Chapter 90: The Name of Shadows
The rain had stopped hours ago, yet its sorrow lingered like a ghost over the village.
Elara stood by the broken fountain in the village square, her eyes tracing the cracks in the stone that mirrored the ones in her heart. Ash still clung to the rooftops. Villagers huddled in silence, mourning those lost in the last onslaught. The Queens had vanished. Not even a whisper of their presence remained.
Ariella joined her, her boots dragging across the wet cobblestones. "They're gone. Again."
Elara didn't answer. The silence between them was louder than words.
"They're feeding off this, aren't they?" Ariella finally said. "The shadow… it's growing stronger because we're losing hope."
Elara turned, the fire returning to her eyes. "Then we can't let it win. Not like this."
As if summoned by their resolve, a faint pulse shimmered in the air—a ripple of blue light that danced above the broken fountain. A scrap of parchment fluttered down, caught by no wind. Elara caught it. The ink shimmered, then arranged itself into curling script.
> To name the shadow is to chain it. Five trials. Five letters. Five truths.
"The Queens," Ariella breathed. "They left this for us."
Without delay, they set off. The parchment burned away in Elara's hand, but its message seared itself into their minds.
It took them six days. Between each trial, they collapsed in hidden shelters, resting bruised limbs and whispering dreams to one another beneath moons and flickering fires. Each day demanded more than the last, and every dawn found them wearier—but also more resolute.
Their first ordeal began at dawn in a scorched valley where flames licked canyon walls and molten rivers bubbled below trembling ledges. The heat was suffocating—breathing felt like inhaling pain. At the heart of the inferno stood a pedestal of obsidian, guarded by fire that moved like a living beast. With every step, illusions rose.
Elara saw her own hands bloodied—Ariella lying at her feet, accusing eyes staring up at her.
Ariella saw herself walking away, hearing Elara scream behind her as flames closed in.
> You will betray each other. You cannot protect what you love. Turn back.
Their knees shook, but they reached out—fingers trembling—and found each other's grip in the heat.
"We do this together," Elara said.
They walked through the fire. Skin blistered. Sweat stung their eyes. But with each step, the illusions faded. They reached the pedestal, hands still linked. The fire hissed and retreated. The obsidian cracked open, revealing the first letter: S.
On the second day, they descended into a cavern beneath roaring waterfalls. The entrance collapsed behind them as water surged upward, dragging them into a churning vortex. Blinded, they were torn apart by the current.
Ariella fought upward, lungs screaming. Something coiled around her ankle and dragged her down. Elara swam through freezing currents. Whispers filled her ears—murmurs of the drowned.
> She will not come back for you. Let go.
In the dark, Elara closed her eyes. Ariella, where are you?
Ariella's struggles slowed. A calm settled. She reached out—and Elara's hand found hers.
Together, they swam toward a light glowing in the rock. The current no longer fought them but carried them gently. In the quiet of a hidden chamber, they surfaced—gasping, alive. Above the pool shimmered the next letter: H.
On the third day, a canyon of dust challenged their steps. The path shifted with each footfall—stones slid, trails vanished, the very ground twisted like a living puzzle.
Elara screamed when the ground opened beneath her, but Ariella grabbed her arm, dragging her back up with a cry. They crawled over ledges, braved falling boulders, and faced impossible choices. Two tunnels appeared—one marked with symbols of the past, the other with signs of what might come.
"We choose the future," Elara said.
The moment they entered, the shaking ceased. Roots slithered from the walls, gently guiding them to a mossy alcove. A stone crumbled away, revealing the glowing letter: A.
Day four brought storms. Winds howled across cliffs, flinging them against jagged rock. Climbing became torture, and silence was their only shield. But halfway up, the wind changed.
It whispered secrets they had buried.
Elara heard her mother's voice, cold and cruel: "You'll never be more than a burden."
Ariella heard her father's last words: "It should've been you who died."
They sank to their knees, breath shallow, pain rising. Then a voice emerged from the storm:
> Who are you—without your pain?
Elara rose, eyes blazing. "Someone stronger."
Ariella stood beside her. "Someone whole."
The winds parted, and the storm cleared. At the peak stood a pillar, and on it gleamed the fourth letter: Z.
The final day brought silence. A white plain stretched endlessly in every direction. No horizon. No sound. No shadow. They were alone. Separated.
Elara walked endlessly, doubt creeping in. Was Ariella even real? Had it all been a dream?
Ariella collapsed, her voice unable to carry. The silence whispered lies.
> You were never meant to succeed. You are broken. You are alone.
But a light pulsed in their chests—soft, steady.
Elara began to hum a tune Ariella had once sung beside a campfire.
Far away, Ariella heard it. Faint—but real.
She stood. Walked. Then ran.
They found each other in the center of the void. No tears. No fear. Just certainty. Their hands met. The light between them exploded.
From the air spiraled the final letter: A.
On the ridge overlooking the sky, they returned—worn but unbroken. Red veins still curled across the heavens like scars, but their fear was gone.
"Shaza," Elara whispered. "That's its name."
Together, they raised their joined hands, marked with the sigils of five truths.
> "In the name of Shaza—we bind your hold! Let the skies remember their truth! Let the light return!"
The world trembled. A roar, ancient and furious, split the sky. The crimson web tore apart like cursed fabric, and blue light gushed from the rifts, washing the village and earth below.
The shadow howled—not in triumph, but in rage.
It was expelled—banished from the sky. It could no longer touch the world without a vessel.
But the girls didn't stop at the ridge. Wounded and drained, they turned toward the mountain where it all began—where the veil had first been torn. Their steps were slow, but their purpose clear.
With every breath, the name—Shaza—gained power.
They reached the jagged summit, the very heart of the ancient darkness. The skies above still flickered, struggling to heal.
Together, they lifted their arms once more and cried out its name, not in fear, but in command.
> "Shaza! You are named! You are known! Be undone!"
The air cracked. A pulse of light burst from the summit and spread outward like a tidal wave.
And then, the rain came.
Not cursed. Not heavy. But cool. Gentle. Blessed.
Elara and Ariella collapsed to their knees, heads bowed as the mountain wept with them. They let it soak through them—washing away blood, soot, and shadows.
Too weary to speak, they tumbled back down the winding path, guided by instinct more than vision. Their limbs trembled. Each step was a victory.
By the time they reached the village gates, the sun was breaking through the clouds.
And the villagers were waiting.
Faces streaked with joy and rain, hands reached out and caught them before they could fall again. Cheers rang out. Children clung to their legs. Old women kissed their foreheads. Men lifted them onto their shoulders.
No one cared about the rain. It drenched them all—but it felt like grace.
Elara and Ariella were soaked to the bone, but laughter echoed around them, louder than the storm ever was.
They had brought the light back.
From the ridge, they had undone the curse.
From the hearts of the people, hope rose again.
Then a voice like rust and smoke slid through the wind. Only they could hear it.
> "You've undone my veil… but the game is not over. I will find a body. I will walk your world in flesh."
Elara's grip on Ariella's shoulder tightened.
Ariella whispered, fierce and unshaken, "Let him come. We'll be ready."