In the grand, shadow-filled halls of Umbra's palace, Princess Morwen led Avora and Egan to her private chambers.
Morwen, draped in dark silks and radiating a quiet strength, studied Aveloria with a guarded curiosity. She revealed that Umbra, the Kingdom of Shadows, was bound by an ancient curse to Aveloria's kingdom.
"Our lands are two sides of a single heart," she explained, her voice as soft as it was steady. "When one kingdom's light fades, the other's darkness grows."
Avora listened, realizing the depth of their kingdoms' bond and the peril it held. Morwen went on to explain that long ago, both realms were sustained by the Moonstone a mystical gem created to keep light and shadow in harmony.
But the stone was stolen by an ambitious sorcerer, splitting its power and setting the two kingdoms on a collision course.
"Our only hope," Morwen said, "is to reunite the fragments of the Moonstone." She held out a sliver of the gem, dark and glimmering , which had been safeguarded by Umbra for centuries. Avora took it, feeling its weight and coldness in her hand. Together, the two princesses pledged to seek the second half of the Moonstone, understanding that their journey would bind their fates—and their kingdoms forever.