By midday, the air thinned and the trail narrowed to barely a path. Towering cliffs loomed over Kael and Elara, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch with unnatural intent. The mountains were quiet—too quiet.
Kael kept one hand on the hilt of his blade and the other lightly gripping Elara's wrist, a silent promise: I won't let go.
They passed beneath a stone arch, half-collapsed with age. Strange symbols etched into the rock shimmered faintly in the light. Elara paused, tracing them with her fingers.
"I've seen these before… in one of my dreams."
Kael frowned. "A memory, maybe. You said your mother died when you were a baby. Could she have been part of this?"
Elara's brows knit together. "I don't know. But something's calling me here. Like I've been walking toward this place my whole life."
They moved deeper into the mountain pass, until the air grew colder, and the path opened into a large, hollow cavern. Inside, the walls sparkled with veins of silver and moonstone. In the center stood a cracked stone pedestal—its top worn and broken, but still glowing faintly.
"This is it," Kael said. "The First Temple."
Elara stepped forward, her pendant pulling toward the pedestal like a magnet. As she placed it into the hollowed groove, a deep hum echoed through the cavern. The ground shook. Light erupted from the markings, crawling up the walls like fire.
And then…
A figure emerged.
It was neither man nor beast, but something in between—cloaked in mist, eyes glowing like dying stars.
"You've come too soon," it whispered, its voice layered with echoes. "The moon's cycle is not complete. The bond is still fragile."
Kael growled, stepping between Elara and the figure. "Who are you?"
"I am the Guardian of the First Bloodline. And she—" the figure pointed to Elara "—is the last of the Moonborn. If she completes the bond before the rite is fulfilled, her light will consume her."
Elara stepped forward. "Then tell me what I need to do."
The Guardian tilted its head. "You must walk the path of your ancestors. Claim the Moonblade. Awaken the blood. And choose—love, or power."
Kael looked at her, heart tightening.
Elara's voice didn't waver. "I choose both."
But the Guardian only faded, leaving behind silence… and a set of ancient stone doors now glowing, ready to be opened.
---