The Forgotten Vale was nothing like its name suggested — it was unforgettable.
Even before Elara stepped into it, the air changed. It turned thick, cold, and unnaturally quiet. No birds sang. No leaves rustled. The trees stood like hollow sentinels, ancient and watching.
Kael walked beside her, his hand never far from his sword. Ravynn led the pack warriors behind them, silent and alert. Only Elena dared to speak.
"This place was cursed long before Vael claimed it. Legends say the Moon herself turned her face from it."
Elara felt it in her bones — the tension, the echoes, the way the veil between worlds felt thin, almost brittle.
They reached the heart of the vale just as the moon broke through the clouds, casting silver light on a black stone altar.
Vael was already waiting.
Draped in a cloak darker than night, his silver eyes gleamed with anticipation. Shadows curled around his feet like obedient hounds.
"You came," he said, smiling. "I had faith you would."
Elara stepped forward, heart pounding. "What do you want?"
Vael ignored her question. "This place remembers you, Flameborn. It sings with your blood."
"I've never been here," she snapped.
"Not in this life," he said with a shrug. "But your soul… oh, it's older than even you know."
Kael growled, stepping protectively in front of her. "You'll tell us what this is about or we walk."
Vael's grin widened. "This is not a negotiation. It's a warning."
He turned toward the altar, lifting a small crystal vial. Inside, dark red liquid shimmered.
"Do you know what this is?" he asked.
Elena's gasp answered for them. "Moonblood."
Kael's jaw clenched. "That's impossible. The last vial was destroyed generations ago."
"Ah, but one drop remained." Vael held it high. "And with it, I can awaken what's been buried. Not just your memories, Elara… but your true form."
Before they could react, he shattered the vial on the altar.
A pulse of dark light erupted from the stone, sweeping over the vale. The ground trembled, the trees groaned, and Elara fell to her knees as something ancient stirred within her — something locked away for
centuries.
Something… no longer sleeping.