Lysdonè | CPN

Echos in the Dark

After a quiet breakfast, Elara's thoughts drifted back to the temple, its mysteries gnawing at her like an unsolved riddle. The village, with its comforting routines and familiar faces, felt like a veil over something larger-something ancient and powerful, waiting to be revealed. She couldn't ignore it any longer.

As the morning sun climbed higher in the sky, Elara made up her mind. There was an old library several miles outside of Lysdonè, long forgotten by most of the villagers. It was rumored to hold rare and ancient texts, records of Lysdonè's past, and perhaps even the history of the lands surrounding it. If there was any place that might hold clues about the temple, it was there.

After gathering a few supplies, Elara set off. The walk was long, the path winding through fields and overgrown trails, but she knew it well. She had visited the library once as a child, and though it had seemed large and intimidating then, she now looked forward to the solitude it promised. It would give her time to think-and to search.

The sun was high by the time Elara reached the outskirts of the old stone building. The library was nestled at the base of a small hill, its walls covered in ivy and moss, as though nature had slowly begun to reclaim it. The wooden door creaked as she pushed it open, the scent of old paper and dust hitting her like a wave. Inside, the air was thick with age, the shelves lined with books that looked as though they hadn't been touched in years.

Elara walked slowly through the rows of shelves, her fingers brushing lightly over the spines of the books. The library was dimly lit, the only light coming from the small, high windows that let in beams of sunlight, cutting through the dust-filled air. She scanned the titles, looking for anything that might reference ancient structures, temples, or forgotten histories.

Toward the back of the library, she found what she was looking for-a section dedicated to local folklore and history. The books were old, their leather bindings cracked, some with pages yellowed and brittle. She pulled one down, its title faded but just legible: *Legends of Lysdonè and the Forgotten Woods.*

Her pulse quickened as she sat at a small wooden table and began flipping through the pages. The book was filled with tales of strange occurrences in the woods surrounding the village-stories of travelers who had gone missing, mysterious lights, and ancient structures hidden deep within the forest. One chapter, in particular, caught her eye: *The Lost Temple of the Forest.*

Elara's breath caught as she read. The temple had been there for centuries, according to the book, hidden from the eyes of ordinary people. It was said to be a place of great power, built by an ancient civilization that had long since vanished. The temple was believed to be a gateway-a connection between the physical world and something beyond. The text spoke of a light that emanated from within the temple, a light that could reveal the true nature of those who touched it.

Elara's heart raced as she read the final passage: *Only those who are called can find it, and once they do, their lives will never be the same.*

She closed the book, her mind spinning. The temple had called to her, just as it had to the boy, and now she knew it wasn't a coincidence. There was something more to explore-something she hadn't uncovered yet. The temple was more than just a forgotten ruin; it was a place of significance, connected to her in ways she couldn't fully understand.

Elara rose from the table and scanned the shelves for more. She found an old map of Lysdonè and its surrounding areas, the forest marked with vague symbols and notes in the margins. It didn't show the exact location of the temple, but it referenced "hidden ruins" deep within the woods. Elara traced the path on the map with her finger, recognizing the places she had walked the night before. There were symbols on the map she hadn't seen, suggesting other areas of interest-other places that might be connected to the temple.