The night air was thick with cold and silence as they approached the ruins of Morwynn. The weight of what lay ahead pressed down on Melissa's chest like a stone. Every step felt heavier, not because of the physical burden, but because the memories she was desperate to unlock clawed at her mind.
Kael walked beside her, quiet but steady, his presence like a tether pulling her back when she drifted too far into the darkness. Selene followed close behind, her eyes sharp, always watching for threats lurking in the shadows.
Melissa swallowed hard. "What if I can't face what's waiting there? What if I'm not the queen they need?"
Kael glanced at her, his golden eyes softening. "You're stronger than you think. You've already survived more than anyone should. That strength— it's who you are."
Selene's voice was low but firm. "This isn't just about strength, Melissa. It's about truth. Facing yourself. Your past. And your sister."
Melissa's throat tightened. She clenched her fists, the dream stone warm against her skin, a small reminder of the power inside her—power she barely understood.
As they stepped into the ruins, the air grew colder, the silence heavier. Broken pillars and shattered statues cast long shadows in the pale moonlight. The throne room was empty, except for the cracked altar Kael had shown her before.
Melissa hesitated. "How do we even begin?"
Selene kneeled beside the altar, tracing the worn carvings with a gloved finger. "There's a spell to awaken the memories sealed here. But it comes with a price."
Kael's voice was low and steady. "We're ready."
Melissa took a deep breath. The fear was still there—the fear of what she might uncover, what truths might shatter what little peace she had left. But it was mixed with something new. Determination.
She stepped forward and laid her hands on the altar, feeling the cold stone pulse beneath her fingers.
Selene began to chant, her voice weaving through the still air, ancient and powerful. A faint glow shimmered beneath Melissa's palms, spreading warmth through her body.
Images flooded her mind—flashes of laughter, tears, betrayal, and love. She saw herself and Lyra as children, chasing each other through sunlit forests. Then the red sky, the screams, the dark corridors filled with shadow.
And then—Lyra's face, twisted with rage and pain.
Melissa gasped, stumbling back. Kael caught her.
"It's too much," she whispered.
Selene shook her head gently. "You have to see it all. Only then can you understand."
Melissa closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe through the storm inside her mind. She remembered the promise she had made—to find Lyra, to save her if she could.
When she opened her eyes, the fire in them was steady, fierce.
"We have to move," Melissa said. "Before the Revenant's shadow spreads any further."
Kael nodded. "We'll find her. Together."
Selene smiled faintly. "And maybe, just maybe, there's still a chance to bring her home."
Melissa swallowed hard, the weight of her destiny settling on her shoulders once again. This time, she wasn't running from it.
She was ready to fight—for her family, for her people, and for the sister she never wanted to lose.
The dawn was pale, weak sunlight spilling through the cracks in the ruined citadel's walls. Melissa sat on a fallen stone bench, her hands trembling slightly as she traced the edges of the dream stone around her neck. The images from the throne room still haunted her—the laughter and the blood, the sister she barely remembered and the enemy she now had to face.
Kael stood nearby, sharpening his claws on a smooth rock, his movements slow and deliberate. Every so often, his golden eyes flicked to her, as if waiting for her to say something, but neither did.
Finally, Melissa broke the silence. "What if she doesn't want to come back? What if Lyra's really lost to us?"
Kael looked up, expression unreadable. "Then we'll have to save her from herself."
She wanted to believe that was true. But a deep part of her feared that the damage was too great.
Selene approached, her dark armor clinking softly. "She's made her choice, for now. But choices can be changed."
Melissa met her eyes. "How? How do you change someone who hates you?"
Selene's gaze softened for a moment. "By showing them they're not alone."
Melissa exhaled, the weight of the prophecy and the war settling like dust around her heart. She wanted to be the queen they expected, the leader who could unite the clans. But more than that, she wanted to be a sister—to bring Lyra back from the darkness.
Kael knelt beside her. "We start by finding her. The Revenant's power won't hold forever. There's a crack in his control, and that's where we'll find a way in."
Melissa nodded slowly. "Where do we begin?"
Ash's voice came from the shadows. "There's an old village not far from here. The kindred still live there, even under the Revenant's watch. They might know something."
Selene folded her arms. "Then it's decided. We move at first light."
The night felt heavy with unspoken fears as they prepared to leave the ruins. Melissa's mind was a storm of hope and doubt, of love and pain. But beneath it all was one steady flame—her determination to face whatever came, no matter the cost.
Because family wasn't just blood.
It was the fight to save those you loved.
And Melissa was ready to fight.
The first light of morning seeped through the trees as they made their way down the rocky path from the ruins. The air was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and something older—ancient magic woven into the earth itself.
Melissa walked beside Kael, her eyes on the horizon, but her thoughts tangled around Lyra. What had she become? Was there still a chance to reach her?
Kael glanced at her. "You're carrying a lot."
She swallowed the lump in her throat. "It's not just the fight out there. It's what's inside—between us."
He hesitated, then nodded. "I get it. Blood runs deep. But sometimes, it's the hardest ties that bind the strongest."
Melissa let the words settle. They'd fought side by side for weeks now, but this felt different—more personal, more fragile. Kael wasn't just a protector or a warrior. He was one of the few who believed in her, even when she doubted herself.
They reached the village as the sun climbed higher, its thatched roofs dark against the green canopy. People glanced warily at them, lips tight and eyes guarded. Whispers floated like smoke: Queen? Sister of the Revenant?
Melissa stepped forward, voice steady. "We're not here to fight. We want to help. And we need to find someone—Lyra."
A woman emerged from the crowd, her eyes sharp and wary. "Lyra?" she asked, voice low. "You don't know what you're asking for. She's changed. The Revenant's touch runs deep."
Melissa nodded, feeling the weight of the warning. "Then we'll have to be stronger."
The woman studied her a long moment before stepping aside. "Follow me."
As they entered a small hut filled with relics and symbols of old magic, Melissa's heart pounded. Every step was a step closer—to answers, to danger, and maybe to the sister she had lost.
The woman placed a weathered hand on a wooden table. "There's a place not far from here—a hidden shrine. Lyra's been there, and the Revenant's influence grows stronger with each day she stays."
Kael's eyes darkened. "Then that's where we go."
Melissa took a deep breath, feeling the dream stone's warmth against her skin. It was a reminder—of who she was, and who she had to become.
No matter what waited at the shrine, she wouldn't turn away.
Not now.
The journey to the shrine was quiet, save for the crunch of dry leaves beneath their boots and the occasional whisper of the wind through the twisted branches. The air seemed heavier here—as if the forest itself was holding its breath.
Melissa walked slightly ahead, eyes flickering to Kael and Selene. She felt the tension tightening inside her like a coil, the weight of everything pressing down. Not just the prophecy, or the war—it was the sister she barely remembered, the girl she might never truly know.
"Do you think Lyra still remembers us?" she asked quietly, not sure if she wanted an answer.
Kael's gaze was steady. "She remembers. Maybe too much. That pain... it shapes who we become."
Selene nodded, her silver eyes reflecting the dappled light. "Sometimes the past haunts more than the present."
Melissa clenched her fists. "I want to believe there's still a part of her that's my sister. That she's not lost."
Kael slowed beside her. "Then hold onto that. It might be the only thing that saves her."
The path opened into a small clearing, where the shrine stood—ancient stones wrapped in vines, glowing faintly with a forgotten magic. The air hummed, and Melissa could feel the pull of something powerful beneath the surface.
As they stepped closer, a soft voice echoed—Lyra's voice, fragile yet fierce.
"I'm not your enemy," it said.
Melissa's heart jumped. "Lyra?"
From the shadows, a figure emerged. Lyra's eyes burned with the same crimson fire, but there was something softer beneath the rage—a flicker of pain, a hesitation.
"Why did you leave me?" Lyra whispered, voice breaking.
Melissa took a step forward, voice trembling. "I didn't mean to. I was lost... I was scared. But I never stopped wanting to find you."
Tears welled in Lyra's eyes. "Then why did you forget?"
"Because I had to survive," Melissa said, reaching out her hand. "And because I believe we can still fix this. Together."
Lyra looked at her hand as if it were a fragile lifeline—then slowly, she took it.
The forest held its breath.
In that moment, two sisters, broken but unbroken, stood on the edge of everything.
The war wasn't over.
But maybe, just maybe, so was the fight for family.