A_Seeker07

Synopsis:

In a world ruled by prophecy, fate is law—and the Oracle speaks it.

But when the sacred Temple of Tirael is destroyed in a mysterious fire, a strange young girl is found at the center of the ruins. She claims to be Eloryn, a reincarnated Oracle from centuries past, returned to correct the greatest mistake of her past lives: a prophecy that crowned a false king and set the world on a path to ruin.

Haunted by visions and hunted by those who would silence her, Eloryn must descend into the forgotten depths of the sacred mountain to destroy the Book of Stars—a tome that binds futures in divine ink. With reluctant allies, ancient powers stirring, and time unraveling around her, Eloryn must decide how much of fate can truly be rewritten… and what must be sacrificed to do it.

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Me and My fate

They didn't stop running until the moon was high and the temple fire a dim smear on the horizon.

Eloryn and Maren sat by the riverbank beneath the twisted roots of a dead tree, breath shallow, clothes damp with dew and sweat. The only sound was the slow whisper of the river and the distant croak of night creatures. It was quiet—but not safe.

Maren wiped his brow with a trembling hand. "You could have killed them back there."

"I don't want to kill," Eloryn said softly, watching the current. "I've done enough of that across too many lives."

"Then you should've surrendered. At least then you wouldn't have to run."

Eloryn's gaze flicked toward him, calm but sharp. "They would've burned me before dawn."

Maren didn't argue. He had seen the fear in the Crows' eyes—real fear, not just duty. They believed she was dangerous. And maybe she was.

"Tell me the truth," he said finally. "You say you've lived before. That you've seen what's coming. If I'm going to follow you into madness, I deserve to know what we're up against."

Eloryn traced a fingertip along the river's edge. "Do you know how many kings ruled because of prophecy, Maren?"

"Exactly. And how many fell because of it?"

She picked up a smooth stone and rolled it between her fingers. "The Book of Stars was meant to be a guide—a mirror of possible futures. But once it was written, the kings began using it to choose the future. They silenced any Oracle who strayed from its pages. They burned the ones who warned against it. Like me."

Maren stared at the water. "And the False King?"

"Chosen by bloodline, not worth. Crowned by a prophecy that never should've been read aloud. In every life since, war follows him like a shadow."

"Then why bring me?" he asked. "Why trust me, a High Priest of the very order that betrayed you?"

She gave him a sad, knowing look. "Because in my first life, you were the one who lit the pyre."

"You didn't know then," she said. "You were told I was dangerous. And you were right. I am. But this time, you'll help me finish what I began."

A silence stretched between them, broken only by the wind through the branches.

"What must I do?" he asked at last.

She smiled faintly. "Help me find the lost names."

"The true Oracles. The ones who came before me. Their voices were buried. Their names erased from the Book of Stars. If we can recover even one, we can unbind the pages. Free fate from the grip of kings."

She rose slowly, her silhouette outlined by starlight. "In the city of dust. Where the first lie was written in gold."

Maren looked at her, this girl with ancient eyes and a voice made of starlight, and for the first time, he did not see a heretic. He saw a reckoning.

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Name in the Dust