As Valeris and Asher stood before the ancient chests, the air around them shimmered with the weight of destiny. The letter, sealed with the emblem of the black flame atop a mountain, pulsed faintly in Asher's hand, a tangible link between past and present.
Valeris, bearing the soul of Valeria, felt a surge of memories—not just her own, but those of the sovereign whose essence now intertwined with hers. She reached out, her fingers brushing against the edge of the cuirass within the chest. The soulbound armor responded, its silver veins glowing brighter, resonating with her touch.
"Asher," she murmured, her voice tinged with awe, "these artifacts... they're not mere relics. They're keys—fragments of a legacy waiting to be reclaimed."
Asher nodded, his gaze fixed on the map with shifting landmasses. "This map," he said, "it's alive. It's showing us paths—places that have changed, perhaps even ones that no longer exist."
