Shadows on the Road
The night air was thick with an unnatural stillness as Sophia hurried through Eldrid's narrow streets, the ancient tome clutched tightly to her chest. Behind her, the grand library stood silent, but the tremors from within still echoed in her bones. Elias had given her a mission—to find Liora, the historian who might hold the key to understanding the prophecy.
But as she reached the outskirts of the city, a sense of unease crept over her. The moon, once a comforting presence, was now a sliver of light barely piercing the swirling clouds. The trees lining the path ahead seemed darker, their branches stretching out like twisted fingers. The ruins of the Forgotten Temple lay miles south, beyond the Whispering Hills—a journey that would take the rest of the night if she moved quickly.
Sophia took a steadying breath and pressed forward.
As she walked, she opened the tome Elias had given her, flipping through its brittle pages. The Order of the Whispering Stone—a secretive group sworn to protect Eldrid's balance—had existed for centuries, but their knowledge had been buried in time. The book spoke of their rituals, their understanding of the city's supernatural forces, and their last known attempt to seal away the darkness.
"The Order knew that knowledge itself was both a gift and a curse. To uncover the past was to risk awakening what slept beneath Eldrid."
Sophia shivered. She was doing exactly that.
Suddenly, a whisper rode the wind. Not the kind carried by echoes or distant voices—this whisper was right behind her.
She spun around.
Nothing.
Her heart pounded. Perhaps it was just the wind through the trees. But as she turned back toward the path, she noticed something—her shadow was moving in the wrong direction.
A slow, creeping shape detached itself from her own, stretching unnaturally against the dim moonlight. It rose, shifting and twisting, until a hunched figure stood before her, its form indistinct, yet suffocatingly real.
Sophia took a step back, the tome slipping from her fingers.
The shadow-thing hissed, its whisper slithering through the night. "She watches… She waits… The harbinger comes."
The words chilled Sophia to her core. She didn't know what it meant, but she had no intention of staying to find out. Heart pounding, she grabbed the book and ran.
For hours, Sophia pushed forward, her fear fueling her steps. The hills rose and fell beneath her feet, and by the time she saw the remnants of the Forgotten Temple in the distance, dawn was breaking. The first golden light of morning touched the crumbling stone pillars, chasing away the lingering darkness.
Sophia slowed, breath ragged. The temple was more ruin than structure now—columns half-buried in ivy, the central chamber caved in. And yet, despite its decay, it felt… alive.
And she wasn't alone.
A woman stood near the temple's entrance, dressed in scholar's robes, her long dark hair catching the morning breeze. She was tracing symbols on the stone with her fingertips, murmuring something under her breath.
Sophia's heart leaped. Liora.
She stepped forward. "Liora?"
The woman turned, her amber eyes widening in surprise. "You're not supposed to be here."
Sophia hesitated. "Neither are you."
Liora studied her for a moment before sighing. "I suppose you're here about the prophecy."
Sophia nodded. "Elias sent me. He said you might have answers."
Liora's expression darkened. "If Elias sent you, then things are worse than I feared."
She turned back toward the ruins. "Come inside. But know this, Sophia—some truths cannot be undone."
Sophia took a breath and followed her into the temple's shadowed depths.
And in the silence that followed, something unseen stirred beneath Eldrid once more.