Determined to gain an advantage, Mireya scoured the coven's archives. There, she uncovered an ancient method to destroy shadows completely—Binding Rituals.
Binding rituals required complex sigils etched in enchanted chalk or carved into stone. Each sigil was unique to the shadow's origin, and any mistake would render the ritual useless.
Confused and desperate for answers, Mireya sought out Daelviaha—the only witch known to have destroyed a shadow completely. Daelviaha was powerful once, but her magic had waned over the years, dulled by time and grief. Mireya found her in her secluded home deep within the woods, where she had lived in self-imposed exile.
Mireya and Daelviaha had lived together until Mireya turned sixteen, the age all witches were required to train and discover their roles in the coven. Though Daelviaha had raised her with warmth and wisdom, Mireya's departure had left a rift between them that never fully mended.
When Mireya asked about the binding ritual, Daelviaha's face hardened.
"No," Daelviaha said firmly. "It's too dangerous. The ritual requires precision, strength, and power—power I no longer have, and power you've kept buried too long to wield properly. If something goes wrong..." She trailed off, her expression grim. "You won't survive it."
"But if Uhrin's shadows grow stronger, more lives will be lost," Mireya argued. "I have to try."
Daelviaha's eyes held a sadness Mireya knew too well. "If you truly believe you must face Uhrin's shadows… then you must prepare for the worst. But I won't teach you the binding ritual."
Frustrated, Mireya shifted tactics. "Then what about the blade? The one they say can sever a shadow's hold completely. Does it even exist?"
Daelviaha's expression faltered—just for a moment—but Mireya caught it.
"You know something," Mireya pressed.
"It's only a legend," Daelviaha muttered, turning away. "A blade forged from cursed iron, said to sever a shadow's tether. But no one has seen it for generations. If it was ever real at all."
"But if it's real, it could stop Uhrin," Mireya argued.
"Even if it exists," Daelviaha said sharply, "it's lost. No one knows where it is. And that's a good thing."