The guardian turned, but she raised the journal high. "Lysandra's words live through me now. I don't come to steal her legacy. I come to finish it!"
The shard surged with light. The guardian froze.
And for a moment—just one moment—he lowered his blade.
A voice filled the chamber, not his, not Evelyn's.
But Lysandra's.
"If you have found this, then the blood lives on. And so does hope."
The guardian let out a long breath and crumpled to his knees, as though the very power he was guarding had judged Evelyn and found her worthy.
"You are the Echo," he said, eyes glowing behind the mask. "She sang to you across time."
The torches flared back to life.
Kael lowered his sword cautiously. "Is it over?"
The guardian turned toward him. "For now. But the one who betrayed her still walks cloaked in light."
"Who?" Evelyn asked, stepping forward, voice trembling.
But the guardian only shook his head. "You must find the rest of the shards. Only then will the full truth reveal itself."
With a burst of violet flame, the guardian vanished—leaving behind silence, the echo of Lysandra's voice still trembling in the air, and the powerful hum of the Heartshard.
----
Later that night, back in her chamber, Evelyn traced the sigil on the journal's cover. It glowed faintly under her fingertips.
Kael sat nearby, polishing his blade, but his eyes never left her.
"You were brave today," he said softly.
"I wasn't brave," Evelyn whispered. "I was… desperate."
He stood, walking over to her, placing his hand gently on hers. "Desperation can lead to truth."
They sat in silence for a moment before Evelyn turned toward him.
"Kael… if I really am connected to Lysandra—if I carry her blood—what does that make me?"
He leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"It makes you powerful. But more than that… it makes you the only one who can finish what she started."
And in that moment, Evelyn knew—her journey was only just beginning.
----
The night in Evelyn's chamber was heavy with silence, broken only by the occasional crackle of the hearth's dying flames. The weight of the guardian's words echoed in Evelyn's mind, unsettling her. The Echo. She sang to you across time. It was as though a distant memory was clawing its way to the surface, but it remained just out of reach. The journal in her hands seemed to hum with an energy that felt both familiar and foreign, a calling she couldn't ignore.
Kael's gaze was steady, his presence a quiet anchor in the storm of thoughts swirling in her head. But Evelyn couldn't shake the question that burned through her. Did she truly carry Lysandra's blood?
She glanced down at the journal, tracing its sigil once again. The faint glow seemed to respond to her touch, as if it recognized her. The journal. The shards. The trials she'd faced so far. There was so much she didn't know, so much she had yet to uncover. Her mind raced with possibilities, doubts, and fears.
But one thing was certain—she had been chosen.
"You said I was connected to Lysandra," Evelyn said softly, breaking the silence. "But how can I be sure? How can I know if I truly carry her blood?"
Kael set his blade aside and moved closer, kneeling beside her. His eyes softened with an understanding that made Evelyn's heart beat faster.
"You already know the answer, Evelyn. You've felt it," he said gently. "The curse that bound you—how it broke when you faced it. You broke it, Evelyn. Not just for yourself, but for Lysandra, too. You've carried her legacy unknowingly, and now, the Heartshard has confirmed it. The blood lives on through you."
Evelyn shook her head slowly, her mind still struggling to process it all. The cursed bride—the one who had once been trapped by a prophecy of doom, the one who had broken the curse that had haunted her for years. She had faced trials, battled darkness, and defeated an ancient curse. But this... this was different. The weight of Lysandra's blood, her legacy, felt like a burden she hadn't yet learned how to bear.
"But how can I prove it?" Evelyn whispered. "The trials, the shards... they're all connected to Lysandra, aren't they? If I'm truly her heir, then... why was I chosen?"
Kael took her hand, his fingers brushing over the ancient symbols etched into the journal's cover. "You were chosen because you broke the curse. You freed yourself from the chains of fate. Lysandra's blood runs through you because you were meant to carry her legacy—her hope. Her struggle to finish what was started."
For the first time, Evelyn felt the weight of those words sink into her heart. The journal seemed to pulse beneath her touch, and she could almost hear Lysandra's voice in the back of her mind, whispering a promise of what was yet to come. Hope.
"I don't know if I'm ready for this," Evelyn admitted, her voice breaking. "I'm not sure I can finish what she started."
Kael stood and walked to the window, looking out at the darkened landscape bathed in moonlight. "You don't have to do it alone," he said softly. "I'm here. We're in this together, Evelyn. Whatever happens next, we face it as one."
Evelyn's breath caught in her throat. She felt the weight of his words settle within her, and for the first time, the crushing pressure of her destiny seemed a little lighter. She wasn't alone in this.
----
The next morning, the air was thick with anticipation, a heaviness that seemed to weigh on Evelyn's chest. The quiet whisper of the wind through the trees outside felt like a warning, a call to action, as though the world itself was urging her forward. Evelyn could feel the shift in the atmosphere—the land itself seemed to hum with energy, the very earth beneath her feet pulsing with something ancient and powerful. The pull of fate was undeniable, drawing her toward what was to come. The Heartshard had awakened, its power igniting a fire within her. And with it, a new purpose she hadn't anticipated, one she was still trying to understand.
Kael, already prepared, stood by her side. His armor gleamed in the early light, his sword a quiet presence at his side, but it was his gaze that held her—steady, waiting, patient. He was always there, grounded, when her world felt like it was spinning out of control.
"Are you ready?" His voice was low, carrying an unspoken trust and understanding, as though he, too, had sensed the weight of the moment.
Evelyn took a deep breath, gripping the journal tightly in her hands as if it were the only thing anchoring her to this reality. "I have to be. There's no turning back now," she replied, her voice steady despite the storm brewing within her.
They moved through the forest, their footsteps soft against the undergrowth, each step taking them closer to the next shard. Evelyn's mind raced, a whirlwind of thoughts and memories—of the guardian's words, the Keeper's cryptic warnings, the bloodline she hadn't fully understood until now. *Only the one who carries the blood of Lysandra may take it.* The truth still felt like a riddle, an elusive shadow at the corner of her mind, but she knew one thing for certain—she had to face it. She couldn't turn away now.
Her journey had begun with the breaking of a curse, a fate that had once seemed insurmountable. But now, as the shards called to her, it was leading her to something much greater. Lysandra's legacy.
----
They arrived at a secluded glade, a hidden place marked by towering, ancient trees that seemed to whisper secrets of their own. At the center of the glade stood a stone altar, cracked and weathered with age, its surface covered in vines and moss. The air hummed with energy, the shards glowing faintly from within the stone.
As they approached, Evelyn felt her heart race, a surge of power rushing through her veins. She could feel the pull of the Heartshard, a connection that went deeper than she could understand.
Kael stopped just behind her, his eyes scanning the surroundings for danger, but Evelyn's attention was focused on the altar. She stepped forward, her fingers brushing against the stone. The moment she touched it, a sharp light flashed from the Heartshard embedded within, and a vision swept over her—a vision of Lysandra, standing in a chamber much like the one they had just left.
Her voice echoed in Evelyn's mind, clearer than before. If you have found this, then the blood lives on. And so does hope.
Evelyn gasped, her heart pounding in her chest. The connection was undeniable now. She wasn't just carrying Lysandra's blood. She was Lysandra's heir.
The altar trembled beneath her hand, and the Heartshard began to glow brighter, its power surging through her, filling her with the ancient energy of the past.
The Keeper's words rang in her mind: Only the one who carries Lysandra's blood can claim the shard.
And now, for the first time, Evelyn felt it—the blood of Lysandra was hers.
With a steadying breath, Evelyn reached forward and grasped the Heartshard, her fingers wrapping around it as if it had always belonged to her.
She was ready.