The winds whispered secrets through the ancient city of Elaris, their voice threading through the marble ruins and forgotten halls like a mournful song. Serena walked slowly beneath arches heavy with moss and time, each step echoing in the silence as if waking ghosts from their long slumber.
Kaelen and Lysara followed close behind, their faces a mixture of curiosity and caution. This city, once a beacon of light and wisdom, now lay abandoned—its glories buried beneath layers of dust and shadow.
"It's said the stars themselves once danced here," Kaelen murmured, fingers tracing the faded glyphs etched into stone. "A place where the cosmic tides touched the earth."
Serena's fingers brushed a symbol—a crescent moon intertwined with a serpent. The sight stirred something deep inside her, a memory or a feeling too elusive to grasp.
As they entered the central chamber, a vast circular room crowned by a shattered dome, a sudden chill swept over them. In the heart of the chamber lay a basin carved from obsidian, its surface still shimmering with faint, silvery light.
Lysara knelt beside it, her voice hushed. "This is the Veil of Origins—an ancient artifact said to reveal the truth hidden beneath all masks."
Serena's breath caught. She approached the basin, peering into its dark waters. For a moment, the surface rippled, then stilled, revealing a shimmering vision.
Images danced before her eyes—fragments of a life she had never known. A castle crowned with silver spires, a throne bathed in moonlight, and a figure cloaked in shadow, whose face was both familiar and terrifying.
Her heart thundered as the vision deepened, showing a child cradled beneath a star-streaked sky, marked by a crescent tattoo on her wrist. The child's eyes were bright with unspoken destiny, and the words whispered around her like a prophecy:
"Born of moonlight and shadow, the Silver Maiden's fate is bound to the tides of cosmic balance. Her journey begins in silence, and ends in sacrifice."
Serena staggered back, the weight of the revelation pressing on her soul.
Kaelen reached out, steadying her. "You are the Silver Maiden," he said softly. "The key to the balance between light and dark."
"But why was I hidden?" Serena asked, voice trembling. "Why was my past erased from memory?"
Lysara's gaze darkened. "Because there are those who fear your power—those who would see the cosmic tides unbalanced forever."
The chamber seemed to close in around them as the shadows deepened. A sudden noise—soft, almost imperceptible—brought them to alert. From the darkness emerged a figure cloaked in midnight, eyes gleaming with ancient knowledge.
"You seek the truth," the stranger said, voice like silk and steel. "But some truths demand a price."
Serena squared her shoulders, the Silver Maiden's resolve burning brighter than ever. "I will pay whatever price is needed."
The stranger smiled—an expression both cruel and knowing.
"So be it."
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