The sun had long since set, and the rain that relentlessly poured onto the cobblestone streets of Lyris had cloaked the city in a gray veil. Alina pulled her coat tighter around herself and quickened her pace. The narrow alleys, lit by flickering gas lanterns, seemed deserted at this hour, but she knew the city never truly slept.

The antiquarian shop where she worked lay at the edge of the marketplace, hidden between two tall buildings whose facades were adorned with grotesque gargoyles. It was a place full of secrets, a collection of books whose stories seemed long forgotten. Alina loved this place. It was her refuge, far from the worries of everyday life.

But this evening, something felt different. A strange tingling spread through her as she unlocked the shop's door. The familiar scent of old paper and leather greeted her, yet there was an unusual tension in the air.

As she walked through the shelves, her gaze fell on a small, dusty chest she had never noticed before. She pulled it out and cautiously opened it. Inside lay a book bound in dark leather, adorned with an intricate, glowing blue rune. She hesitated, but her curiosity won out. The moment she touched the book, a shiver ran through her, and the rune began to glow brighter. The room seemed to spin around her, and a soft whisper filled the silence.

Alina's breath came in short gasps as she opened her eyes. She was no longer in the antiquarian shop but on a soft meadow beneath an endless starry sky. The air was filled with a sweet fragrance, and in the distance, she heard the sound of a river.

A voice broke her daze. "You're late." She turned around to see a man whose cloak billowed in the wind. He was tall, with a strong build and piercing steel-blue eyes. "I am Kael," he introduced himself, "and you are the one we've been waiting for."

Alina didn't understand what he meant, but before she could respond, he grabbed her arm. "It's not safe here. We must hurry." Confused, she followed him as he led her through a dense forest. Kael explained that they were in Elarion, a world imbued with magic and threatened by an ancient enemy. The "Shadowborn" had tried to seize the power of the runes centuries ago, and now they had returned.

Alina learned that she was the last descendant of a line of Rune Masters who maintained the balance between light and shadow. But she had no idea how she was supposed to fulfill this duty.