Dawn rose over the banks of the Velya River, and a quiet cold wind carried the scent of the forest. I, Erin — son of the old guardian — stood at the edge of the Empty Forest and watched shadows sliding off the hills. My mother told me when I was young: “Where the shadow is long, there your fate sleeps.” Since then I had wandered many paths, but never this far. This morning I was seeking the rune-sign the elders sang about in secret songs. They said: “Whoever finds the rune will return the world’s clear dawn.” I walked for a long time. The forest grew darker, the path narrower. Mist drifted low, as if the water of the sky had fallen to the earth. Soon the wind carried the howls of sivars — gray wolves who guard the ancient Mage’s palace. By the shore of an old stone I saw a figure. She wore wings of dark cloth, her face hidden in shadow. “Who are you?” I asked. “One whom they call Mara,” she said quietly. “I guard the rune you seek. But your fate is not to take it — only to understand.” She extended her hand, and in her palm a small lantern flared, flame dancing inside. “Dawn of the world is not in a stone, Erin. It is in the heart.” I tried to respond, but the earth trembled beneath us. Out of the forest came the wolves, their eyes burning like fire. Mara raised her hand, and the wind grew silent, as if the world had fallen asleep. “Go,” she said. “The path ahead is yours. They will not touch you while you carry a pure mind.” I walked between the wolves, and they only watched me, as if they already knew my fate. The forest opened, and I stepped into a meadow where stone gates stood. On them glowed the rune — not black, not gold, but the color of dawn. When I touched it, the sky seemed to open, and the stars began to sing. I heard my mother’s voice: “The dawn is within you.” And in that moment I understood: the rune was not meant to be taken. It was meant to be returned. I returned light to my own heart, and the forest ceased being Empty. The wolves departed, the shadow retreated, and over the Velya River the clear dawn rose once more.
