The air in the cave was thick with the scent of earth and damp stone. It had the smell of ancient places untouched by time, but also places where dark things stirred. The aftermath of the battle against the bone creatures still clung to them, the remnants of battle scattered about the cave's entrance, broken weapons, the bloody remnants of shadows that had once walked among them. Tomas lay unconscious on the floor, his chest rising and falling shallowly, his blood staining the stone beneath him. Liora, heart racing, had done everything she could to stop the bleeding, but it wasn't enough. She had dragged him to safety, but the price for that safety had already been steep.
Now, as the cave settled into a mournful silence, her thoughts were far from the bloodstains on her hands or the wound in Tomas's side. They were consumed with her grandmother Ysolde. The old woman, who had once been her unwavering protector, now stood at the edge of the cave, her back turned toward Liora. The years of calm, gentle guidance had been replaced by something colder, something that Liora couldn't quite understand. Ysolde had been hiding something, a secret too terrible to reveal and it had haunted the air between them since the first time they spoke of Alwen's death.
Liora could feel her heart pounding, the weight of her unanswered questions pressing down on her chest like an invisible hand. How much longer could she stand in the dark, unable to see the truth? She needed answers, but more than that, she needed to understand. She needed to know what had happened to Alwen, and what part Ysolde had played in it.
"Grandmother" Liora's voice was soft, trembling with a mix of fear and anger, but it was steady enough to carry across the cavern. "What aren't you telling me?"
Ysolde stiffened at the sound of her name. She did not turn, did not meet Liora's gaze instead she remained frozen, her back still to her granddaughter, her hands clenched at her sides. The old woman seemed to be gathering her strength, preparing for something. Liora stepped closer, the unease in her chest growing with every moment that passed in silence. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears now, louder than the cave's quiet echoes.
"I know you're hiding something," Liora pressed, her voice rising slightly. "I've felt it, ever since we entered this cursed place. The way you've been looking at me It's like you're afraid of something. What is it? What aren't you telling me?"
Ysolde sighed, a long weary sound that made Liora's blood run cold. The older woman finally turned to face her, but there was no warmth in her eyes. Only a sorrow that seemed to sink deep into her bones.
"I never wanted you to know, Liora," Ysolde's voice cracked, her words strained with an emotion that Liora had never heard from her grandmother before. "I thought I could protect you from it, protect you from the truth but it seems there's no hiding from what's been done. Not anymore."
Liora stepped back, her chest tightening, heart beating harder. "What do you mean?"
Ysolde's eyes fell to the ground as though the weight of her own guilt was too much to bear. The silence between them stretched on, and Liora's mind raced with possibilities of things she didn't want to believe, things that would destroy everything she thought she knew about her grandmother. But the silence did not last long.
"I sealed Alwen's fate," Ysolde finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I betrayed her."
Liora's breath caught in her throat. She had always known there was something wrong, some dark thread that connected Alwen's death to her grandmother, but the confession hit her like a physical blow. Betrayed Alwen? How could she?
"Why?" Liora whispered, unable to process the words. "How could you betray her, Grandmother?"
Ysolde's gaze lifted slowly to meet her, and for the first time in what felt like years, Liora saw the old woman truly broken. Her face, usually so composed and proud, now looked ancient, worn with the weight of years of regret. Her hands trembled as she reached out, but Liora couldn't bring herself to take them not yet.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Ysolde murmured, her voice cracking with emotion. "I had no choice, Liora. The Veil it was unraveling, and Alwen's bloodline was the key to holding it together but there was a price, a terrible price. I had to choose between her life and yours. I chose you."
Liora felt a cold rush of air rush through her lungs, as if the world itself had gone still. She took a step back, eyes wide with disbelief. Her grandmother's words echoed in her mind, but they didn't make sense. "You killed her?" Liora's voice was harsh, filled with the pain of the realization. "You took Alwen's life so that I could live?"
Ysolde's face twisted with sorrow. "Not killed, Liora. Not in the way you're thinking but yes I sealed her fate. I bound her to the land, to the forest itself, so that you could inherit the power necessary to protect Elderwood. The Veil could not be mended without her blood, and it was the only way to ensure the survival of the forest. The forest needed you, Liora. It needed your magic, your strength. Alwen was the anchor, but you were the key."
Liora's head spun. Her knees felt weak, and she had to steady herself against the jagged stone wall of the cave. "You used her," she said in disbelief, her voice rising. "You sacrificed her for me and all this time, you kept it from me. You let me think she died for nothing. For no reason."
Ysolde's gaze fell, as though the shame of her actions was too much to face. "I did what I thought was necessary. I had no choice. I thought I could protect you by keeping the truth from you, but it was wrong. I see that now."
Liora clenched her fists, her whole body trembling with the effort to hold back the torrent of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. "You had no right!" she shouted, the words coming out in a broken, painful burst. "You had no right to decide that for me. Alwen was my aunt, my family and you took her life to save me. You condemned her for the sake of a future that you couldn't even guarantee."
"I never wanted it to be like this," Ysolde's voice cracked, her hand reaching out in a desperate, fragile gesture. "I never wanted to hurt you but I had to protect you, Liora. You're the only one who can stop what's coming. The Veil is tearing apart, and if it's not mended, everything will be lost."
Liora felt a surge of bitterness, of anger, boiling beneath her skin. "And what about Tomas?" she demanded, her eyes blazing. "What about everyone else? Is their life worthless than mine? Are we all just pawns to you?"
Ysolde drew back, her face contorted in grief. "No. Never. I did this to save you, because I couldn't bear the thought of losing you like I lost Alwen. You were the one who would carry the burden, not her. You had to survive, Liora. The future of Elderwood depends on you."
Tears welled up in Liora's eyes, but she blinked them away, refusing to let her grandmother see her weakness. "I don't want to be this," she whispered. "I don't want to be the one who holds the Veil together. I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for any of it."
For a long time, the cave was filled only with the sound of Tomas's shallow breathing. Ysolde remained silent, her face a mask of sorrow and regret. Finally, Liora turned away, her heart heavy, her soul broken. She couldn't look at her grandmother anymore. Not with the weight of what she had just learned.
"Liora," Ysolde's voice trembled, heavy with sorrow and regret. "I'm sorry. I truly am. I've carried the weight of that choice every day. It broke something in me but I did it for you. For your future. For all of us. I never stopped loving her or mourning what I did."
Liora turned back toward her grandmother, but the words that had been on the tip of her tongue died in her throat. The Veil, the world they were fighting to save was unraveling. And in that moment, Liora realized that there were no easy answers, no perfect choices. In the end, they were all bound by the same dark forces.
"I don't know if I can forgive you," Liora said softly, her voice breaking. "But I'll do what I have to. For Alwen. For Elderwood. For everyone."
And with that, she turned away, her steps heavy as she moved to Tomas's side, the weight of her grandmother's betrayal a bitter knot in her chest.
The silence stretched on, thick with unspoken regrets and the ache of truths too long buried. Liora's chest rose and fell in shaky breaths, her fingers curling into fists at her sides. Ysolde stood unmoving, as if time itself had stilled around them. Beyond the mouth of the cave, the wind howled a haunting reminder that the world was unraveling. Stones trembled underfoot. Then came a sound from the shadows behind them a sharp scrape, like bone dragging across stone. They weren't alone.