Beneath the emerald canopy of Sylvaran, unrest brewed. Though the elves had joined the battle at Crimson Vale, not all of their kin approved of breaking the ancient isolation. In hidden groves and moonlit sanctuaries, whispers turned to murmurs of rebellion. The old ways, some said, must be preserved, no matter the cost.
King Thalorien, wise though he was, found his authority questioned for the first time in centuries. Elders of the Sylvan Circle gathered in secret, accusing him of abandoning their sacred charge to protect the balance of Eldaris. Among them rose a dangerous voice, Vaelorin Mistshade, an exile returned from the forbidden wilds, preaching the return to elven supremacy.
Princess Selene, troubled by the divisions, sought counsel from her mother, Queen Aeryla, who spoke gently but firmly. "Change is like the river, Selene. You may dam it, but eventually it finds another way."
But Kaelen, loyal to his father, sharpened his blades, prepared to quell rebellion by force if words failed.
Meanwhile, in Solandria, Prince Leonhart's efforts to rebuild were slowed by rumors of elven unrest. Advisors warned him that Sylvaran might soon close its borders again, leaving the human realm vulnerable.
Queen Seraphine urged caution. "Do not let your sword solve what your heart must first understand."
Still, Leonhart dispatched emissaries to Elarion to offer aid. Among them went Princess Evelyne, who carried not only messages of peace but also warnings of Netherhollow's dark rituals.
But as Evelyne approached the Sylvaran border, her convoy was ambushed by Mistshade's rebels, who sought to prevent any foreign influence from taking root. Captured but unharmed, Evelyne was taken deep into the forest, where she would face Vaelorin himself.
Vaelorin Mistshade, once a guardian of Sylvaran's borders, had become a zealot. Clad in blackened bark and wielding corrupted nature magic, he preached that the elves should no longer hide but rule over the lesser races.
When Evelyne was brought before him, he did not see a princess, but a symbol of all that had diluted elven purity. Yet Evelyne, unbowed, spoke plainly.
"You think strength lies in solitude, but your people hunger for more than shadows and fear. You will not win their hearts with hate."
Intrigued by her courage, Vaelorin delayed his plans of war. But as days passed, the rebellion grew bolder, and soon open conflict ignited in Sylvaran's eastern reaches.
The forests of Sylvaran became battlegrounds. Brothers fought brothers beneath ancient trees. Magical beasts once loyal to the Elven crown turned wild, driven mad by Vaelorin's corrupted spells.
King Thalorien, forced to take arms, led his forces into the Verdant Hollows, seeking to end the rebellion quickly. Kaelen fought fiercely at his side, but Selene pleaded for a more peaceful resolution.
In a daring night raid, Selene and Leonhart, who had ventured into Sylvaran against his council's advice, rescued Evelyne from the rebels' grasp. Though mistrust simmered between human and elf soldiers, they fought together against the growing darkness.
But war among the elves was only part of the storm.
Deep beneath the world, Zevrak's priests completed the Ritual of Shattering, awakening the first tremors of the Abyssal Titan. The ground itself groaned, and fault lines cracked across Eldaris. In Mal'Karash, the sky burned crimson as the Infernal King prepared his final gambit.
Zevrak knew that divided, the races could never withstand the Titan's fury. And so, he watched as the elves tore themselves apart, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
In the heart of Sylvaran, the rebels struck at the Silver Tree, the source of the elves' ancient magic. If it fell, the entire dominion would lose its power.
The final battle came swiftly. Thalorien, wielding the Blade of Seasons, confronted Vaelorin at the tree's roots. Their duel shook the forest, magic clashing like thunder.
But in the end, Vaelorin fell, not to steel, but to his own hubris. As he tried to absorb the Silver Tree's power, it consumed him, turning his body into ash and light.
The rebellion collapsed without its leader. But Sylvaran was forever changed.
Victory was bittersweet. Though peace returned to the Sylvan Dominion, the scars of civil war ran deep. Thalorien, once a king of wisdom, grew colder, burdened by the choices he had made. Kaelen hardened his heart, while Selene mourned those lost to hatred.
As a gesture of goodwill, Thalorien formally allied with Solandria and Ironspine, though the terms were fragile. Leonhart returned home with Evelyne, their bond stronger than ever, but their eyes fixed on the horizon where new threats loomed.
For far to the south, the earth trembled, and the Abyssal Titan stirred in its slumber.