Thorns of the Moonlit Throne
Volume 3 — Chapter 1: The Celestial Warning
Writer: Sabbir Ahmed
The sky over Arvandor was not like any dawn Lyriana had ever seen.
Stars blazed where the sun should rise, constellations twisting into unfamiliar patterns. The Balanced Crown pulsed in resonance with the sky above, dark and light intertwined, as if warning her of something beyond mortal comprehension.
Aryn Vale stood beside her on the palace balcony, eyes scanning the horizon. "Lyri… I've never seen the heavens move like this," he murmured, unease threading his voice.
Lyriana's fingers brushed the crown, feeling the subtle vibration of cosmic energy. "This isn't natural," she said softly. "Something… ancient is stirring. And it's coming for Arvandor."
Eryon emerged from the shadows, voice low and urgent. "It is the stars themselves. A prophecy hidden among them—The Eternal Eclipse. It speaks of three champions. One of them… is you."
Lyriana's heart clenched. "Three champions?"
Aryn's gaze narrowed. "And the other two?"
"They are unknown," Eryon said. "But the prophecy promises catastrophe if balance is broken during the Eclipse."
Before Lyriana could respond, a celestial envoy descended—a being of shimmering light and shadow, its form neither fully human nor divine. Its voice carried like a song, vibrating through stone and bone alike.
"Moonlit Queen," it intoned. "The stars have awakened. The Eclipse approaches. Choices made in these days will echo across all realms. You must prepare."
Lyriana drew a steady breath. "Prepare… how?"
The envoy's eyes glimmered with countless suns. "By uniting what has been divided. By trusting those who walk with you. By embracing not only your crown… but the weight of destiny itself."
The being vanished, leaving a faint shimmer in the air.
Aryn grasped her hand. "Whatever this is… we face it together."
Lyriana nodded, looking at the heavens. "Balance has guided us this far. But now… the real test begins."
Far beyond the borders of Arvandor, ancient powers stirred in anticipation. The Eternal Eclipse would not wait for kingdoms to be ready.
And the fate of the world had just begun to unfold.