Thorns of the Moonlit Throne
Volume 3 — Chapter 2: Journey Beyond the Veil
Writer: Sabbir Ahmed
The Shadowlands had never felt so alive.
Aryn Vale led the Vanguard through the jagged valleys, their path illuminated by the faint glow of moonflowers still resilient after centuries of exile. Each step brought him farther from Arvandor, and closer to truths older than the empire itself.
"Do you really believe we can find allies here?" asked Lyriana, riding beside him. Her voice was calm, but her eyes betrayed tension. "These lands have been abandoned, feared… and punished for generations."
Eryon hovered at the edges of the group, shadows rippling like water. "Abandoned, yes. But not without memory. The exiled remember old oaths. Some still honor the Moonlit Throne."
Aryn nodded. "Then we ask them to honor something greater than old grudges—balance itself."
The group paused at a massive obsidian gate carved with runes older than the first moon. It hummed softly, reacting to Lyriana's presence.
"This is the Veil," Eryon said. "It separates the known world from the hidden realms. Beyond it lie powers the prophecy calls the Eternal Eclipse. It's a test… and a warning."
Lyriana dismounted, placing her hand on the cold stone. The crown above her pulsed in resonance, light and shadow intertwining. "We've faced armies, relics, and rebellion," she murmured. "If this is the next trial… I will not falter."
A whisper, like wind through silver leaves, echoed from the gate. "Only the worthy may pass," it said. "Only those who bear light and shadow as one."
The air shivered. Aryn stepped forward. "Then we prove it. Together."
Lyriana nodded, and with a quiet command, the crown's light merged with shadow, reaching outward to touch the Veil.
The runes flared. The obsidian gate split, revealing a landscape bathed in strange celestial light—mountains floating, rivers that reflected stars instead of skies, forests that seemed alive in thought and motion.
Eryon exhaled. "Welcome… to the hidden realms. Where the stars themselves judge your hearts."
Lyriana looked ahead, determination hardening her gaze. "Then let the stars see what Arvandor stands for. Let them see balance."
Beyond the Veil, the journey into the unknown—and the prophecy—had begun.