The moon hung low over the forest, silver and luminous, as if it had descended from the sky just to watch her.
Elara sat by the silver-thread charm, clutching it tightly, tears running freely down her cheeks. She whispered into the night, "Alaric… wherever you are… come back to me."
She didn't know it yet, but the forest was listening.
From the shadows of the Moonveil Forest, a figure appeared—shimmering, almost unreal. A woman, draped in flowing robes, her eyes glowing faintly, stepped forward.
"I have heard her prayers," the woman said softly. Her voice carried both power and warmth. "And I can return what was lost."
Elara blinked. "Who… who are you?"
"I am Liora," she said. "A witch, a guardian of those bound by love stronger than life. You have waited, and now your faith will be rewarded."
Before Elara could speak, Liora raised her hands, and the silver-thread charm began to glow. The air trembled. Stars flickered above as though the heavens themselves were bending closer.
Far beyond the mortal world, in the field where Alaric had fallen, the earth shook. The arrow that had taken his life vanished. His chest rose and fell. His eyes opened.
He sat up slowly, blinking at the sky. He was alive.
"Elara…" he whispered instinctively. His voice carried years of longing.
A wind carried his voice to the forest. Elara gasped.
"Alaric!" she cried, running into the clearing.
There, under the silver moonlight, they saw each other for the first time in what felt like eternity.
No words could express what they felt. Only tears, only trembling hands reaching across space that had once separated them.
"Why… how?" Elara managed, still holding his hand.
Liora appeared behind him, smiling. "Faith, love, and courage can overcome death itself. But now… your journey is not yet over. Darkness still lingers beyond Eldoria."
Alaric nodded, gripping his sword once again. "Then we finish it together."
Elara looked at him, heart racing, and nodded. "Together."
The next weeks were a blur of preparation. Alaric, though alive, had scars that would never vanish. Elara healed him physically, while he trained, knowing the final battle awaited them.
When the war called them to the eastern frontier again, they fought not as a knight alone, but as a team—Alaric with sword and shield, Elara with herbs, spells, and courage.
The battlefield shook. Thunder roared. But together, they emerged victorious. Their enemies vanquished. Peace, finally, returned.