The air in the library reeked of dust and burnt parchment, a stench that clung to Kael’s skin like a second layer. His fingers, calloused from years of handling brittle pages, trembled as they traced the faded script on the ancient tome. The words glowed faintly, their ink shifting between gold and ash, as though the book itself resisted being read. Outside, the sky bled crimson, a slow, sickly drip of light that had not ceased since the sun’s disappearance three moons prior. Kael’s breath hitched. The glyphs on the page pulsed in time with his heartbeat, and for the first time in weeks, hope coiled in his chest like a live wire.
A shadow flickered at the edge of his vision. Kael snapped the book shut, its spine cracking like a whip. The library’s towering shelves loomed around him, their carved faces twisted in silent warnings. He turned, hand darting to the dagger at his belt, but the figure was already there—cloaked in a mantle of woven starlight, its features obscured by a mask of obsidian. The air between them thickened, vibrating with an unspoken threat.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the figure said, voice a rasp of wind through broken glass. “The Duskforge is not for the weak.”
Kael’s grip tightened on the dagger. “I’m not here for the forge. I’m here for the light.”
The figure tilted its head, as if considering him. “Light is a lie. The forge dies, and with it, all that remains is shadow.”
A gust of wind howled through the library, sending stacks of scrolls tumbling to the floor. Kael stepped forward, his boots crunching over fragments of shattered glass. “Then why are you here?”
The figure didn’t answer. Instead, it raised a hand, and the shadows around them coalesced into a jagged blade. Kael lunged, dagger flashing, but the blade dissolved on contact, scattering into smoke. The figure’s laughter was a low, guttural sound. “You fight like a man who has already lost.”
Kael’s mind raced. The Duskforge—the fabled heart of the world’s light—was said to be guarded by entities that fed on despair. If he faltered, the forge would fall, and the sun’s absence would become eternal. He took a steadying breath, then hurled the dagger at the figure’s feet. It sank into the stone, its blade humming with a faint, metallic song.
The figure froze. “What is this?”
“A key,” Kael said. “And you’re not the first to try and take it.”
The library trembled. Dust rained from the ceiling as the shadows around them coiled tighter, snarling. Kael didn’t wait. He turned and ran, his boots slapping against the stone floor, the echoes of his footsteps merging with the growl of the approaching darkness.
—
The city of Veyra sprawled beneath a sky that had not known daylight for months. Its streets, once vibrant with color, were now muted tones of gray and ochre, as if the world itself had been drained of life. Kael sprinted through the alleys, his breath ragged, the dagger’s song still vibrating in his bones. The figure’s words echoed in his mind: *Light is a lie.* But Kael had seen the sun’s last flicker, had felt its warmth seep into his skin before it vanished. He couldn’t let that memory die.
He skidded to a halt in front of a crumbling archway, its stone etched with runes that pulsed faintly, like a dying heartbeat. A woman stood there, her back to him, her cloak billowing in the wind. She turned as he approached, her face half-hidden beneath a hood, but Kael recognized the sharp angle of her jaw and the glint of silver in her eyes.
“You’re late,” she said, her voice carrying the weight of a thousand unspoken words.
“I had company,” Kael replied, wiping blood from his lip. “Who else is in on this?”
The woman stepped forward, her boots crunching over broken cobblestones. “Only us. The others… they couldn’t risk it.”
Kael’s stomach twisted. He had trusted the others, had shared his plan, his hopes. But trust was a luxury he could no longer afford. “And you?”
She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she reached into her coat and pulled out a small vial filled with a liquid that shimmered like liquid moonlight. “This is what we came for. The last shard of the forge’s light.”
Kael’s breath caught. “You found it?”
“Not exactly,” she said, her voice tight. “It’s in the heart of the city, beneath the old cathedral. But getting there won’t be easy.”
A sudden crash echoed from the alley behind them. Kael turned, his hand flying to his dagger, but the woman was already moving. “We don’t have time,” she said, shoving the vial into his hands. “Go. I’ll hold them off.”
“No,” Kael said, his voice hard. “We do this together.”
She met his gaze, and for a moment, something flickered in her eyes—pain, maybe, or regret. Then she nodded. “Then move.”
They ran, their footsteps merging with the distant roar of the city’s dying light. The cathedral loomed ahead, its spires jagged against the blood-red sky. Kael’s mind raced. If they failed, the forge would be lost, and with it, the last hope of restoring the sun. But if they succeeded… what would that mean for the world?
—
The cathedral’s entrance was sealed by a massive door of black iron, its surface etched with sigils that pulsed like a heartbeat. Kael pressed his hand against it, feeling the faint hum of magic beneath his fingertips. The woman—Lira, he reminded himself—stood beside him, her fingers twitching with restrained energy.
“This is it,” she said. “The forge’s core is beyond this door. But it’s not just a barrier. It’s a test.”
“What kind of test?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she stepped back as the door shuddered, the sigils flaring bright before dimming again. A low, resonant sound filled the air, like a thousand voices whispering in unison. Kael’s head throbbed. He clutched his temples, but the voices only grew louder, weaving into a tapestry of memories he hadn’t realized he still carried.
He saw his mother’s face, her eyes filled with sorrow as she placed a small lantern in his hands. “Keep it safe,” she had said, her voice trembling. “It’s the last light of the world.”
The vision faded, leaving him gasping. Lira was beside him, her expression grim. “You’re remembering,” she said. “That’s why they’re trying to stop you.”
“Who?”
“The ones who took the light. They don’t want you to remember.”
Kael’s mind reeled. He had always assumed the sun’s disappearance was a natural disaster, a cosmic event beyond anyone’s control. But if someone had taken it… who? And why?
The door groaned, and the sigils flared again, this time with a violent intensity. Kael gritted his teeth, pushing against the barrier with every ounce of strength he had left. The voices swelled, threatening to pull him under, but he focused on the lantern’s glow, on the memory of his mother’s hands. With a final surge of will, the door cracked open, revealing a vast chamber bathed in an eerie blue light.
At the center stood a pedestal, and atop it rested a single shard of light, pulsing like a living thing. Kael’s heart pounded. This was it. The last hope of the world. But as he took a step forward, Lira’s hand shot out, gripping his arm.
“Wait,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “There’s something you need to know.”
Kael turned to her, his breath coming in short bursts. “What?”
She hesitated, then pulled back her hood, revealing a face that sent a jolt through him. It was his mother’s face, but older, worn by time and sorrow. “I’m not who you think I am,” she said. “I was the one who took the light. I had no choice.”
The words hit Kael like a physical blow. He staggered back, his mind reeling. “Why?”
“Because the forge was dying,” she said, her voice breaking. “And I couldn’t let the world burn with it.”
Kael’s hands trembled. The weight of the truth pressed down on him, suffocating. He had spent his life searching for the light, believing it was something to be reclaimed. But what if it was never meant to be? What if the sun’s absence was a necessary sacrifice?
The chamber trembled. The shard of light flared, and the voices returned, louder now, demanding answers. Kael closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe. He had always thought of himself as a hero, but what if he was just another piece in a game he didn’t understand?
“What do I do?” he asked, his voice barely audible.
His mother’s eyes filled with tears. “You decide,” she said. “But know this—whatever you choose, it will change everything.”
The chamber pulsed, the light intensifying, and Kael knew there was no turning back.
