The echoes of Evelyn's dream lingered, twisting through her thoughts as she and Kael descended the grand staircase. Morning light streamed through the tall windows, illuminating the castle's stone walls. Despite the warmth of the day, a chill clung to her skin.
Kael kept close, his hand brushing against hers. "We'll find the truth," he said firmly. "Whatever Lysandra's story is, we'll uncover it."
Evelyn nodded, though her heart remained uneasy. "The vision felt too real. The grief I saw… it wasn't just the queen's. It was as though the shadows themselves mourned."
Kael frowned. "The Obsidian Queen, Lysandra. If she was bound to the shards, her pain may still linger within them."
The weight of that thought settled heavily. Evelyn wasn't sure how much of Lysandra's emotions had seeped into her own. But she couldn't ignore the name. Lysandra. The Obsidian Queen. The cursed ruler whose shattered crown remained a warning of power unchecked.
Seraphina waited for them in the main hall, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders like strands of moonlight. She gave Evelyn a knowing glance. "The vision has left its mark."
"It did," Evelyn replied softly. "I need to understand it. If Lysandra's past holds the key, then we must uncover every piece of it."
Seraphina inclined her head. "The archives may have what we seek. But I fear the records will be fragmented. Much of Lysandra's story was deliberately erased."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Then we'll find the fragments. There must be whispers left behind."
Evelyn reached for his hand, grounding herself in the warmth of his touch. "And if the visions return, I'll face them. I can't let the fear of what I might see stop me."
Seraphina's gaze softened. "You are brave, Evelyn. But the past has a way of twisting the present. Be wary of what the shadows reveal."
"I will."
With that, they set off toward the archives. The castle's ancient corridors whispered with the memories of those who had once walked them. Evelyn's thoughts wandered as the weight of Lysandra's name pressed upon her. Could the Obsidian Queen have truly been as cruel as the legends claimed? Or was there more to her story than the shadows allowed to be remembered?
As they reached the entrance to the archives, Kael gave her a reassuring squeeze. "No matter what we find, we face it together."
Evelyn met his gaze, her heart swelling with the unwavering strength he offered. "Together."
The massive wooden doors creaked open, revealing the vast chamber within. Shelves lined with ancient tomes stretched toward the vaulted ceiling, and the scent of parchment and aged ink filled the air.
Seraphina led the way, her fingers trailing along the spines of the leather-bound volumes. "The records of Lysandra's reign were concealed, but not all knowledge can be buried. We search for the forgotten truths."
Evelyn's resolve hardened. Whatever Lysandra's secrets, she would find them. And this time, the shadows would no longer hide the truth.
----
Hours passed in the quiet of the archives. Dust motes floated like slow-moving spirits through shafts of golden light, illuminating the endless shelves that stretched into the vaulted heights above. The air was thick with the scent of aged parchment, wax, and forgotten magic. Evelyn moved between stacks like a ghost herself, her fingers trailing along cracked leather spines, each one whispering a different century's tale.
Kael's footsteps echoed in the distance, deliberate and controlled. He moved swiftly down another aisle, rifling through military records and battle chronicles. Seraphina stood near the central table, her silver hair tied loosely back as she chanted soft spells to break the enchantments sealing various compartments. A faint blue light shimmered around her fingertips as she moved her hands in fluid, practiced motions.
Evelyn paused before a small pile of disordered ledgers, stacked haphazardly in a forgotten corner. Something called to her—an itch beneath her skin, a whisper at the edge of thought. She reached out, hesitating, then pulled free a brittle, fire-singed volume hidden beneath the others. The leather was cracked and scorched along the spine, and etched into the cover was a faint, arcane sigil—a crescent and flame intertwined, identical to the one she'd seen glowing in her dream.
"Kael," she called, her voice trembling with urgency.
He was at her side in an instant. "What is it?"
Wordlessly, she held out the book. Kael's eyes narrowed as he took in the sigil. "You've seen this before."
"In the vision," she murmured, running her fingers over the charred cover. "It was carved into the queen's throne… and branded into her palm."
Kael looked at her, concern flickering behind his steady gaze. "Careful, Evelyn."
She opened the book slowly. The parchment within crackled like dry leaves, some pages flaking at the edges. But the ink remained dark—angry, urgent. The handwriting was sharp, slanted, and each word carved into the page like a cry from the past.
"It's a journal," Evelyn whispered, her eyes scanning the first page. "Lysandra's. This isn't some royal account… these are her private thoughts."
Seraphina joined them, her eyes wide as she recognized the cover. "That… that cannot be. The Obsidian Queen's personal records were believed destroyed in the Great Purge. Burned along with the last of her loyalists."
Evelyn turned to a page deeper in the journal. The script was rushed—emotionally raw.
"She wasn't just chasing power," Evelyn said, her voice low, reverent. "She was trying to protect something. Someone. Listen to this— 'They think I crave the crown, but they do not see what I hide beneath it. My daughter's cries echo louder than my court's judgment. I must finish the enchantments before they come for her.'"
Kael inhaled sharply, his eyes flicking to Seraphina. "She had a child?"
Evelyn's breath caught. "A daughter."
The words on the page blurred as her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She turned another page and found a drawing—faint, childlike—of a crescent moon cradling a star. Beneath it, a single word was scrawled: Amariel.
Seraphina's voice dropped to a whisper. "This changes everything."
"She wasn't just protecting her realm," Evelyn said, her voice trembling. "She was protecting a child. Her daughter. That's why the shards resonate with sorrow, with fear. She poured herself into them—not just her magic, but her memories. Her legacy."
Kael leaned in, his brow furrowed. "If that child survived…"
Seraphina finished the thought. "She would be the true heir of the Obsidian Queen."
A heavy silence fell. Evelyn's gaze dropped to the journal, her fingers tightening around it.
"What if the shard isn't just holding Lysandra's memories?" she whispered. "What if it's holding… her legacy?"
Kael looked at her sharply. "Evelyn, what if—what if the shard responded to you because—"
"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I can't be—"
"But you saw the vision. You heard her cries. You felt her grief like it was your own," Seraphina said quietly. "The blood remembers, Evelyn."
The fire in the sconces flickered as though stirred by the sudden weight of realization. Evelyn stared at the pages, her pulse roaring in her ears. Could it be possible?
What if she wasn't just drawn to the shard?
What if the shard was drawn to her?
----
Before they could react further, a gust of icy wind tore through the chamber. The flames in the sconces flickered violently, casting frantic shadows on the stone walls. Evelyn clutched the journal to her chest as the air thickened, and the shadows in the corners of the archives darkened, swirling with a pulse that felt almost alive—like the past itself had been disturbed.
"Something's here," Kael said sharply, his instincts taking over as he drew his blade with a metallic hiss, stepping protectively in front of Evelyn.
A figure materialized from the gloom—a tall woman cloaked in robes that shimmered like obsidian dust, her presence both ethereal and commanding. Her eyes glowed faint violet, flickering with ancient knowledge, and her voice echoed with eerie calm, as though speaking from another plane entirely.
"You should not have touched her words," the woman said.
"Who are you?" Evelyn demanded, standing firm despite the chill crawling up her spine and the pounding in her chest.
"I am the Keeper of the Forgotten," the woman intoned. "Bound to protect the secrets Lysandra chose to leave behind. And you, Evelyn, are now tied to them—by blood, by fate, and by choice."
Evelyn's grip tightened on the journal. "Then you know the truth. Tell us—what happened to Lysandra?"
The Keeper's expression darkened, her violet eyes burning brighter. "Truths were sealed for a reason. Lysandra's fall was not what it seemed. Her crown shattered not by madness—but by betrayal. And if you wish to learn more, you must face the betrayal yourself."
Seraphina stepped forward, her voice steady despite the tension. "Is she alive?"
"She lives only in memory. But memory… is enough to destroy," the Keeper warned, her gaze sweeping toward Kael. "And you—protector, lover—be ready. For the one who betrayed Lysandra may not be buried in the past."
With that, the Keeper dissolved into black mist, vanishing into the darkness. The air cleared, but the scent of ashes and prophecy lingered like a haunting.
Kael stared at the now-silent corridor, jaw clenched. "We're running out of time."
Evelyn held the journal tighter, the weight of its secrets pressing against her chest. "Then we uncover the betrayal. And we end this, before the shadows do."