The wind in Echo Vale did not whisper.
It wept.
Each gust carried the sound of a child crying, of a mother mourning, of lovers torn apart. The very air hummed with heartbreak, dense enough to press on the chest like grief made solid. The trees were silver, frozen mid-bloom as if their joy had been stolen. The sky? A perpetual dusk—neither morning nor night, just a soft gray that never ended.
Elias stood at the mouth of the Vale, his cloak whipping in the wind.
Behind him, Kael checked the pulse weapon on his wrist. "Why is this place sadder than a funeral inside a thunderstorm?"
Ceryn's voice was low. "It's cursed. Emotion isn't just felt here. It's used."
Myra moved beside Elias, her hand on the hilt of her mirrorblade. "She's here, isn't she?"
Elias nodded once.
> [SYSTEM ALERT]
Binder Signature Detected
Identity: The Crownless Queen
Realm Status: Collapsing
Mental Contagion Risk: Extreme
Suggestion: Proceed with Cognitive Shields Enabled.
