"Every truth begins with a fracture."
The sun had barely risen when the bells of Elyndra began to ring. The sound was sharp and frantic, slicing through the calm morning air. Lior rushed from his hut, still half dressed, his heart pounding. Villagers were already gathering in the square, their faces pale and frightened.
Kael pushed through the crowd to meet him. "You feel that?" he asked, his voice tight.
Lior nodded. The air felt wrong. Heavy. The ground trembled with a low hum that seemed to come from beneath the village itself.
Elder Thane appeared at the steps of the shrine, gripping his staff for balance. "A tear in the leyline," he said grimly. "The barrier near the northern ridge has weakened."
Whispers spread quickly. Everyone knew what that meant. The last time a leyline ruptured, half the valley had burned.
"What can we do?" Kael asked.
"Nothing," Thane said. "Only the Veilkeepers can mend such wounds, and they have not been seen in a generation."
Lior clenched his fists. "Lysara told me to find something called the Shard of Dawn in the ruins of Vareth. Maybe it's connected."
Thane turned sharply, his eyes wide. "Where did you hear that name?"
"She came to me in the grove," Lior said. "She said it holds the truth about why I'm here."
For a long moment, Thane said nothing. Then he looked toward the mountains beyond the horizon. "Vareth is not a place one seeks lightly. It lies beyond the Mistwall, where the old kingdom fell. Few who cross that border return."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Then we'll be the few who do."
Lior met his eyes. "You'd come with me?"
Kael smirked faintly. "Someone has to keep you alive, hero."
Thane sighed, though a small smile touched his lips. "Fools, both of you. But the world has always needed fools brave enough to chase the impossible." He tapped his staff once on the ground. "Go, then. But remember this, Lior. The Shard of Dawn is not a weapon. It is a mirror. Be ready to see what it reflects."
They left at dawn. The path north wound through hills draped in fog. Birds scattered from the trees as they passed, and the wind carried faint whispers that reminded Lior of the grove.
By midday, they reached the ridge overlooking the plains. Beyond it stretched the Mistwall, a curtain of shimmering silver fog that reached from earth to sky. No one spoke as they approached.
Kael stopped at the edge, his hand resting on his sword. "Looks like we're walking into the belly of a ghost."
Lior touched the air before him. It rippled like water. "Only one way to find out what's inside."
They stepped through.
The world changed instantly. The light dimmed, and the air thickened until each breath felt like wading through smoke. Shadows moved within the mist, shapes that were half seen and half imagined. Lior could hear faint echoes, laughter, crying, whispers of names he almost recognized.
Kael stayed close, his sword drawn. "I hate this place," he muttered.
"Keep moving," Lior said. "If we stop, the mist will start to play tricks on us."
They followed a narrow trail that twisted between broken stones. After what felt like hours, the fog began to thin. The ruins of Vareth emerged from the haze, towering arches of blackened marble, statues shattered and covered in moss. Once, it must have been magnificent. Now it was a graveyard of forgotten gods.
At the center stood a pillar carved with strange runes. The same symbol that marked Lior's hand glowed faintly on its surface.
"This is it," Lior whispered.
Kael frowned. "How do you know?"
"Because it's calling to me."
He stepped forward and placed his palm against the stone. The mark on his skin flared brightly. The air pulsed with energy, and the ground trembled beneath them.
Light burst from the pillar, blinding and pure. Images flashed through Lior's mind, Elyndra burning, the golden eyed figure standing atop a mountain of ashes, and a voice echoing in the distance.
*When the veil breaks, two worlds will fall.*
Then the light faded, leaving only silence.
Kael grabbed his shoulder. "Lior! You alright?"
Lior staggered, his breath ragged. "I saw it, a vision. The two worlds, mine and this one, they're connected. If one collapses, the other will follow."
Kael swore under his breath. "Then that means…"
"That means I'm the bridge," Lior said quietly. "And someone wants to destroy it."
A sound broke the silence, slow, deliberate footsteps. They turned to see a tall figure emerging from the mist. Cloaked in black, eyes burning like gold.
The same one from the night before.
"So," the figure said, voice smooth as silk. "You found the Shard. I suppose the forest was right about you."
Lior took a step forward. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head. "Once, I was a guardian like her. Now, I am what remains when faith dies."
The ground cracked beneath his feet, and dark tendrils spread outward.
"Your world was never meant to exist again," he said softly. "And neither were you."
Kael drew his sword, but Lior raised a hand to stop him. "Go back to the village," he whispered. "Tell Thane what we found."
"I'm not leaving you," Kael said.
The figure smiled faintly. "Then you will both fall together."
Before either could move, the ground split open, swallowing the light. The mist roared like thunder.
And everything vanished.