The tomb was older than anything they had ever seen.
Vaelor stood at the entrance, the sword blazing in his hand, his heart pounding against his ribs. The stone before him was black and smooth, carved with symbols that predated the First King. Predated the Veiled Queen. Predated everything.
Mira stepped forward, her mismatched eyes scanning the inscriptions.
"This is the language of the First Ones," she said. "The ones who came before the First King. Before the realm. Before the darkness."
"What does it say?" Darian asked.
Mira's voice was barely a whisper. "It says... 'Here lies the First Guardian. The one who held the line. The one who was forgotten. The one who will be remembered.'"
Vaelor's blood went cold. "The First Guardian? There was a Guardian before the First King?"
"It ap
