When Elara returned to **Thorn Hollow**, the rune stone a cold weight in her palms, Kael, the town's most venerable and wisest sage, awaited her. Kael's face was etched with deep lines that spoke of **millennia** of weariness; his eyes gleamed as if they had witnessed the **lost secrets of the stars** and the whispers of bygone eras. Each furrow seemed to bear the **imprint of a past destruction, a forgotten triumph, or an ancient prophecy**. From afar, Kael had already noticed the stone's unnatural glow in Elara's grasp, his gaze widening in astonishment.
"Where did you find this stone, **my child**?" he asked, his voice **as light as a whisper yet laden with gravity**, echoing through the dusty air like a **herald of prophecy**. As Elara extended the stone, the old man's trembling fingers brushed its surface only to recoil instantly. "This... this is the **first sign of the Dawn of Chaos**," Kael whispered, his lips quivering **as if fearing to summon a monster by its mere utterance**. His eyes met Elara's, holding a **deep gaze brimming with both sorrow and despair**.
For the next few hours, Kael recounted an ancient prophecy, **passed down through generations for centuries, whispered from ear to ear, yet never fully grasped or truly believed**. It spoke of a threat destined to shape the future of the **Shattered Worlds** and beyond:
*"When shadows lengthen and stars fade,*
*the Heart of Chaos will awaken.*
*It shall be halted only by the last champion of an ancient light,*
*or the universe will be rewritten, lost in the embrace of an endless void."*
Choosing his words with **deliberate care**, Kael explained that the **Heart of Chaos**, from legend, was **not merely a force of destruction, but an entity with the power to reshape the universe and unravel the very fabric of existence from beginning to end**. He told how the **sages of the Age of Light** had sealed it away **only with great difficulty**, knowing full well the seals would **weaken over time and vanish entirely**. "We," Kael declared, his voice now **firm and resolute**, "**knew this day would come. But we had hoped the generations after us would be strong enough to bear this burden."**
In Elara's mind, the **cold, spiraling inscriptions** on the rune stone fused with Kael's **prophetic words**. Whispers from the past **collided with present reality**, painting a **terrifying vision of the future**. The young explorer felt her life was **far more than a mere quest**; she was being **drawn into the very core of this ancient prophecy**. Something immense and terrifying was coming. And she would stand **at its heart**, pulled toward this moment by **the invisible threads of fate**. The **profound sorrow and acceptance** in Kael's eyes settled upon her shoulders **like an overwhelming burden**. The town's ordinary life **had reached its end**.