> "In the darkest corners of the world, where light fears to tread,
shadows speak in tongues long forgotten.
And in their whispers lie truths that can unravel kingdoms."*
---
The Gathering Storm
The night pressed down on Ashmarch like a suffocating shroud. The stars, usually bright sentinels of hope, seemed muted—veiled behind thick, swirling clouds of shadow.
Within the war camp, lanterns burned low, casting trembling pools of light on faces marked by fatigue and lingering fear. The soldiers—vow-bearers, rune-singers, and those few gods who had chosen to stand against the Usurper—gathered around scattered fires, their murmurs barely rising above the crackling flames.
Aralyndra sat apart from the crowd, the weight of command heavy on her shoulders. Her fingers traced the worn wood of the hilt of Whispersong, the Fragment humming softly against her skin.
Beside her, Karna leaned forward, gaze fixed on the shifting shadows beyond the camp.
> "They are coming," he said quietly. "The Usurper's forces don't just fight with sword and flame anymore. Now they wield silence and shadow."
Saelira, sitting on a nearby log, clutched her Fragment tightly. Her youthful face was pale, but her eyes blazed with an inner fire.
> "The whispers," she said, voice barely audible. "They speak to me. Secrets… lies… fears."
---
The Shadows Stir
Outside the camp, the darkness moved with unnatural purpose. The Whispering Shadows—creatures born of forgotten fears and erased memories—crawled from the cracks between worlds.
They were neither living nor dead, but echoes—fragments of lost voices twisted into malevolent forms.
Their presence was felt before it was seen: a sudden chill, a flicker of movement, the faintest rustle like breath against skin.
One of the rune-singers shivered, clutching his pendant.
> "They listen," he whispered. "They know our fears."
Aralyndra rose, voice firm.
> "Fear is their weapon. But courage is ours."
---
A Silent Assault
The Whispering Shadows struck with terrifying precision. They slipped through the camp like smoke, extinguishing lanterns and silencing runes.
One by one, warriors fell into silence, their voices stolen, their memories muddled.
Karna fought desperately, his blade slicing through shadow, but each severed form seemed to multiply, reforming in the darkness.
> "Hold the line!" Aralyndra commanded, her voice ringing clear. "Don't let the shadows consume us!"
Saelira closed her eyes, reaching out with her Fragment. The warmth within pushed back against the cold darkness, but it was a fragile barrier.
---
The Heart of the Whisper
Deep within the shadows, Saelira heard a voice.
Soft. Beguiling.
> "Child of memory... why do you resist?"
She opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by swirling darkness, faces shifting and twisting—some familiar, others grotesque.
> "I am the echo of what you fear to remember," the voice continued. "The truth you hide beneath your prayers."
Saelira steadied herself.
> "I carry the light of those forgotten. You cannot silence that."
The shadows recoiled.
---
The Turning Tide
Back in the camp, Aralyndra and Karna rallied the surviving warriors. The fragments glowed brighter, their combined light pushing back the darkness inch by inch.
> "Sing!" Aralyndra shouted. "Sing to break their hold!"
Voices rose tentatively at first, then with growing strength—a chorus of defiance and remembrance.
The Whispering Shadows screamed, dissolving into mist as the light consumed them.
---
Dawn's Promise
As the first rays of dawn pierced the night, the camp stood battered but unbroken.
Saelira looked to the horizon, the Fragment's glow steady in her hands.
> "We survived the whispers," she said. "But this is only the beginning."
Karna sheathed Truthbreak, eyes hard.
> "The Usurper will come again. And next time, he will bring worse than shadows."
Aralyndra nodded, resolve hardening like steel.
> "Then we will meet him with a voice louder than any silence."