The shadow army reached the walls of Elyndor at dawn.
Dark creatures covered the fields like a sea of black smoke. Their glowing eyes stared at the city, waiting for a command.
On the walls, soldiers gripped their weapons.
No one spoke.
Everyone knew what was coming.
The Shadow King stepped forward.
His black crystal crown gleamed beneath the gray sky.
"Give me the Starheart," he called, his voice echoing across the battlefield, "and I may spare your kingdom."
King Rowan stood proudly atop the wall.
"Elyndor will never bow to darkness!"
Cheers rose from the soldiers.
The Shadow King's smile faded.
"Then let the stars witness your end."
He raised his hand.
The battle began.
Thousands of shadow creatures charged forward.
Arrows filled the sky.
Magic flashed across the battlefield.
The ground shook beneath the weight of the attack.
Aren fought beside Kael on the western wall.
His sword blazed with silver light.
Each swing shattered shadows into clouds of smoke.
Yet for every creature destroyed, more appeared.
"There are too many!" Kael shouted.
Aren knew he was right.
The enemy seemed endless.
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed across the battlefield.
A gigantic shadow beast emerged from the darkness.
It was taller than the city gates.
Its claws carved deep scars into the earth.
Panic spread among the defenders.
The creature charged toward the wall.
Aren felt the Starheart Crystal burning against his chest.
A strange energy flowed through him.
The crystal was trying to awaken.
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then he grabbed the crystal.
Silver light exploded around him.
The battlefield froze.
Everyone stared.
Aren rose into the air, surrounded by glowing starlight.
The power felt ancient.
Endless.
Beautiful.
The giant beast lunged.
Aren stretched out his hand.
A beam of brilliant light shot across the battlefield.
The monster let out a terrible scream.
Then it shattered into thousands of sparkling fragments.
The defenders erupted in cheers.
Hope returned.
For the first time, the shadow army stopped advancing.
Even the Shadow King looked surprised.
But his surprise quickly became anger.
"So the Starheart has chosen you," he said.
His silver eyes narrowed.
"Good."
Aren landed on the wall.
"What do you mean?"
The Shadow King laughed.
"Because now I know exactly where to find the last piece."
Aren's heart sank.
"The last piece?"
The Shadow King pointed toward the sky.
"The Starheart was never whole."
Thunder rumbled above.
Far beyond the clouds, a faint golden star suddenly appeared.
The final fragment had awakened.
And someone else had found it.
The Shadow King turned and retreated into the darkness.
His army followed.
The battle was over.
But it was not a victory.
It was only the beginning.
As night fell, Aren stared at the distant golden light shining in the heavens.
Somewhere beyond the kingdom, another destiny was waiting.
And a new journey was about to begin.
To be continued in Part 7...