The Silver Bloom: A Crown of Thorns

The kingdom of Aethel is dying, suffocated by the chilling beauty of the Eternal Blossom, a colossal silver tree that leeches the life from the land. Its unnatural longevity, a gift to the ruling elite, comes at a terrible price: the twisting of nature into grotesque parodies and a creeping blight that steals life and memory. Elara, a village healer, witnesses the slow decay of her world and the suffering of her people. Haunted by whispers of a forgotten ritual, a way to sever the Blossom’s hold, Elara embarks on a desperate quest.

Her pilgrimage begins with the quiet gathering of rare ingredients, each a piece of Aethel's lost vitality. A shard of moonstone hidden within the Whispering Caves forces Elara to confront her own buried grief, while the tears of a petrified goddess in the Sunken City reveal a terrifying prophecy: the Eternal Blossom is a conduit for a forgotten deity, a being that feeds on Aethel’s life force.

Along her perilous path, Elara finds unlikely allies. Finnian, a cynical ranger haunted by his family's supposed sacrifice, Anya, a scholar ostracized for her subversive theories, and Caius, an immortal burdened by centuries of Aethel's decline, each carry their own scars and secrets. Their shared yearning for a world free from the silver bloom’s grasp forges an unbreakable bond.

Within the decaying palace, the immortal Queen Lysandra, her porcelain beauty masking a ruthless hunger for power, sees Elara not as a savior, but a sacrifice. As Elara seeks the final ingredient, a feather from the last celestial bird, atop the blighted peaks of Mount Cinder, Lysandra unleashes her corrupted forces, grotesque extensions of the Blossom’s power.

Beneath the suffocating shadow of the Eternal Blossom, the final confrontation looms. Elara’s quest culminates in a dangerous ritual, a dance of interwoven energies that demands not only the gathered components but also a profound connection to the natural world. Choices must be made, sacrifices offered. Will Elara succeed in severing the Blossom’s hold and restoring balance to Aethel, or will the forgotten deity claim its final prize?

© 2024 PublishDrive (Ebook): 6610000678334

Data di uscita

Ebook: 4 dicembre 2024