The morning arrived cold and foggy, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Aster woke before dawn, his body still aching from yesterday's ordeal but his mind sharp and alert. The mission was clear—they would travel to the place where it all began, where the cursed king had died and the first Eye had appeared.
He dressed quickly in practical traveling clothes—sturdy pants, a warm jacket, boots meant for rough terrain. As he was fastening his belt, he heard the sound of activity throughout the mansion. Footsteps in the hallways. Quiet conversations. The organized chaos of preparation.
By the time he came downstairs, the seven maids who worked in the Thornwood household were already bustling about, gathering supplies and packing them into travel bags. Food that would keep for days. Water containers. Medical supplies. Rope. Lanterns. Everything one might need for a dangerous journey.
"Good morning, Master Aster," one of the maids said with a slight bow. She was the eldest of them, a woman named Margaret who had worked for the family since before Aster was born. "Your father has instructed us to pack for a three-day journey. We've prepared everything you might need."
"Thank you, Margaret," Aster replied, watching the efficient preparations.
"It's quite far to the west, sir," another maid added, a younger woman with kind eyes. "Please be careful out there."
Lily appeared at the top of the stairs, still in her nightgown despite the early hour. She descended slowly, her expression conflicted—wanting to say something but holding back.
Aster couldn't help himself. He smiled mischievously and called up to her. "Don't you want to come too, Lily?"
Lily's face flushed with a mixture of emotions—frustration, anger, and poorly concealed desire to join them. She crossed her arms defensively. "No," she said, her voice sharp. "I'll study at home. It's more important."
She turned as if to storm back to her room, but paused at the top of the stairs. Her shoulders slumped slightly. "Wait. I have something for you."
Aster's teasing smile faded, replaced by genuine curiosity. "What is it?"
"Wait here. I'll bring it," Lily said, disappearing down the hallway toward her room.
Aster waited at the bottom of the stairs, wondering what his sister had prepared. A good luck charm, perhaps? Some protective talisman from their family's collection?
Mr. Thornwood emerged from his study, already dressed for travel in a long coat that looked both expensive and practical. His expression was serious, all business.
"The car will be arriving soon," he announced. "We leave in a few minutes." He looked at Aster directly, his green eyes intense. "But we are not taking anyone else with us."
Aster froze. "But what about Silas? He's necessary for this mission. He knows more about the Eye than anyone—"
"My word is final," Mr. Thornwood interrupted, his voice brooking no argument. "Either we go alone, or we don't go at all." He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "It's for your own good, son. I don't trust him. He put you in danger once already."
"He also saved me," Aster protested, but he could see it was useless. His father's jaw was set in that familiar stubborn line.
"Alright. Fine," Aster said, unable to keep the disappointment from his voice.
Mr. Thornwood nodded once, satisfied, and turned to go check on the final preparations.
Lily reappeared at the top of the stairs, now properly dressed, holding something in her closed hands. She descended with a smile playing at her lips. "Guess what it is?"
Aster, still frustrated about the Silas situation, replied dryly, "Another rock, maybe? One you think is lucky?"
Lily's smile disappeared, replaced by an offended scowl. "No! I don't collect random rocks anymore. I'm not a child."
She stepped closer and opened her hands, revealing what she'd been holding.
Aster's breath caught.
Resting in her palms was a crystal—but not just any crystal. It was roughly the size of a chicken egg, perfectly smooth, and it glowed with an inner light that shifted between deep crimson and pale pink. The energy radiating from it was immense, making the air around it feel charged and electric.
"What is this?" Aster whispered, reaching out carefully to take it. The moment his fingers touched the crystal, he felt a surge of power flow through him. "The energy... it's incredible. This is equal to the energy of the Crystal of Light that Silas owns. Maybe even more." He looked up at his sister in amazement. "Where did you find this?"
"In the storage room," Lily said proudly. "Inside that locked chest."
"The locked chest?" Aster's eyes widened. "The one that's been sealed for years? The one that's supposed to be impossible to open? I've tried multiple times to break it open, but the magical locks were too strong."
Lily shrugged, looking pleased with herself. "It wasn't that difficult to break, actually."
"I don't believe you," Aster said flatly. "You must have found the key somewhere. Even I couldn't break those locks, and I've been practicing magic longer than you."
"Well, maybe you just weren't trying hard enough," Lily said. She reached behind her back and produced the chest itself—a small ornate wooden box with intricate metal bindings. The lock was clearly broken, the metal twisted and warped from magical force.
Aster stared at it, then at his sister, then back at the chest. A mixture of pride and embarrassment washed over him.
*My little sister is stronger than me*, he thought with chagrin. *What a shame.*
"Perhaps I should be the one going with Father," Lily said, her tone mockingly serious. "You should have stayed home where it's safe."
She was teasing him, of course, but there was also a hint of genuine hurt in her voice—frustration at being left behind despite her obvious abilities.
"Hey," Aster said softly. "You know Dad is just trying to protect you, right? It's not about strength."
Lily's expression softened slightly. "I know." Then she added more urgently, "Don't let Father know about the crystal, okay? I don't think we were supposed to open that chest."
"Yeah, I'll make sure to keep it quiet," Aster promised, closing his fingers around the stone and focusing on suppressing its energy signature so it wouldn't be obvious he was carrying it.
He recognized this crystal now. The blood-red color, the immense power, the way it pulsed with its own heartbeat—this had to be the Blood Moon Stone. One of the legendary celestial stones, artifacts of immense power that were said to have fallen from the heavens at the dawn of time. There were only a handful of them in existence, each one capable of channeling vast amounts of magical energy.
But what was it doing in their storage room? Why had their family kept it locked away rather than using it?
Questions for another time. Aster slipped the stone into his inner jacket pocket, where it rested against his chest, warm and reassuring.
"Alright, we're leaving now," Mr. Thornwood announced, returning to the entrance hall. His expression suggested he'd noticed something—perhaps the residual magical energy in the air—but he didn't comment on it.
"Coming," Aster replied.
Father and son headed toward the front door together. Outside, a sleek black car was waiting—expensive and well-maintained, with the Thornwood family crest subtly engraved on the doors.
Mr. Thornwood paused at the threshold and turned to address the maids. "Take care of my daughter while we're gone. Don't let her do anything reckless."
One of the maids—a younger woman with striking blue hair named Anna—bowed respectfully. "Yes, sir! We'll make sure Miss Lily stays safe and out of trouble!"
"Hey!" Lily protested from behind them. "I can take care of myself!"
But she also came to the door, and as Aster and his father climbed into the car, she waved from the mansion entrance. Despite her earlier annoyance, there was worry in her eyes now.
Aster waved back, trying to project confidence he didn't entirely feel.
The car's interior was comfortable—leather seats, plenty of space, windows tinted just enough to provide privacy without blocking the view. A driver in formal livery sat at the wheel, waiting patiently for instructions.
Mr. Thornwood settled into his seat and said clearly, "To the West Valley."
"Yes, sir," the driver replied, his voice professional and neutral.
The car began to move, pulling away from the Thornwood mansion and heading toward the city streets.
As they drove through the capital, Aster looked out the window at the familiar sights passing by. Even this early in the morning, people were beginning to emerge—shopkeepers opening their stores, workers heading to their jobs, a few early risers taking morning walks.
"Is the West Valley a dangerous place?" Aster asked, breaking the silence. "I've heard about it in stories, but never really understood what it was."
Mr. Thornwood nodded grimly. "Yes, it's dangerous. After the king's execution, something happened to that area. The land itself became... corrupted. Twisted. Plants won't grow there. Animals avoid it. People who venture in often don't come back, or if they do, they're changed—haunted by what they've seen."
He paused, looking out his own window at the passing city.
"That's why most people call it the Eye of the West," he continued. "A cursed place to the west of the capital, where something evil watches and waits."
Aster felt a chill run down his spine. "Wait. The Eye of the West and the Eye of Evil are the same thing? I thought the Eye of the West was just an urban legend. A scary story parents tell their children to keep them from wandering too far from home."
"It is a scary story," Mr. Thornwood said. "But like many scary stories, it's based on truth. Mages call it the Eye of Evil—the technical term, the proper name for the entity we're dealing with. Normal people, those without magical knowledge, refer to it as the Eye of the West. Same curse, different names."
The car continued through the streets, and Aster noticed people stopping to stare as they passed.
"Is that the Thornwood family car?" he heard someone say through the partially open window.
"Look how expensive it looks," another voice added with a mixture of awe and envy.
"Must be important business if they're out this early."
Aster shifted uncomfortably. "Wow. I didn't know we got this much attention."
"Our family is quite popular," Mr. Thornwood said with a slight smile. "Old money, old magic, old reputation. People notice when we move through the city. It's both a blessing and a burden."
The car left the residential districts behind, moving into the commercial areas, then gradually toward the outskirts of the capital. The buildings became less grand, the streets less well-maintained. The people they passed looked rougher, more suspicious.
After what felt like an hour, the city finally gave way to open countryside. Fields stretched out on either side of the road, most of them brown and dormant as winter approached. Farmhouses dotted the landscape, smoke rising from their chimneys.
But as they continued west, even these signs of civilization became scarce.
The sky ahead began to look different. Darker. More oppressive. Clouds gathered in unnatural formations, and the sunlight seemed unable to penetrate them fully.
"We're getting close," Mr. Thornwood said quietly.
Another thirty minutes of driving, and the landscape began to change dramatically. The grass on either side of the road turned brown, then black. Trees became twisted and leafless, their branches reaching toward the sky like grasping fingers. The air itself seemed heavier, harder to breathe.
And then Aster saw it—a wall.
Not a natural formation but a massive stone barrier that stretched across the landscape as far as he could see in either direction. It was easily twenty feet tall, with guard towers positioned at regular intervals. At the center, directly ahead of them, was a gate—heavy iron reinforced with what Aster recognized as magical wards.
The car slowed as they approached.
Two guards stepped out from a small building beside the gate. They wore the uniform of the Royal Guard—the kingdom's elite military force—but their expressions were hard and weary. These were men who had seen things, who stood watch over something most people preferred to forget existed.
The car stopped, and one of the guards approached the driver's window.
Mr. Thornwood leaned forward so the guard could see his face clearly.
The guard's eyes widened in recognition. "Mr. Thornwood, sir. We weren't expecting—"
"We need to enter for research purposes," Mr. Thornwood said calmly, his voice carrying the weight of authority. "Official family business."
The guard looked uncertain. "Sir, with all due respect, the valley is particularly active right now. We've been seeing unusual movements, hearing strange sounds. It might not be safe even for—"
"I understand the risks," Mr. Thornwood interrupted gently but firmly. "We'll be careful. But this cannot wait."
The guard studied Mr. Thornwood's face for a long moment, then seemed to come to a decision. He stepped back and signaled to his partner at the gate.
"Open it up!"
The second guard moved to a large wheel mechanism, and with visible effort, began to turn it. Ancient gears ground and clicked. The massive iron gate began to swing inward, revealing the valley beyond.
And what lay beyond made Aster's breath catch in his throat.
The West Valley—the Valley of Evil.
The land was dead. Completely, utterly dead. No grass, no trees, no signs of life whatsoever. The ground was cracked and dry, the color of old bones. Strange rock formations jutted up at odd angles, their shapes suggesting things that shouldn't exist. And the sky above the valley...
The sky was dark. Not night-dark, but something worse—a sickly gray-green color that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. No sun was visible. No clouds in the normal sense, just a roiling mass of something that looked almost alive.
And there, in the distance, Aster could see it—the ruins of what must have once been a grand plaza or town square. Broken pillars reached toward the poisoned sky. Shattered statues lay toppled and forgotten. And at the center of it all, a raised platform.
The execution site.
"Are you ready?" Mr. Thornwood asked quietly, his hand on the door handle.
Aster swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes."
They both opened their doors and stepped out of the car.
The moment Aster's feet touched the ground of the valley, he felt it—a wrongness that went bone-deep. The air was cold but not in a natural way. It was the coldness of absence, of something vital missing from the world. And underneath that, barely perceptible, was a presence. Something watching. Something waiting.
Behind them, the guard called out, "We'll keep the gate open for you! But please, don't stay longer than you must!"
The gate began to close with a grinding of metal on metal, and Aster and his father were officially inside the Valley of Evil.
The place where the curse began.
The place where answers—and perhaps death—awaited them.