The Name Hidden Among the Dead
Lyssara stood before the Oathkeeper's Archive as thousands of ancient lunar runes awakened beneath her armored hand. Silver light spread across the circular monument, revealing names that had remained untouched for centuries. Seralyth drifted closer, her ethereal expression trembling with recognition. “These names cannot be changed,” she whispered. “Not by magic. Not by time.” Aster suddenly growled, his luminous eyes fixed upon the far end of the crypt. Lyssara slowly turned. Between two monumental sarcophagi stood a hooded figure clad in black-and-silver armor, holding a glowing moonsteel tablet. Neither moved. “You followed me,” Lyssara said, her hand tightening around Eclipsewarden. The stranger's voice echoed calmly beneath the vast ceiling. “No. I arrived because I knew you would eventually find this place.” Seralyth stared at the figure. “Who are you?” The stranger remained silent before raising the tablet slightly. “Someone who has spent far too long searching for the same truth.” Lyssara stepped forward, her cloak brushing the cold stone floor. “Then give me the record.” The hooded figure looked toward the tablet. “You believe a name will answer everything?” he asked. “Names are dangerous, Lyssara Nocthiel. Especially when history was built to erase them.” The runes surrounding the archive suddenly intensified, and Seralyth recoiled as a forgotten name began to emerge across the moonsteel surface. The stranger immediately turned toward it. “There,” he murmured. “The truth you came for.” Before Lyssara could read the final inscription, darkness moved between the sarcophagi. Aster's fur rose as something unseen scraped slowly across the stone. The hooded stranger lowered his tablet and finally looked toward the shadows. “It appears,” he said quietly, “that we are no longer alone.”