The city of Avelor rested beneath a heavy blanket of twilight, the horizon barely clinging to the final rays of the setting sun. In the heart of this ancient city, where cobblestone streets wound like veins through the bustling markets and narrow alleys, a sense of unease lingered in the air. Something was coming. No one knew what, but everyone felt it.

Far above the city, perched on the crumbling remains of an old watchtower, Rynn watched the horizon with restless eyes. The wind tugged at her cloak, and strands of her dark hair whipped across her face. She ignored the chill, her gaze fixed on the distant mountains, where the last light was being swallowed by the encroaching night.

Rynn was no stranger to omens. As one of the Nightguard, she had been trained to notice the subtle shifts in the world, the things others might overlook. But this... this was different. There had been whispers for weeks, rumors of strange happenings in the north—disappearing villages, travelers gone missing, unnatural storms that seemed to follow no pattern. And now, something stirred within her, a primal instinct warning her of the darkness ahead.

"Anything?" A familiar voice broke the silence, and Rynn turned to see Kael approaching, his bow slung over his shoulder. His golden hair glowed faintly in the dying light, giving him an almost ethereal appearance.

"Nothing yet," she replied, her voice low. "But it’s coming. I can feel it."

Kael nodded, standing beside her and surveying the landscape. "The elders are worried. They say the stars are misaligned, that something is disrupting the balance."

Rynn let out a dry chuckle. "When are the elders not worried?"

"True," Kael admitted with a faint smile, but his tone remained serious. "But this time, it’s different. You’ve heard the rumors. The Shadowlands are stirring again."

The mere mention of the Shadowlands sent a shiver down Rynn’s spine. The Shadowlands were the stuff of nightmares—an ancient, cursed realm sealed away centuries ago after a war that nearly destroyed the world. Few believed the stories anymore, dismissing them as legend. But the Nightguard knew better. Their order had been created to watch for the return of the Shadow, to guard against the darkness that always sought to creep back into the world.

"I’ve heard the rumors," Rynn said quietly. "And if they’re true... we’re not ready."

Kael didn’t respond immediately, his expression growing darker as he considered her words. "We’ll have to be. The Council is sending scouts to the north tomorrow. They want us to go with them."

Rynn raised an eyebrow. "Scouts? They’re sending us on a scouting mission?"

"Not just any scouting mission," Kael corrected. "We’re to investigate the northern ruins—those that lie near the border of the Shadowlands. Something is happening there. The Council believes the omens point to that region."

The northern ruins. Rynn’s heart sank at the thought. Those ruins had been abandoned for generations, ever since the last war with the Shadow. It was said that the land itself had been tainted, cursed with the lingering essence of the darkness that had once consumed it. To go there was to invite madness.

But there was no avoiding it. If the Council had given the order, the Nightguard would obey.

"I suppose we leave at dawn, then," Rynn said, her voice betraying none of the dread she felt.

Kael gave her a grim nod. "At dawn."

The next morning, the city was bathed in a dull, cold light as the sun struggled to rise over the mountains. Rynn and Kael stood at the city’s northern gate, waiting for the rest of the scouting party to arrive. The streets were quieter than usual, and a heavy fog clung to the ground, swirling around their feet.

"Doesn’t feel right, does it?" Kael muttered, breaking the silence.

Rynn shook her head. "No. It feels like the calm before a storm."

Before she could say more, the rest of the group appeared. There were five of them in total, all seasoned members of the Nightguard, clad in dark armor and armed with weapons gleaming faintly in the mist. Among them was Captain Elias, a grizzled veteran who had led more expeditions than Rynn could count. His eyes were sharp, and though his face was lined with age, there was a fierce strength in his posture.

"Everyone ready?" Captain Elias asked, his voice like gravel.

"As ready as we’ll ever be," Kael replied, adjusting the strap of his bow.

"Good. We’ll make for the northern ruins. Keep your eyes open and stay alert. We don’t know what we’ll find, but we’re not taking any chances. Understood?"

A chorus of nods followed, and without further delay, the group set off into the fog.

The journey north was slow, the terrain becoming rougher as they left the city behind. The trees grew taller, their twisted branches reaching out like skeletal hands, and the air grew colder, sharper, as if the land itself resented their presence.

Hours passed in tense silence. Rynn kept her senses sharp, scanning the landscape for any sign of movement. But there was nothing—no animals, no sound, not even the wind. It was as if the world was holding its breath.

Finally, just as the sun began to sink below the horizon once more, they reached the outskirts of the ruins.

What had once been a grand city, a place of power and majesty, was now little more than rubble. Crumbling stone walls and shattered statues littered the landscape, overgrown with vines and moss. But something about the place felt wrong—like a presence watching them, just out of sight.

"Spread out," Captain Elias ordered quietly. "Search the area. We’ll regroup here in an hour."

Rynn and Kael moved together, their steps cautious as they entered the ruins. The air was thick with an oppressive silence, and every shadow seemed to shift and move in the corner of her vision.

They hadn’t gone far when they found it.

A stone archway, partially collapsed, led into a dark tunnel beneath the ruins. And etched into the stone, barely visible through the grime and moss, was a symbol.

Rynn froze. She knew that symbol. It was the mark of the Shadow—an ancient rune, said to be a gateway to the cursed realm itself.

"It’s happening," she whispered, her voice trembling. "The Shadow is returning."

Kael stared at the symbol, his face pale. "We need to get back to the others. Now."

But as they turned to leave, a low, rumbling growl echoed from the tunnel behind them. Something was down there. And it was awake.

End