Chapter 30 – Ghosts of the Vale
The night in Aeloria was never truly still.
Even when the forest seemed quiet, there were whispers beneath the silence—roots murmuring deep underground, owls carrying secrets on the wind, streams humming with a rhythm older than wolves or men. Yet above it all, one presence watched with a patience neither beast nor mortal could possess.
Lucien Vale stood upon the ridge of black stone, a silhouette carved against the pale wash of moonlight. His cloak trailed like shadow given form, his eyes burning faintly crimson as he gazed across the expanse below.
The wolves were restless tonight.
He could hear them, far off, their howls spiraling across the trees. They believed themselves guardians of the forest, kings of fang and moon. But Lucien knew better. He ha
