They reached the edge of the forest to find a canyon of stars beneath them.
A silver bridge stretched across the chasm, its surface translucent, held together by magic and vow. The Moonveil Bridge shimmered with every step of light, a relic said to collapse under the feet of the faithless.
Kael studied it warily. "If you fall, you fall forever."
Briar didn't wait. She stepped forward—and the bridge held.
Kael followed after a moment. Corva lingered, whispering old wards before stepping on herself.
Halfway across, a shadow rose from the void—a twisted, spectral figure that wore Briar's face. Its voice cut through the stillness like a knife.
"You failed us. You abandoned your throne. You abandoned me."
Briar's hand tightened around her blade. "I didn't remember. But I do now."
She slashed through the shadow. It screamed and burst into dust.
The bridge pulsed with light.
Corva nodded behind her. "The past always fights hardest before it dies."
They crossed the rest of the bridge in silence.
At the far end, a mountain range loomed.
Briar didn't look back.