The Abyss of Ruin’s toxic glow intensified as Grendolf, Sylvara, Kaelith, and Myra trekked northward, the rescued kits safe in Eldervale. Starclaw hummed in Grendolf’s grip, its evolved powers ready, while the curse’s hybrid forms—cat ears on human-like skin—reminded them of the Toxinheart’s reach. The Shadow Knight’s mystery gnawed at Grendolf, his spirit-enhanced vision flickering with glimpses of a cloaked figure.

That night, camped in a ruined Starwarden outpost, Grendolf’s visions deepened. He saw the Shadow Knight’s origins: Born as Vesper, a Cat Warrior blade-master, centuries ago during the First Blight War. Vesper wielded Eclipse, a blade forged from shadow-metal, granting invisibility and swift strikes. Betrayed by allies corrupted by the Toxinheart’s precursor, Vesper fell in battle, his soul bound to the blade by a dying Starwarden curse—eternal vigil against corruption, but doomed to wander as a shadow, unseen and unnamed.

In the vision, Vesper’s form faded into darkness, his cat ears the last to vanish, his hybrid-like silhouette a precursor to the curse. He had saved countless villages, opposing the Shroud’s ancestors, his motives pure: redemption for failing to stop the Blight’s rise.

Grendolf awoke, sharing the vision with the group. Sylvara’s eyes narrowed. “An ancient guardian. Why reveal himself now?”

Kaelith’s claw twitched. “The Shroud awakens old powers. The Shadow Knight—Vesper—fights for balance. He may aid us at the Abyss.”

Myra clutched her dagger. “A ghost knight? Cool.”

Grendolf gripped Starclaw. “His origins tie to ours. If he’s ally, we’ll need him against the Shroud.”

The group pressed on, Vesper’s shadow legacy a beacon in the gloom. The war loomed, but the Shadow Knight’s eternal vow offered hope amid the curse and chaos.