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The fire crackled softly as night deepened around their camp. Aelira sat beside the warmth, the pendant resting against her chest, still humming faintly. Around her, the others tended wounds and sharpened weapons, the silence heavy with unspoken thoughts.
Oren fluttered down beside her, feathers ruffled. "The Hollow Queen's curse is older than any of us. Fragmented across worlds, torn by despair and rage. She's not just a villain, she's a prisoner of her own shattered soul."
Aelira's eyes narrowed. "Then why hunt us? Why target me?"
Oren's golden gaze met hers. "Because you carry the last light of her bloodline, the Sunvale flame that can either heal or destroy."
Nearby, Kaelon sat quietly, watching the flames twist in the fire. Thorne caught Aelira's glance and nodded toward the boy. "Kaelon's magic isn't just wild emotion. It's tied to the curse too. The fire, the water, it's all part of the same storm."
Lyra emerged from the shadows, her eyes sharp. "I've been digging through old ruins. Found mention of a ritual, something that might mend the Veil, or tear it wider. Either way, it involves confronting the Hollow Queen's fractured soul."
Aelira felt the weight of their mission pressing down. "Then we have to find those fragments. Gather them before she does."
Thorne grunted. "Easier said than done."
Kaelon finally spoke, voice low and hoarse, "I remember… glimpses. Before the silence took my words, before the curse. There was a light. A hope."
Aelira reached out, placing a hand gently on Kaelon's shoulder. "We'll find that light again. Together."
Oren's eyes sparkled with renewed purpose. "Tomorrow, we seek the first fragment. In the Shadowed Vale."
The night held its breath as the team prepared for the journey ahead.
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