The moon was dying.
High above the darkened lands of Avalor, the lunar disc dimmed, slowly swallowed by a creeping black shadow. Torches flickered in fear across the capital city as the eclipse deepened, casting midnight at an hour where sunlight should reign.
Inside the crumbling castle tower, Elara Veyren clutched the iron balcony rail. Her chest tightened with each passing moment. The Eclipse was not merely a celestial spectacle—it was a warning.
The Shadows are returning.
She had read it a thousand times in the old prophecy scrolls:
"When the moon is devoured by its darker twin, the kingdom shall fall into the hands of the Shadowborne."
Elara's fingers shook as she turned away from the sky. She was only sixteen, a royal apprentice, not a warrior—yet she was the only one who believed the prophecy was real. Everyone else called it ancient fearmongering.
Except him.
A rustling sound behind her—quick footsteps. She spun, her brown curls whipping around.
"Still brooding over the sky?" asked Kael Drayce, Palace Guard Cadet and Elara's only ally.
He stepped into the torchlight, armor half-buckled as if he'd rushed here. His gray eyes narrowed as he looked out the window. "It's darker than last time."
"There wasn't a last time," Elara whispered. "Not in our lifetime. Not in centuries."
Kael tried to smile, but worry creased his face. "The King has ordered everyone inside the Hall. He wants the royal mage to begin protective rites."
"He's too late," Elara muttered.
A sudden scream pierced the night.
Both froze.
Then came another—raw, horrifying. The guards at the courtyard scrambled as a thick mist poured from the gates, black as spilled ink, twisting and pulsing like a living nightmare.
Kael drew his sword. "Shadows—what in the name of the Light—"
"Elara Veyren!" a voice boomed up the tower stairwell.
It was High Mage Corvus, his dark robes fluttering like ravens' wings. His eyes shone eerily bright.
"You must come. Now," he hissed. "The Eclipse has awakened the boundary. They are already here."
Elara's heart pounded.
"The Shadowborne," she breathed.
Corvus nodded grimly. "They seek the royal heir. And you—are the key to finding him."
Kael grabbed her arm protectively. "What do they want with Elara?"
Corvus leaned close, voice trembling.
"The truth hidden from you since birth. Elara is no mere apprentice."He pointed towards the rising darkness outside.
"She is the heir to the Shadowbound Kingdom—and its last hope."
Elara stumbled back, mind spinning. The screams grew louder. The shadows surged toward the castle walls.
The truth she never wanted…The destiny she could never escape…
The shadows had come for her.