And of the royal attire, scattered along the very long hallway, only ashes remained.
There was no sound, only the rustle of scraps of cloth blown by the wind from the cracked window. The hallway was once filled with light, laughter, and the footsteps of nobles. Now, only the shadows of the chandeliers swayed like restless spirits.
Aira, a young maid returning to the palace after fleeing a night of slaughter, walked slowly among the fragments of the crown, the jeweled beads, and the charred cloth. Each step she took trampled on the remains of history that had been destroyed.
"What happened here?" she whispered to herself, though she knew the answer would not come that easily.
Once, the kingdom of Eldure was the most powerful. King Valen was known to be wise, and Queen Leira was known to have a heart of gold. But a few months before the destruction, the sky changed color. The birds disappeared. And the guards began to speak in frightened whispers of the “Eastern Shadow”—something that appeared every night and absorbed sound, light, even time.
That night, this hallway was the last place the nobles gathered, trying to protect the royal heirloom that was believed to hold back the darkness: the Sulara Crystal. But something—or someone—had broken through the final defenses.
And now, only ashes remained.
Aira stopped in the middle of the hallway, a small, intact object in front of her: a phoenix brooch, the royal symbol. She reached for it. As her fingers touched the cold metal, a voice whispered from beyond the dark hallway:
“There is still hope… if you can bring back the light.”
The hallway vibrated. Ash began to swirl in the air, as if remembering the past. And Aira, with the brooch in her hand, realized—this story was not over.