Angeline’s journey to her birthplace, Nyre’valin, a hidden village nestled in the western mountains, was not just a matter of distance—it was an act of courage to face the past she once left behind.
> “Are you sure you want to go there alone?” Real asked.
> “Yes,” Angeline replied. “If I don’t understand where I came from, I’ll never know where I’m meant to go.”
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🌲 The Forgotten Tabaxi Village
Nyre’valin looked small and peaceful… but also left behind by the rest of the world. No magic towers. No magitek lights. Only the sounds of nature, wooden homes, and wary eyes.
Children peeked from behind doors, watching Angeline—now armed and cloaked in Voidweave.
> “She’s back…” whispered an elder. “The dark cat…”
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🧓 Meeting the Elder
Angeline was received by Elder Mirra, the village’s spiritual guide and healer. In her incense-filled hut adorned with old symbols, they spoke in low voices.
> “You’re not the only one born with a trace of the Void,” said Mirra.
> “Long ago… we called it ‘The Mark of the Cracked Sky.’ You carry the blood of Iyar, the Guardian of Rifts.”
Angeline was silent. The name was foreign—yet somehow etched deep in her bones.
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🧬 A Hidden Origin
Mirra unveiled an ancient mural—depicting a tabaxi with heterochromatic eyes, standing above a dark rift. Beneath it, the words:
> “One who walks between spaces, belonging neither to sky nor earth.”
Angeline realized then—her ancestors were natural Voidkeepers, not heirs forged by Umbra Concordia's experiments. She was part of an ancient, forgotten cycle.
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🐾 Inner Conflict: Identity vs. Hope
That night, Angeline sat alone on a stone where she used to play as a child.
> “Do I have the right… to become the world’s hope, when even my own village once rejected who I was?”
The mountain wind whispered gently. A small tabaxi child approached her and asked innocently:
> “Big sister’s strong, right? Can you protect the world?”
Angeline looked at the child—and smiled faintly.
> “I’ll try.”
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🪶 A Legacy Left Behind
Before her departure, Mirra gave her an old charm—woven from the first Void feather that grew from Angeline’s ancestors.
> “It’s not power that makes you different. It’s how you choose to use it.”
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🔚 End of Chapter
As Angeline returned to Aerthalia, her steps felt lighter… but her eyes, deeper.
She was no longer the Void Heir by chance.
She was the daughter of the Riftkeeper—and for the first time, she no longer felt alone in the darkness.
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