The moon hung low, pale and trembling like it too was afraid.
Elara slipped out into the chill night, clutching a folded letter so tightly her fingers turned white. It was for Kael — the one she'd never dared to give.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROhBk7C7iB
Inside, her truth bled through every inked word:45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtz3dAgFsyF
You are not just my secret anymore… You’re the only thing that feels real.
Tonight, she would give it to him. Tonight, everything would change.
She didn’t take the usual path to the well.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdBWEphmnq
No — his note had said:
"Meet me at the forest’s edge. I need to show you something."
His handwriting. His way of speaking. Of course she believed it.
But Kael had never written it.
That ink was forged by shadows.
That voice… belonged to something else.
As Elara entered the forest, the air shifted. Thicker. Quieter.
Mist curled at her feet like cold fingers. The trees leaned inward. The stars above… blinked out, one by one.
She walked slower now.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4RjQrXUuU
Her heart whispered: Something is wrong.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGcKo7RxhB
But her hope whispered louder: Kael is waiting.
"Kael?" she called gently.
Silence.
Then—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRasIGKjmf
Snap.
A branch broke behind her.
She spun around. "Kael?"
Only the wind replied.
She clutched the letter tighter, fingers shaking.
"Kael…?"
Suddenly, a voice — soft, familiar — came from the darkness:
"Elara…”
She froze.
That voice… it sounded like him — but it was off.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdqHBZ1kNQ
Too perfect. Too smooth. Like an echo remembered, not spoken.
“Where are you?” she whispered.
A shape emerged — tall, hooded, faceless.
“You followed so sweetly,” the figure said. “Just like she said you would.”
Elara backed away. “Who— who are you?”
The figure raised its hand — and a silver chain flew forward, wrapping around her wrist.
Cold. Burning. Alive.
She gasped — but no scream escaped. The air swallowed her voice.
Around her, the forest cracked and shifted. Trees twisted. The ground splintered.
The letter was ripped from her fingers — carried into the wind like a piece of her soul.
She struggled, thrashed, cried — but the shadows multiplied, whispering in a language her heart didn’t understand.
And then—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdQ97QkH6J
Everything shattered.
Blackness took her.
The Mirror Knows
Far away, high in the Tower of Stars, Queen Ayela’s hand hovered over a silver basin, her eyes locked on its shimmering surface.
She had seen it.
Every step. Every trick of the shadows.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctnMs8y4ff
Elara — chained, taken, swallowed by darkness.
The basin trembled. Her tears did not fall — not yet.
Behind her, the bell chimed.
Kael entered, eyes curious, unaware of the storm waiting for him.
“You called for me?” he asked.
Ayela did not turn.
“Yes… There’s something I must ask of you.”
Kael stepped closer. “Is something wrong?”
Ayela’s voice was low. “The Queen of Light has been taken.”
Kael blinked. “Queen…? But I thought—"
“She was hidden. Protected all her life. Even from herself,” Ayela said softly. “But the Shadow Queen… Vishkaniya… found her.”
He frowned, concerned but calm. “What do you want me to do?”
Ayela finally turned. Her eyes shimmered with pain and secrets. “You must go to the edge of the Shadow Realm. Follow the Lightpath. Find her. Bring her home.”
Kael nodded without hesitation. “If it will protect the realm… I’ll do it.”
He turned.
And then—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDxJ4mdHOQ
The mirror behind Ayela flickered, glowing with restless magic.
Ayela moved fast — too late.
Kael glanced back.
And saw her.
A chained girl. Her face bloodied, but proud. A faint, golden light clinging to her like defiance.
Her eyes looked up…45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQHkK54htb
His name about to escape her lips.
“Elara…” he breathed. His knees buckled.
He stepped forward. “No… That’s— That can’t be—”
He looked to Ayela, eyes wide with disbelief. “That’s Elara.”
Ayela closed her eyes.
“She’s the Queen?” His voice cracked. “She’s the one I’m to find?”
The tower was silent.
Then Ayela spoke — voice full of everything she had buried:
ns216.73.216.247da2“We did not just lose your love, Kael...”
“We lost the Queen of this realm.”
