The Gathering

The mist had not yet lifted from the hills when Luin Ardel set out that morning, the silver relic secured in a leather pouch at his side. The wind carried a bite—one that made the hairs on his arms stand, but not from the cold. Something ancient had stirred.

He had barely slept. The glow of the stone still pulsed behind his eyelids. He knew one thing with certainty: this wasn’t just a relic. It was a beginning.

And he wouldn’t face it alone.

Elmsreach – Later That Morning

He found Daren Vael at the training grounds behind the village chapel, shirt soaked in sweat, blade singing through the air.

“You’re up early,” Daren said, spinning his sword once and sliding it into its scabbard. “Or haven’t you slept?”

“I’ve found something,” Luin said. “Something big.”

“You say that every week.”

Luin dropped the pouch into Daren’s palm. “This time, I’m right.”

Daren opened it and frowned. Inside, the relic shimmered—its glow soft but pulsing like breath. As he held it, something cold slithered under his skin. His eyes flicked to Luin, and for a moment, he almost let it drop.

“Where did you find this?”

“The western scouts unearthed it near the edge of the Forest of Silence. The runes—I’ve seen them before. In old texts. In dreams.”

“You and your dreams…”

“This isn’t just a relic, Daren. It’s a key. Something’s waking up out there.”

Daren stared at the stone, then at Luin. He saw that wild spark in his friend’s eyes again—the same one that had once led them to chase fireflies into an abandoned crypt when they were ten.

“You’re serious.”

“I am. I’m forming a party.”

Daren sighed, handing the relic back. “Of course you are.”

He wiped his brow and smiled. “Guess that means I’m in.”

They found Mira in the tavern’s back room, playing dice with a pair of drunk blacksmiths. She didn’t even glance up when Daren dropped the relic on the table.

“Is this a bribe?” she asked, tossing another die.

“More like an invitation,” Luin said. “To something dangerous.”

“Dangerous pays well.”

“We can’t offer coin.”

“Then you’d better offer me something better.”

“We’re heading into the Forest of Silence.”

She looked up.

“Deal.”

Torren, the stoic ex-knight, took more convincing. He was tending to a wounded dog outside the chapel, carefully binding its paw. Luin waited until he’d finished.

“You were trained to guard the prince of Harenfall, right?” Luin asked. “Before… the fall.”

Torren didn’t answer, just reached for another bandage.

“We’ve found a relic. Elven in origin. Ancient. Magical. Maybe even cursed.”

Torren’s hands paused.

“I swore I’d never enter a ruin again,” he said.

“We might need someone who has,” Luin said softly.

Torren looked up—searching Luin’s face. “You carry something dangerous in your heart, boy.”

“I know.”

After a long silence, Torren nodded once.

“Then I will follow you.”

That night, the Ardel home was filled with quiet preparations. Luin’s mother packed jars of honey and dried herbs; his father checked the buckles on his son’s traveling bag.

No one said it, but they all felt it: Luin wasn’t just leaving to chase a mystery. He was stepping into something far older and more dangerous than they understood.

His mother handed him a cloth bundle—inside was an old brass compass.

“This belonged to your grandfather,” she said. “It doesn’t point north. But he said it always pointed true.”

Luin felt the weight of it in his hand. “Thank you.”

His father pulled him into a strong embrace. “Be kind. Be brave. Come home.”

And then, from the door—Fenric, arms crossed, pack already slung over his shoulder.

“I’ve sharpened my blade and stolen Mira’s best boots,” he said. “Try and stop me.”

Luin shook his head, laughing. “I never could.”

As twilight fell, the party assembled at the edge of the village.

Six travelers:

• A mapmaker with stars in his eyes
• A loyal friend with shadows in his heart
• A clever rogue with more secrets than blades
• A fallen knight searching for redemption
• A bright-eyed boy with royal blood in his veins
• And an old relic that pulsed like a heartbeat


They stepped into the woods.

And far away, in the crumbling ruins of a forgotten palace, the Demon King smiled.

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