Chapter 12: The Road to Ravaryn
491 Words
The journey began before dawn.
Aurora barely slept, her mind racing with everything that had happened—the Shadeborn, the visions, the name Ravaryn burning in her thoughts like an unspoken command.
By the time the first slivers of light crept over the horizon, they were already moving.
The forest surrounding Eldros was eerily quiet, the usual sounds of life absent. As if the land itself knew what had awakened beneath it.
Lysander walked ahead, his sword strapped tightly to his back, eyes sharp. “So, how far is Ravaryn?”
Darius adjusted the strap of his pack. “Far.”
Lysander groaned. “Fantastic. Love that.”
Celeste, walking beside Aurora, smirked. “It could be worse.”
“How?” Lysander challenged.
Celeste shrugged. “I don’t know. We could be hunted by shadow creatures and carrying an ancient book that apparently wants to rewrite destiny?”
Lysander gave her a flat look. “You’re hilarious.”
Aurora barely heard them. She was too focused on the weight of the book in her arms, the way it seemed to pulse, as if it knew she was carrying it toward something important.
She glanced at Darius. “What do you know about Ravaryn?”
Darius didn’t answer immediately. His silver eyes darkened with memory. “It was once a sanctuary. A place where Dreamweavers gathered, where their power was strongest.” His jaw tightened. “Until the Shadeborn found them.”
Aurora shivered. “And now?”
Darius exhaled. “Now, it’s a ruin. A graveyard.”
Silence fell between them.
Lysander muttered, “Again—fantastic. Love that for us.”
They walked for hours, the dense trees slowly giving way to open land. The sky above stretched endlessly, clouds rolling like waves across an ocean of blue.
As the sun climbed higher, Aurora’s exhaustion pressed in. But she pushed through it.
They had no choice.
Nightfall
They set up camp in a clearing beneath the stars. The fire crackled softly, casting flickering light over their faces.
Aurora sat with the book in her lap, running her fingers over the ancient cover. The mark on her palm tingled, a constant reminder of what she was becoming.
Darius sat across from her, watching. “You should rest.”
Aurora shook her head. “I can’t.”
He didn’t argue. He understood.
Celeste was lying on her back, staring up at the sky. “So, assuming we don’t die horribly before we get there… what exactly are we hoping to find in Ravaryn?”
Aurora exhaled. “Answers.”
Lysander threw a twig into the fire. “Or more questions.”
Aurora looked down at the book, at the faint golden glow still pulsing beneath her fingers.
“Either way,” she whispered, “we have to find out.”
The fire crackled. The night stretched on.
And in the distance—unseen, unheard—something watched them from the darkness.
- Writer
