-for both of them. And perhaps

the chamber, Sir Alde

. There are things about your family, about your bloodline, that you are not yet ready to hear

le blood, but was there something more hidden beneath the surface? A part of her, the part that had longed for somet

estions. The journey ahead was urgent

en set out together- two unlikely companions bound by fate, their hearts unknowingly on the b

sound of hooves echoed in the distance, and as she approached the courtyard, she saw Sir Alden, already mounted upon his steed. The horse was a noble creature,

him, but she quickly forced herself to f

, who bowed low as she arrived.

r hand over the mare's soft mane, drawing a steadying breath before mounting. The familiar feeling of the saddle beneath her felt

pression as she joined him. There was no need for words;

, her voice steady, though her p

, resolute, but there was an undercurrent of something she co

gdom of Eldoria sprawled before them-green meadows, rolling hills, and distant forests. But today,

ir grew heavier, laden with an almost unnatural stillness. Evelina could feel it-the same sense of foreboding that had gripped her in the castle chamber

er voice barely a whisper. "Why do you bring m

ght he might not. But then, as they reached a clearing, he slowed hi

f Eldoria is at its strongest, and its darkest. Long ago, before the kings seale

se. Whispers passed down through generations. It was said to be a place of both grea

for?" she asked, tryi

kings. It is said to hold the power to shield the kingdom from the darkness rising in the

ers of the world-she had been trained as a noblewoman to be both poised and brave. But this? This felt different. H

songs grew quieter, the wind no longer whispered through the trees. Instead, there w

canning the path ahead as if he were searching for something-something sh

dible. "That magic still exists in this land? Th

nger of magic, and so they bound it, hidden away from the world. But what they did not know-what t

reaking free," E

ing. "And if we do not find the rel

or an artifact-they were hunting for the kingdom's salv

lder still, and the once faint hum became louder, almost deafening. Evelina felt as though the forest was alive, its very he

in his horse. "We are close

apt into her throa

"But be prepared. We are no

d shifted, carrying with it a faint whisper

let them

the bone. She turned toward Sir Alden, but his face wa

scanning the shadows of the trees

around them seemed to grow thick, and the wor

from the depths of the Heartwood