Chapter 120 - The Guardian of the Threshold

The weight of my mother's words hung in the air as I clutched the strange stone the old woman had pressed into my palm. It was smooth and dark, with faint lines etched across its surface that seemed to shift in the dim light.

"The guardian sleeps where the star's tears carved the earth. Seek the Whispering Caves. Beware the Raven's shadow, child, it hungers for your light."

I looked up to see the villager already walking away, her stooped figure disappearing between the cottages before I could even call out. My heart hammered in my chest.

"Alaric," I whispered, turning to show him the stone. "Look."

He took it carefully, examining it with narrowed eyes. The carriage door remained open beside us as we stood frozen in the moment of discovery.

"Whispering Caves," he murmured, his thumb tracing the strange markings. "It's an actual place. I've heard of it—located in the northern territories, beyond the King's Forest."