It lay on the far side of the forest in a waste of rock and dust that few cared to cross. Further on, the air grew colder, and up from the valley in it, the mist throttled all sound. It felt like crossing some vacant null between life and death.
As they continued to walk up the valley, they heard whispers on the winds—names, they said on voices full of sorrow and longing. And with each one, the weight of forgotten lives seemed to follow them.
"Stay close," Lily whispered, a shiver running down her spine. "This place can play tricks on the mind.".
Hours went by, and nothing suggested the name of the Harbinger. The mist deepened, seeming to move shadows at the outer reaches of their perceptions. She felt a creeping sense of dread as if something was watching them, waiting for them to drop their defenses.
At last they came to the cliff overlooking the valley. There, the earth was strewn with ancient symbols, and there was a vibration of hum in the air. Elysia went forward, hands against the cold stone. She began to chant very softly, calling out for help from the spirits.
The air grew thick, and a shadowy figure emerged from the mist. It hid its face, kept its form shifting and ethereal, but its presence was overcoming. The group froze and watched as the figure raised its hand, gesturing for silence.
"You seek a name," it intoned, its voice echoing with the otherworldly power of an invocation, "A name that was buried with the light.".
"Yes," said Lily, her voice flat with her fear. "We are seeking the name of he who became Harbinger."
The figure paused there for a moment before speaking, then breathed out a whispered word which shook through the valley like a thunderbolt, felt by him as though it caused the earth to shudder under his feet.
"Ariston."
As if her own name could linger, pulsing with the vitality of a long-forgotten era, Lily felt a jolt of insight- this was the thing, the secret that finally could defeat the Harbinger.
"Thanks," she whispered to the figure. It vanished, though, when she looked up, and only silence and mist were there.