1- Shadows of the past
The night clung to the castle like a velvet cloak, and shadows danced along the cold stone walls. Elara Moonveil stirred beneath the thin quilt, her chest rising and falling with the rhythm of a nightmare she could not escape.
She saw it again, her parents, faces twisted in fear, falling before the witches' cruel hands. Their screams echoed, though the castle was silent. "Run… hide… never reveal who you are…" a voice whispered, faint as the wind, yet etched into her heart. Elara awoke with a shiver, sweat cooling on her skin.
The morning light had not yet reached Moonshade Keep, but the corridors were already stirring. Servants moved quietly, their footsteps muted against the stone floors. Elara swung her legs out of bed, wrapping herself in a simple dress, the shadows of her past still clinging to her.
She kept her secret well. None of the servants, nor the wandering nobles, knew that beneath her calm, maid-like demeanor, she carried a power that could heal wounds others could not. A Starweaver.
The memory of her mother's last words gnawed at her as she worked. "Go to the werewolves… trust no one…" Why had she said that? Elara did not understand yet, but she obeyed. The world outside the keep was dangerous for someone like her, someone born of an ancient, rare bloodline.
Cleaning the great halls, she moved with practiced grace, her thoughts slipping like mist over her fears. Every sound the scrape of a broom, the clink of a basin reminded her to remain unseen, unremarkable. She must not be noticed, not yet. For in a world that hunted healers, being remarkable could be fatal.
And yet… even as she scrubbed the cold stone floors, a strange pull tugged at her heart. Something or someone loomed on the edges of her thoughts, a shadow she could not name. A feeling she could not shake.
The castle stirred to life around her, and Elara steeled herself. Secrets were heavy, but they were her only shield. And until she could understand her destiny, she would remain hidden, waiting for the path her mother had set her upon.