The wind over the Deadspire Plains carried whispers—not from mouths, but from memories. Every blade of wind-blown grass held echoes of voices long gone. And Kael could hear them.
Not clearly. Not yet. But they were growing louder.
---
The trio had left the Lorekeeper's temple behind, but something in Kael hadn't come back with them. His steps were slower. His jokes quieter. Seris noticed it, but didn't speak. Deyric knew it too—but said even less.
Their next destination was Emberlight Hollow, a cavern village known for mining soulstone crystals. But something was wrong when they arrived.
The usual humming glow of the hollow was absent.
The air was... still.
"Where is everyone?" Seris asked, gripping her dagger.
Kael knelt by a crushed lantern on the ground. "Whatever happened—it wasn't long ago."
Suddenly, a stone clinked behind them.
They turned.
A young girl stood barefoot in the shadows. Her skin was pale, her eyes glowing violet. On her neck was the symbol of a sealed god—The Chain of Noxxar.
Deyric raised his hand to shield Kael. "Soulbound."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean?"
"She's been touched by one of the chained gods," Seris explained. "Some call it a blessing. Most call it a curse."
The girl spoke, her voice oddly flat. "You carry the Key. The Hollow has paid for what it tried to bury."
Before they could react, her body crumbled—like ash drifting upward. Gone.
---
They rushed deeper into the cavern, where the village center once thrived.
It was abandoned.
No bodies. No blood. Just traces of fading footsteps in the dirt, leading toward a sealed mine shaft marked with runes in an ancient dialect.
Seris placed her hand over the runes and whispered, "It's a barrier spell. Meant to keep something in."
"Or us out," Kael muttered.
The ground trembled slightly.
Deyric drew his twin blades. "We're not alone."
From the corners of the cavern, Shadowbinders emerged—creatures of smoke and bone, with hollow masks and red eyes. They hissed as they circled the trio.
Kael felt a heat burn up his arm—the mark reacting.
His fingers clenched.
"Let's test what I got from the Lorekeeper," he said.
He placed his hand on the stone floor, and suddenly, a burst of light cracked the ground outward. The Shadowbinders reeled.
Kael's body felt like it would break from the energy—but he didn't stop.
He whispered, "If this is the cost… then I'll pay it."
One by one, the creatures burned in white fire.
---
When the cavern grew still again, Kael collapsed.
Deyric caught him before he hit the ground. "You tapped into the mark. Just barely. An inch more and it might've consumed you."
Kael coughed. "Cool. Next time, let's start with a warning label."
Seris looked toward the sealed shaft. "Whatever erased this village is still down there. And I have a feeling the gods want us to wake it up."
Kael stood up, shaky. "Then we better be ready."
Deyric muttered, "No one's ever ready."
---
Far below, behind the runes, something ancient stirred.
Eyes opened.
And the cavern breathed for the first time in centuries.