Moon Bound

The dawn was gray and cold when Selene and her companions set out toward the Valley of Echoes. The weight of the Seer's warning sat heavy on her chest, but she forced herself to push forward. There was no time for hesitation. If the Harbinger's tether was not severed, then all they had fought for would be lost.

The journey was treacherous. The path leading to the valley twisted through jagged cliffs, the air growing denser with every step. The deeper they went, the more the world seemed to change around them. The trees, once vibrant, now stood withered and lifeless, their skeletal branches reaching toward the sky as if in silent agony. The ground beneath their feet felt unstable, as though something beneath the surface was shifting, watching.

Damon walked close beside her, his sword never leaving his grip. "This place is cursed," he muttered, echoing Sylwen's words from the night before. His voice was low, but there was an unease in it that Selene wasn't used to hearing. Damon was always the steady one, the rock they all leaned on. If even he was unsettled, then they were truly walking into something dangerous.

Varek, ever the skeptic, glanced around with a grimace. "If this is where Ronan's soul is bound, I'd wager it's going to put up a fight before we can end it."

Sylwen nodded, her keen eyes scanning their surroundings. "The energy here is unnatural. It's as if the land itself is resisting us."

Selene felt it too—a pulsing beneath her skin, a whisper at the edge of her consciousness. She clutched the Seer's talisman tightly, feeling the cool metal press against her palm. It was the only thing keeping the Harbinger's whispers at bay.

As they pressed forward, the mist thickened, swirling in unnatural patterns around them. Shapes flickered within it—distorted figures that moved just out of sight. Selene swallowed hard, keeping her focus ahead. They could not afford to be distracted.

Then, the ruins came into view.

Once a grand temple, it now stood in ruin, its massive stone pillars cracked and broken. Shadows pooled in the crevices, moving unnaturally, shifting as if alive. The very air shimmered with an eerie, oppressive energy. A deep chill settled over them, colder than the mountain wind.

"This is it," Selene whispered.

No sooner had she spoken than the ground beneath them trembled. A sound like a distant wail echoed through the valley, sending shivers down her spine.

And then, the shadows attacked.

Dark forms surged from the ruins, twisting and writhing as they lunged toward them. They were not solid, yet they struck with force enough to send Damon and Varek staggering back. Sylwen loosed an arrow, but it passed through the nearest figure harmlessly.

"These aren't normal shades!" she warned, drawing another arrow.

Selene raised her sword, channeling her magic into the blade. Light flared from the steel, and when she struck, the nearest shadow recoiled with an agonized screech before dissolving into nothingness. "Magic works!" she shouted. "Use everything you have!"

Damon's sword ignited with crackling energy, Varek's gauntlets burned with runes of fire, and Sylwen whispered an incantation that sent silver light cascading down her arrows. Together, they fought their way toward the temple's entrance.

The shadows howled as they were cut down, but more took their place. They poured from the ruins like a living tide, and for every one that fell, another rose in its place.

Selene gritted her teeth. "We have to get inside! We can't hold them off forever!"

Damon nodded, slashing through a shadow before grabbing her arm. "Go! We'll cover you!"

She hesitated, but she knew he was right. With a final look at her companions, she turned and sprinted toward the entrance, dodging grasping claws and swirling darkness. The moment she stepped past the threshold, a pulse of energy shot through her body, knocking the wind from her lungs.

The temple was alive with dark magic.

Inside, the air was thick with a heavy, suffocating presence. The walls pulsed with an eerie red glow, ancient runes carved into the stone shifting as if breathing. At the center of the chamber, atop a raised platform, lay a shattered sarcophagus. And within it—

Selene's breath caught in her throat.

Ronan's body remained, but it was no longer human. His form was twisted, half-decayed, yet still pulsing with unnatural energy. His eyes, once a cold blue, were now pits of burning gold. A dark tendril of energy coiled around his corpse, writhing like a living thing.

And then, his lips moved.

"You came," his voice rasped, though it was not entirely his own. A deeper, guttural resonance echoed beneath it. "You always were predictable."

Selene raised her sword, her magic flaring. "Your time is over, Ronan. You're nothing more than a puppet now."

His corpse-like face twisted into something resembling a grin. "Am I?"

The temple shuddered violently. The tendril of darkness surrounding Ronan shot outward, lashing toward Selene. She barely dodged in time, rolling to the side as the stone where she stood cracked and withered into dust.

The others rushed in behind her, immediately taking defensive positions. Damon's eyes widened as he took in the sight of Ronan's cursed form. "What in the gods' name—"

"The Harbinger's will made manifest," Sylwen said grimly. "He's still tethered to it. We have to sever that connection before it's too late."

Selene's grip tightened around her sword. "Then let's end this."

Ronan let out a rattling laugh, the sound like bones scraping together. "Fools," he whispered, his golden eyes flashing. "You cannot kill what is already dead."

The shadows around him erupted, filling the chamber with writhing darkness. The final battle had begun.