Greg_Harris_4507

In the gritty streets of Kallzara, a small wayside town where light barely touches the alleys, Revan Sorna survives by his wits—and by magic long forbidden. With the help of a shadowy tome found in forgotten ruins beneath the city, Revan can summon shadows to deceive and distract, but such power comes with a price: shadows cannot be created from nothing, and his own is lazy and stubborn, testing his patience at every turn.

Revan’s partner in crime, Cassie, is a clever con artist with a talent for ice magic and a convincing lost-girl act. Together, they make a perfect team, surviving by picking pockets, pulling cons, and running from those who would see their kind dead or worse.

Tonight’s target is an easy mark: a drunken sailor leaving The Golden Pig tavern. But when Revan’s swift theft is interrupted by a brutal punch, the simple job spirals into something far more dangerous—and far more personal.

As dark secrets from the ruins threaten to surface and enemies close in, Revan and Cassie must rely on their skills, their magic, and each other to survive. But in a town where shadow magic is heresy and trust is a currency rarer than gold, survival might just mean losing everything.

Where Shadows Walk

Location: The Heart of the Ley — high above the Divide, where the leylines convergeTime: Mid-eclipse

The sky had turned black.No stars. No sun.Only the glow of the completed Hollow Crown, floating behind the Masked Woman like a second moon.

She stood alone at the convergence point — fragments circling her like orbiting blades, humming with terrible promise.

The land beneath her feet cracked in every direction.Reality itself frayed at the edges.

The scholar stepped forward across the broken stone, breath ragged, robes torn.

Kael stood at their side, sword raised.The rest of the alliance faltered in the chaos behind them.

"It's not what you think," the scholar said, voice barely carrying over the rising storm."That power — it's not yours. It never was."

And for the first time… her mask was gone.

Eyes ringed with goldfire. Tears she hadn't noticed tracing lines down her scarred cheeks.

"You don't think I know that?" she whispered."I gave everything to the Circle. To the Accord. And they left me buried in their lies."

She raised her hand — the fragments pulsed together, forming a burning corona above her.

"Now I'll finish what they began. Not for them. For me."

The Hollow Crown spun — faster, faster — until the sky cracked open above them.

A soundless scream tore across the ley.

And within the Crown's light… something stepped forward.

Not a ghost.Not Thaleon.Not even the traitor.

It was her.A younger version — unscarred, uncertain, reaching out from within the Crown's memory.

The true cost.The truth buried in the Crown's fragments.

She had not just helped build the Crown.

She had offered herself to it.

The Mirror Breaks

"You weren't betrayed," the scholar whispered."You chose to be the prison. You sealed the traitor inside you."

The younger version stepped closer, tears in her eyes.The fragments flickered.

"I didn't remember," the Masked Woman said.

"You weren't supposed to," the memory replied.

The Crown hovered between them — trembling, unstable.

The Masked Woman fell to her knees.

"Then I'm the gate," she said. "The last lock."

"Then close it. Not with fire. With truth."

She looked up, meeting her own younger eyes one last time.

And for the first time… she smiled.

The End of the Crown

She reached out.Not to wield the Crown.But to reclaim herself.

The Crown shattered in a burst of white light — not an explosion, but a release.

A breath. A sigh.A silence older than time.

The eclipse faded.The sun returned.

And where the Masked Woman had stood — only ash, scattered to the ley-wind.

The fragments were gone.The Crown, no more.

The Crown’s True Face