Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Senara
I followed Van through a winding path that twisted between ancient trees whose trunks shimmered with both silver and gold. The Crescent Diadem sat comfortably on my head now, no longer feeling like a foreign object but an extension of myself. As we walked, the path beneath our feet gradually transformed from soft earth to worn cobblestones, their edges rounded by countless years of footsteps.
"We're here," Van whispered, his usual confidence faltering slightly.
Lumerin rose before us like a dream half remembered. Crumbling spires reached toward the dual light of moon and Everdawn, casting long shadows across dilapidated courtyards. Buildings stood in various states of decay, some merely foundations, others nearly intact with glittering windows that reflected impossible constellations.
"It's beautiful," I breathed, despite the eerie emptiness that hung over everything.
Thorn stayed close to my side, his hand never straying far from his weapon. "Beautiful, but dead."
"Not dead," Van corrected, his voice hushed as if afraid of disturbing something. "Sleeping, perhaps. Or...waiting."
Movement caught my eye, a figure darting between columns in a distant courtyard. "There!" I pointed, but when we all looked, nothing remained.
"Did you see that?" Wyn asked, edging closer to Volker.
"I did," I confirmed, squinting into the shadows.
We continued forward, our footsteps echoing unnaturally loud against the stones. Twice more, I spotted shadowy silhouettes moving at the corners of my vision, always vanishing when I turned to look directly.
"Van?" I questioned, noticing how the bard's eyes darted nervously around us. "What are they?"
He swallowed hard, fingers fidgeting with the strings of his lute. "I don't know. The legends speak of Lumerin being abandoned, not... inhabited."
A tall figure appeared at the end of the street, humanoid, but somehow wrong. Their proportions were slightly off, movements too fluid. It stood watching us for three heartbeats before melting into the shadows of a doorway.
"That was no trick of the light," Thorn growled.
"No," Van agreed, his face unusually pale. "The texts never mentioned... guardians. Or whatever these are."
The air grew colder as we ventured deeper into the city. More figures appeared, always distant, always watching, always disappearing when approached. Some looked like fae, others like creatures I'd never seen before, all of them insubstantial as smoke.
"I don't like this," Volker muttered. "They're herding us."
He was right. The phantoms appeared in ways that subtly guided our path, blocking some streets while leaving others clear.
"They're leading us somewhere," I whispered, the Diadem growing warm against my skin.
The deeper we ventured into Lumerin, the more I felt something tugging at my consciousness, a gentle but persistent pull that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"The Mirror," I murmured, my hand unconsciously rising to touch the Diadem. "I can feel it calling."
"Which direction?" Thorn asked, scanning the crumbling facades around us.
I closed my eyes, letting the sensation guide me. "This way."
We turned down a narrow street lined with buildings whose architecture defied logic, arches that supported nothing, doorways that opened onto blank walls, windows that showed impossible vistas. The pull grew stronger with each step, but something else crept in alongside it, a heaviness that settled in my chest like cold lead.
"Something's wrong," I whispered, slowing my pace. Doubt seeped into my thoughts like poison. What if I couldn't control the Mirror's power? What if I was leading everyone into a trap?
"Senara?" Thorn's voice sounded distant despite him standing right beside me. "What is it?"
"I don't know if I can do this." The words escaped before I could stop them. "What if I'm not what everyone thinks I am? What if I fail?"
Thorn placed his hands on my shoulders, turning me to face him. "You won't fail. I've seen your strength."
His words should have comforted me, but they rang hollow in my ears. I could feel our bond stretching thin between us, like a thread pulled too tight. The connection that had always felt like a lifeline now seemed fragile, tenuous.
"You don't understand." I stepped back from his touch. "You can't feel what I feel. This place... it's doing something to me. To us."
"It's the corruption," Van interjected, his eyes darting nervously to the shadows. "The same darkness that created those feral fae. It's stronger here, feeding on doubt and fear."
Thorn reached for me again, but I flinched away. His face hardened, masking hurt.
"We should keep moving," he said stiffly.
I nodded, though every step forward felt heavier than the last. The Mirror's call remained clear, but my confidence in answering it wavered. Thorn walked beside me, close enough to protect, but with a new distance between us that had nothing to do with physical space.
We continued through the winding streets, the shadowy figures becoming bolder, lingering longer before vanishing. One appeared barely ten paces ahead, its form more substantial than the others, tall and willowy with elongated fingers that seemed to beckon us forward.
"I think they want us to follow them," I whispered.
"Or they're leading us into a trap," Thorn countered, his voice tight with tension.
As we rounded a corner, I gasped. A courtyard opened before us, its center dominated by a massive tree whose branches were laden with glowing blue fruit. Beneath it stood a figure, not a phantom this time, but solid. Real.
She was unlike any being I'd seen before. Her skin was pale blue, almost translucent, with delicate ridges along her cheekbones. Large, pupil less eyes regarded us warily as she clutched a spear fashioned from what looked like crystallized moonlight.
"Stop," she commanded, her voice melodic yet firm. "Why do you trespass in Lumerin?"
I stepped forward, hands raised to show I meant no harm. "We seek the Starforged Mirror."
Her eyes widened, gaze fixing on the Diadem. "The Eclipse Child," she breathed. "The shadows spoke true."
"You know of me?"
"The city knows of you. It has whispered you're coming for centuries." She lowered her spear. "I am Niri. We thought ourselves the last of Lumerin's children."
"We?" Wyn asked.
Niri gestured toward the surrounding buildings. Slowly, more figures emerged from doorways and shadows, perhaps two dozen in total. Some resembled Niri, while others displayed distinct features: scaled skin, feathered hair, eyes that glowed like embers.
"Demihumans," Van whispered in awe. "I thought they were extinct."
"Only in fae lands," Thorn growled, his distaste for the hunting of demihumans clear in his tone.
"Nearly," Niri confirmed. "When Lumerin fell, most fled or perished. We few remained, as we were protected by the city itself. Those that fled, well, most of them were hunted or enslaved. Some find their way back here occasionally."
She explained how they'd lived in secret for generations, surviving on the glowing fruit and water from ancient wells that still flowed with magic. The shadowy figures, she revealed, were echoes of Lumerin's former inhabitants, neither alive nor dead, but memories preserved by the city's lingering enchantments.
"You may shelter with us tonight," Niri offered. "Our homes are humble, but safe."
I glanced at Thorn, seeing my hesitation mirrored in his eyes. "We're grateful, but we're being hunted. We wouldn't want to bring danger to your people."
"She's right," Volker added. "The corruption is spreading. It might follow us here."
Niri nodded solemnly. "Then we will show you a place where you can make camp. Somewhere the shadows guard most fiercely."
Niri led us deeper into the city, through narrow passages and crumbling archways. The shadows continued to dance around us, but they felt less threatening now, more like curious observers than potential threats.
"Not all who find Lumerin stay," Niri explained as we walked. "Some come seeking refuge, then leave once healed. Others remain, becoming part of our family."
We emerged into a small courtyard where several demihumans gathered around a fire that burned with blue white flames. As we approached, one figure looked up, her large ears twitching in alarm.
I froze, recognition washing over me. "Liora?"
The rabbit like demihuman's eyes widened in shock, her delicate features illuminated by the fire's glow. She stood shakily, her hands trembling.
"S-Senara?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "Is it really you?"
Without thinking, I rushed forward, embracing her thin frame. She felt so fragile in my arms, like she might break if I held her too tightly.
"How did you find this place?" I asked, pulling back to look at her properly. I last saw Liora in the Elven dungeons, where they held her prisoner alongside me and many other demihumans.
"After you left..." Liora's voice quivered. "There was chaos, which distracted the guards. A few of us slipped away during the confusion since we weren't sure what the new High Lord would be like." Her doe eyes darted to Thorn, fear flashing across her face before she looked back at me. "I ran for days. The shadows found me half dead at the edge of the forest. They led me here."
I squeezed her hands. "I'm so glad you're safe."
Liora's ears drooped slightly. "Not everyone made it. The corruption..." She trailed off, unable to finish.
"I know," I whispered. "I'm sorry we couldn't help more of you."
"You did more than most would dare," she replied, her gaze drifting to the Diadem on my head. "You're different now. There's something about you that's... changed."
I touched the Diadem self consciously. "A lot has happened since then."
"You're the Eclipse Child," she whispered, awe and fear mingling in her voice. "The shadows whispered about you. They say you'll either save us all or destroy everything."
Her words hit me like a physical blow. I took a step back, my hand still on the Diadem.
"I don't want to destroy anything," I said quietly. "I just want to stop the Void Dragon Empress before she corrupts everything."
Liora's ears twitched nervously. "I didn't mean," She looked down at her feet. "The shadows speak in riddles. No one truly knows what they mean."
Thorn moved closer, his presence solid and reassuring despite the tension that had grown between us. "We're looking for the Starforged Mirror. Do you know anything about it?"
Liora's eyes widened. "The Mirror? It's here, but..." She glanced at Niri, who gave a subtle nod. "It's protected. Not just anyone can approach it."
"I need it," I said, trying to keep the desperation from my voice. "The Diadem helps stabilize my magic, but the Mirror will show me the truth, help me see through illusions. Without it, I don't know if I can face what's coming."
Liora hesitated, then nodded. "Niri can take you there tomorrow. But tonight, rest. The path to the Mirror...From what I know, it tests you. Be careful."
The others settled around the blue fire, accepting bowls of strange glowing fruit that Niri's people offered. Despite my exhaustion, I felt restless. I slipped away from the group, finding a quiet corner of the courtyard where moonlight filtered through a broken ceiling.
I closed my eyes, trying to center myself, but doubt continued to gnaw at me. Eclipse Child. The words felt like both a blessing and a curse.
"You're troubled."
I turned to find Van standing a few paces away, his lute slung across his back.
"The shadows whisper here too," I breathed. "But I can't understand what they're saying."
Van moved closer, his expression unusually serious. "They're echoes of the past, Senara. Don't let them dictate your future."
"And what if my future is already written? What if I'm just playing a part in some cosmic game?"
He smiled then, a genuine warmth breaking through his usual charm. "If there's one thing I've learned from watching you, it's that you make your own destiny. Eclipse Child or not."
I looked up at Van, his words bringing a flicker of comfort amid my storm of doubts. "Thank you. I just wish I could be as certain as you seem to be."
A soft breeze whispered through the courtyard, carrying the scent of the strange glowing fruit and something older, a fragrance that reminded me of ancient books and forgotten magic.
"I used to sing tales of the Eclipse Child," Van admitted, sitting beside me on a fallen column. "I never imagined I'd actually meet one."
"What did those tales say?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
Van's fingers absently strummed a quiet chord on his lute. "They varied. Some spoke of a savior who would unite the courts. Others..." He hesitated.
"Others spoke of destruction," I finished for him.
He nodded reluctantly. "But here's what I've learned in my years of collecting stories: prophecies are rarely what they seem. They're like music, open to interpretation."
I touched the Diadem, feeling its steady warmth against my skin. "This helps balance my magic, but I still feel... incomplete. Like I'm missing something crucial."
"The Mirror will help with that," Van said confidently. "It reveals truth, strips away illusion."
"And if the truth it shows me is that I'm meant to destroy rather than save?"
Van's eyes met mine, surprisingly serious. "Then you'll know, and knowing is better than fearing the unknown."
I glanced across the courtyard where Thorn sat with the others, his posture rigid even in rest. The distance between us felt like a physical ache.
"I should try to sleep," I murmured, rising to my feet.
Van nodded, but as I turned to leave, he caught my wrist gently. "Senara... the bond you share with Thorn, it's rare. Don't let the shadows of this place come between you."
I pulled my hand away, not unkindly. "Some shadows come from within, Van. Not from this place."
As I walked back toward the others, I felt the weight of tomorrow's challenge pressing down on me. The Starforged Mirror waited somewhere in this ghostly city, and with it, perhaps, the truth I both craved and feared.