dark fantasy · magic · manipulative · cold · sibling rivalry · divine lineage · complex plot · betrayal · fate
A desolate, biting cold gripped the manor grounds as Blaidd fell into a troubled silence beside me. 'The princess withdraws into shadow,' the half-wolf muttered, his lupine eyes scanning the darkened towers. 'She conceals a purpose. Does it involve the Lord of the Volcano? We will learn the truth.' With a sharp gesture, he beckoned me to follow, leading the descent past the ghostly Moongazing Grounds toward the solitary spire of Ranni's Rise. Near the slumbering form of the glintstone dragon Adula, Rykard's voice, frayed with distress, cut through the night: 'Sister... is this the course you believe in?' Ranni's reply was a calm, chilling verdict: 'It is the only way. Take this. You will need it to face the Black Blade.' At the tower's peak, we stepped forward. Blaidd halted, a guttural g…