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> "The world speaks in two voices: the cry of what is lost, and the whisper of what is to come. A true leader must choose which to heed."
> — Fragments from the Queen of Sorrow's Prophecies
>
Ash lay on the narrow ledge, the Core of Binding a heavy presence in his hand. His body ached, but the immediate threat of Captain Valerius's unmaking power had passed. The sheer cliff face above them, and the vast, winding canyon below, felt like a brief, desperate refuge. Around him, Selene, Kael, Lyra, and Master Elara slumped, exhausted but alive.
"He's still out there," Ash rasped, his voice raw. He could feel Valerius's infuriated Will now, distant but relentless, still struggling with the chaotic Ley Lines of the Shifting Sands Pass. "And his power... he can unmake the very ground now."
"A terrifying evolution," Master Elara whispered, his face pale. "His inherited fragment of the Core of Binding has matured. He has embraced the destructive aspect of its Will to impose order by erasure. A direct threat to the very fabric of Aerthos."
Kael, though still weary, straightened slightly. "We can't outrun that forever. We need a plan. And a destination."
Ash nodded. He closed his eyes, focusing on the two conflicting pulls he felt from his Shard of Harmony and Chaos and the Core of Binding. One was the urgent plea from the Shard of Order and Preservation, a desperate call for stability that vibrated from the now-destroyed Temple Where Time Weeps. The other was the powerful, magnetic draw towards the west, towards the Queen of Sorrow's domain, a chilling sense of her knowing and waiting.
"The Shard of Order and Preservation is calling," Ash explained, describing the urgent, distressed feeling he sensed from the Icefold. "It's reacting to the Temple's destruction. It wants balance restored."
"And the Queen of Sorrow?" Selene prompted, her twilight eyes fixed on Ash. "What does she whisper?"
"She knows I'm coming," Ash replied, the words chilling him. "And she's waiting. A sense of a vast, unyielding purpose, tied to Will and Order, but twisted by profound grief."
A tense silence fell over the group as they weighed their impossible choices.
"Two powerful forces," Lyra observed, ever practical. "One calls for help, the other waits with intent. Which is the greater danger?"
"The Queen of Sorrow is active," Kael said, his voice low. "She gathers shards. She has agents. If she knows you're coming, Ash, she won't wait for us to choose our battles. She will bring the fight to us, or worse, claim the remaining fragments before we even begin our true quest." His own experience with the Shard of Grief made him wary of her sorrow-fueled power.
Elara nodded. "The Shard of Order and Preservation is important for the Crown's ultimate balance. But the Queen of Sorrow's rising influence, her ability to command multiple shards, and her knowledge of Ash's existence, makes her an immediate, escalating threat. Ignoring her could allow her to consolidate too much power."
Selene's gaze met Ash's. "To understand the Crown's re-unification, you must confront its major players. The Queen of Sorrow is such a player. And confronting her offers a path to understand the Path of Sovereignty, which directly relates to the Core of Binding's power over Will."
The decision was clear, though grim. The direct threat, the one that was actively preparing for him, was the Queen of Sorrow. The urgent plea from the Icefold would have to wait.
"We go to the Drowned East," Ash declared, his voice firm, his Will solidifying. "We face the Queen of Sorrow. We learn her purpose, and we stop her from twisting the Crown's re-unification."
They spent their remaining time resting briefly and poring over Elara's fragmented map, planning their route out of the Shifting Sands Pass towards the distant, mournful shores of the Drowned East. The journey would be long, across various regions, testing their endurance and cunning. They had to bypass King Theron's territories, avoid Captain Valerius, and venture into lands possibly already under the Queen's influence.
As they began their trek out of the canyon, leaving the desert behind for more varied terrain, Ash felt the Core of Binding pulse. The link to Captain Valerius, though muffled by the shifting Ley Lines of the desert, now had a new, sharper edge—a sense of frustration turning into calculated strategy. Valerius wouldn't blindly chase; he would anticipate. And Ash's choice to head towards the Queen of Sorrow had just narrowed the playing field, making their path, while chosen, even more dangerous.
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