I wandered on fantasy world

The ruins of Ravenspire were a graveyard of charred wood and broken stone. Once, it had been a bustling village nestled in the shadow of the mountains, its streets alive with laughter and trade. Now, the air was thick with the acrid scent of ash, and silence hung heavy over the smoldering remains.

Talyra and Kael stood at the edge of the village, surveying the destruction. The boy's face was pale, his hands clenched at his sides. For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

"They took everything," Kael whispered, his voice barely audible.

Talyra's storm-gray eyes scanned the wreckage. Shadows lingered in the corners of her vision, flitting between the ruins like echoes of what had been. The Starfire Pendant at her neck pulsed faintly, as if reacting to the desolation around them.

"Stay close," she said, gripping her staff tightly.

Kael nodded, though his feet dragged as they stepped into the ruins. The ground was littered with debris—shattered pottery, splintered beams, and the occasional dark stain that Kael couldn't bring himself to look at too closely.

---

They searched in silence, Talyra moving with purpose while Kael trailed behind. Her sharp gaze missed nothing: the scorch marks on the walls, the claw-like gouges in the earth. She knelt beside what had once been the village square, her fingers brushing over a strange pattern burned into the stone.

"What is it?" Kael asked, his voice trembling.

"Magic," Talyra said, her tone grim. "Powerful and ancient." She glanced at him. "The shadows that attacked your village weren't just creatures. They were summoned."

Kael's eyes widened. "Summoned? By who?"

"That's what I intend to find out."

She rose and continued toward the largest structure in the village—a crumbling stone chapel that had miraculously remained standing. Its roof had caved in, and the doors hung askew, but the air around it felt charged, as though it held onto some fragment of its former sanctity.

---

Inside, the chapel was a husk of its former self. The altar lay in pieces, its surface scorched black. Talyra moved cautiously, her staff glowing faintly as she stepped over the rubble. Kael lingered by the entrance, his eyes darting nervously around the dim interior.

As Talyra approached the altar, a faint hum filled the air. It was subtle at first, almost imperceptible, but it grew stronger with each step she took. Her pendant responded, its glow intensifying as though in recognition.

"What is that?" Kael asked, his voice rising in alarm.

Talyra didn't answer. Her gaze was fixed on a small object half-buried in the debris. She knelt and brushed away the ash, revealing a pendant much like her own but larger and more intricate. Its center was a brilliant gemstone, glowing with an otherworldly light that seemed to pulse in time with her own heartbeat.

"The Starfire Pendant," she murmured, her voice tinged with awe.

Kael stepped closer, his fear momentarily forgotten. "That's… that's from the legends," he said, his voice hushed. "The stories my grandmother used to tell. The Starfire was a force that shaped the realms—magic so powerful it could create or destroy worlds."

Talyra lifted the pendant, holding it up to the light. Its glow cast strange patterns on the walls, and for a moment, the shadows seemed to recoil. But there was a weight to the pendant, a sense of immense power barely contained.

"Why would it be here?" Kael asked.

Talyra frowned, her thoughts racing. The Starfire Pendant was no ordinary artifact. Its presence here, in the ruins of a village attacked by summoned shadows, was no coincidence. Someone had brought it here—or perhaps, it had been waiting.

"This is no accident," she said, her grip tightening on the pendant. "Whoever summoned those shadows knew about this. They were after its power."

Kael swallowed hard. "But why didn't they take it?"

"Because they couldn't," Talyra said. She could feel it now, the faint barrier of protective magic surrounding the pendant. It was old magic, woven so intricately that even she struggled to decipher it. "The pendant was protected. They must have tried to break the seal and failed."

Kael looked uneasy. "So… now what?"

Talyra slipped the pendant into her satchel, her expression grim. "Now, we leave. The longer we stay here, the more danger we're in."

Kael hesitated. "You're taking it with us?"

"It's safer with me than here," she said. "But make no mistake—this pendant is a beacon. Whatever came for Ravenspire will come again, and they'll be hunting us now."

Kael's face paled, but he nodded. "Then we should go."

---

As they stepped out of the chapel, the wind picked up, carrying with it a low, mournful sound. The shadows in the ruins seemed to stir, shifting like they were alive. Talyra tightened her grip on her staff, her senses on high alert.

"Quickly," she said, urging Kael forward.

They moved swiftly through the ruins, the pendant in Talyra's satchel growing warmer with each step. It was as if it could feel the danger closing in, pulling them toward an unknown destiny.

As they reached the edge of the village, Kael cast one last look back at the ruins of Ravenspire. "Do you think it can fix this?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Talyra didn't answer immediately. Her gaze was fixed on the darkened horizon, where storm clouds were gathering.

"The Starfire can do many things," she said finally. "But whether it will bring salvation or ruin—that depends on us."

And with that, they disappeared into the forest, the pendant's glow faintly visible through the fabric of Talyra's satchel, a silent promise of the trials yet to come.