In the age before the Veilwood shifted, before the moon shattered, and before the fragments became both salvation and curse, there was a great war. The Veilwood, a vast and ever-changing forest, was known for its shifting pathways and enchanted glades. It was said to obscure travelers from danger, but also to hold secrets that even the oldest elves could not uncover. Within its depths, many believed the very balance of the realms was maintained—though few dared venture too far, lest they be lost in its endless, shimmering labyrinths. It was a time of kings and queens, of scholars and warriors, of unity and betrayal. And at the heart of it all was Lunerya, the Keeper of the Moons, the last of the ancient mystics who could weave threads of light and shadow into harmony.
Lunerya had risen to power not through conquest, but through compassion. She saw the realms tearing themselves apart in a relentless bid for control over the fragments—ancient shards of celestial power that had fallen to the earth in an event long forgotten. Each fragment held immeasurable power, said to grant dominion over life and death, light and dark, creation and destruction. The fragments were fragments no longer of a single celestial body, but of the balance that once kept the realms whole.
The war that ensued was unlike any before it. Armies clashed in battles that split the skies and scorched the earth. Sorcerers wielded the fragments like gods, only to find their power consuming them. Kingdoms fell, alliances crumbled, and the fabric of reality itself began to fray. The realms were on the brink of unmaking.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
It was in this chaos that Lunerya made her stand. She called upon her ancient magics, weaving the astral threads that connected all things. In a final, desperate act, she brought the fragments together and used her life force to seal their power, binding them within a great crown forged from the light of the shattered moon. It was said that as her life faded, the fragments' chaotic energies calmed, and the war came to an end. Her followers spoke of her sacrifice as the ultimate act of love and unity.
Yet, whispers of doubt lingered. Some questioned if her sacrifice was truly selfless. Others wondered if she had sought to control the fragments for herself, only to find the power too great. And then there were those who believed she was still out there, waiting for the right moment to return.
Generations passed, and the fragments faded into legend. The crown was lost, and with it, the memory of its true purpose. But the realms did not forget the war's cost. A fragile peace settled over the lands, maintained by the Veilwood's mysterious shifting boundaries and the faint glow of the moon's remnants.
Now, as that peace begins to crumble and whispers of the fragments resurface, the story of Lunerya's sacrifice takes on a new weight. Was it a blessing, or was it a warning? Only time will tell if the fragile threads she wove can hold, or if the realms will unravel once more.
