The Last Star

Luin had never seen magic up close before.

Not like this.

The chamber still glowed faintly where Elyraen had stood moments before. Her collapsed form now rested on a bed of cloaks and packs as the party huddled around her.

She hadn’t moved since the fall.

“She’s breathing,” Mira said quietly. “Barely.”

Torren stood guard at the base of the stairs, sword drawn. “No one touches her until we know what she is.”

“She’s not a threat,” Luin said, brushing silver hair from her face. “She’s scared.”

“She’s ancient,” Torren snapped. “That makes her dangerous.”

But Fenric stepped forward, offering a flask of water. “Dangerous or not… she needs help.”

Waking

When Elyraen awoke, the chamber brightened—not from fire, but from her presence. She sat up slowly, silver eyes darting across unfamiliar faces. She clutched her side and whispered a single word:…

“Aerynthal…”

Luin knelt beside her. “You’re safe. You’ve been sleeping for… centuries, I think.”

She flinched at the word “sleep.” “How long?” she asked. Her voice was light, almost melodic.

Torren answered. “Over five hundred years. The Star Elves are gone. The kingdoms fell. The Demon King—”

“Lives,” she finished, closing her eyes.

A silence passed over the room.

She opened her hand and light shimmered across her palm. “If he’s returned… then so must I.”

Truths from the Past

They made camp in the ruins above. That night, under flickering lanterns, Elyraen spoke.

“I was one of the last of my kind. The Star Elves were guardians of the soul paths—gateways between realms. We weren’t warriors, but

we were powerful… because we remembered.”

“Remembered what?” Luin asked.

“That this world was once whole.”

The group listened as she recounted the ancient war. How the Demon King, once mortal, tore open the Veil between worlds. How he devoured memory and hope, one kingdom at a time.

“The elves built sanctuaries like this to hide what little power we had left. I was sealed here with a fragment of the Soulstar—one of three keys that could seal him away again.”

“Do you still have it?” Fenric asked.

Elyraen looked to Luin.

“I think… I gave it to him.”

Luin stared at her, heart pounding. “The relic?”

“It found you for a reason.”

A Sudden Attack

The ground shook.

Torren stood instantly. “Something’s coming.”

A roar split the night.

From the shadows emerged beasts—once wolves, now twisted and wrong. Their eyes glowed red. Their breath reeked of decay.

“Corrupted,” Elyraen whispered. “He’s found me.”

Battle erupted. Daren’s blade flashed in moonlight. Mira hurled daggers from tree to tree. Torren held the line, roaring like a war god.