The forest seemed endless, its gnarled branches twisting together like the ribs of some ancient beast. Kael led the way, moving with the practiced silence of someone who had spent his life surviving in the wild. Aralyn trailed behind, her thoughts bouncing between fear, grief, and the burning questions she had about the medallion.
"What is Maldoria?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.
Kael glanced back at her but kept walking. "A kingdom, or at least it was. Long before you or I were born, Maldoria was the heart of the world's magic. A beacon of power and knowledge."
Aralyn frowned. "If it was so great, what happened to it?"
He sighed. "The same thing that happens to anything powerful—people wanted to control it. There was a war, and Maldoria fell. The few survivors scattered, and its secrets were buried. Most people think it's a myth, but…" His gaze flicked to the medallion. "That says otherwise."
Aralyn clutched the medallion tightly. "You still haven't told me what this thing is."
Kael stopped abruptly and turned to face her, his expression serious. "The medallion isn't just some trinket. It's a key—to Maldoria's legacy and its power. That glow you've seen? That's magic, pure and unfiltered. And if the Shadowborn get their hands on it, they'll use it to unleash hell on earth."
Aralyn's heart sank. "Why me? I didn't ask for this."
Kael shrugged. "Doesn't matter if you asked for it. You have it, and now it's your responsibility. Question is, what are you going to do with it?"
Before she could answer, the medallion began to pulse again. The soft glow intensified, casting a pale light on the forest around them. Aralyn froze, staring at it.
"It's doing it again," she whispered.
Kael stepped closer, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "It's reacting to something."
The air grew thick, and a low hum resonated through the ground. The medallion's light flared brighter, and Aralyn felt a strange pull in her chest, as though the medallion was trying to lead her somewhere.
"It's… showing me something," she said, her voice distant.
Kael frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know. I just—"
Before she could finish, the ground beneath them trembled. The glow from the medallion spread out in a wave, illuminating hidden carvings on the forest floor—ancient runes spiraling outward from where she stood.
Kael cursed under his breath. "We need to move. Now."
"Wait," Aralyn said, her gaze fixed on the runes. The medallion's pull grew stronger, urging her forward. She took a hesitant step, and the runes flared to life.
The forest seemed to ripple, and for a moment, Aralyn felt weightless. Her vision blurred, replaced by flashes of images—an enormous city bathed in golden light, a towering castle surrounded by shimmering waterfalls, and a massive tree at its center, its branches glowing with ethereal energy.
She gasped, the vision fading as quickly as it had come.
"What did you see?" Kael asked, his tone sharp.
"Maldoria," she whispered. "It's real. I saw it."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Then the medallion is doing its job. But if it's pointing the way, the Shadowborn will feel it too. We need to get moving before they find us."
Aralyn nodded, her legs trembling as she followed Kael deeper into the forest. The medallion's light dimmed, but its hum remained steady, like a heartbeat guiding her toward the forgotten kingdom.