Moonlight shimmered across the ancient stones of the Verdant Hollows as Aelria stood at the threshold of the hidden glade. The Veil pulsed softly before her—a living, breathing curtain of starlight that shimmered with memories not entirely her own.
Behind her, Kalien's presence was a silent warmth. He hadn't spoken since they arrived, yet Aelria could feel his gaze following her every movement, uncertain, protective, still touched by the emotion that had sparked between them in the Labyrinth of Echoes.
"I need to go in alone," she whispered, turning her eyes toward him. "This fragment... it's tied to something I must face without you."
Kalien's jaw clenched. "You shouldn't have to do this alone."
Aelria offered a faint smile. "But I was always meant to."
With a breath, she stepped into the Veil.
The world shifted.
Colors bled into one another, and the air grew still as if time itself had paused to witness her passage. She emerged into a realm neither alive nor dead—a place of memories spun thin by magic. The stars here hung low, their light heavy, casting long shadows across a familiar path.
She was in Stargrave again—not the real one, but a reflection nested within the Veil. The village lay untouched by time, houses whole, laughter echoing faintly from the distance. It was the Stargrave of her childhood, of dreams and warmth before war and betrayal fractured everything.
She followed the echoes until she saw her younger self—no older than ten—sitting by a stone well, weaving starlily crowns with hands too small to hold such power.
A figure approached. Cloaked in twilight, features unreadable. He knelt before the child and offered her a mirror.
"Do you know who you are?" the man asked.
The child shook her head.
"You are the key," he whispered. "The beginning and the undoing. One day, you must choose."
Aelria's breath caught as the memory fractured like glass—splintering into a whirlwind of light. Pain flared in her chest. Her past self screamed. The mirror shattered.
And the shard embedded itself into Aelria's soul.
The air grew cold. Something else stirred.
From the shadows, a figure emerged. Cloaked in silver and black, face hidden behind a fractured mask—the Mirror King.
"You remember me now," he said, voice rich with sorrow. "You remember what we once were."
Aelria raised her hand. Starlight danced along her fingertips. "And I remember what you became."
His gaze lingered on her. "Then you know the Veil cannot be mended without me. We are bound, Aelria. In ruin and rebirth."
With a sudden burst of power, he vanished into the mist, leaving behind the echo of a name only her soul remembered.