The chamber pulsed with the fading echoes of conflict. The molten veins that had once surged with the construct's energy now lay inert, their light extinguished. The guardian that had stood as a sentinel to this place was gone, reduced to fragmented remnants scattered across the obsidian floor. And yet, its presence lingered, like the faintest echo of a song that refused to die.
Kael Thorn stood at the center of it all, his gaze fixed on the new shard that hovered above the fractured platform. Its light pulsed rhythmically, not merely illuminating the room, but almost breathing in time with his own heartbeat. The shard seemed to call to him, its whispers growing louder and clearer the closer he stepped.
Behind him, Liana Sevier moved cautiously, her blade still in hand. She had lowered it slightly, but her grip remained firm—a precaution rather than an assurance. Her sharp green eyes darted around the room, scanning for any lingering danger. The battle against the shadowy constructs had ended, but something in the air still felt... alive. It was as if the chamber itself was watching them.
Kael took another step toward the shard, his movements deliberate. The closer he got, the more intense the whispers became, their cryptic murmurings weaving into his thoughts like threads binding him to the artifact.
"Kael," Liana called, her voice edged with concern. "Wait. Don't just—"
Her words were cut off as Kael reached out, his fingers brushing the shard's surface. The moment his skin made contact, everything changed.
Visions of the Forgotten
Kael's world dissolved into light. A sudden, overwhelming surge of energy ripped through him, flooding his mind with images—not disjointed flashes like before, but complete memories, vivid and alive. He wasn't just watching these moments; he was living them.
He stood on the streets of a city unlike anything he had ever seen, its towers reaching into the heavens, their spires gleaming with an otherworldly light. The air itself seemed to hum with energy, the same energy that now coursed through his veins. The people of this place—cloaked in flowing robes and golden masks—moved with an air of purpose and power, their every step resonating with the knowledge of a civilization that had transcended the limits of mortality.
This was no ruin. This was no myth.
This was the Eternals' peak.
Kael turned, his gaze drawn to the horizon, where a massive structure loomed—a great obelisk carved from the same obsidian that lined the canyon walls. Its surface glowed with inscriptions that twisted and reformed as if alive, and at its pinnacle, a light burned brighter than the sun.
But then the vision shifted.
The obelisk cracked, fractures racing down its surface like veins of fire. The harmonious hum of the city turned to discord, the people's confident strides breaking into frantic runs. The light that had illuminated their world grew blinding, overwhelming, and then...
It exploded.
Kael stumbled, gasping as he was ripped back to reality. He clutched his chest, his breath ragged, his body trembling from the force of what he had seen. But more than the physical toll, it was the knowledge that shook him.
The Eternals hadn't simply disappeared.
They had been destroyed.
Liana's Fury
"Kael!" Liana's voice pierced through the haze, sharp and grounding. She rushed to his side, gripping his arm to steady him. "What the hell just happened?"
Kael straightened slowly, his grip on the shard tightening. "I saw it," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "The truth. They weren't gods, Liana. They were just like us."
Liana's brow furrowed. "And that's supposed to make me feel better? You were convulsing on the floor for almost a minute."
Kael ignored her concern, his focus locked on the shard. "They had everything," he continued, as if she hadn't spoken. "Knowledge, power—eternity itself. But it wasn't enough. They reached too far, and it destroyed them."
Liana crossed her arms, her frustration evident. "And you think chasing the same power will somehow end differently for you?"
Kael turned to her, his eyes blazing. "Because I'm not them," he snapped. "I've seen their mistakes. I won't make them."
"That's what everyone says until they do," Liana shot back. "You're so focused on what's ahead that you don't even see what it's doing to you now. Kael, you're..." She trailed off, her voice softening. "You're not the same."
Kael's expression shifted, a flicker of something unreadable passing across his face. "Of course, I'm not," he said finally. "How could I be?"
The silence between them was heavy, filled with words neither dared to speak.
The Path Revealed
The tension broke as the chamber trembled once more. The obsidian walls shimmered, their runes glowing brighter, rearranging themselves into intricate patterns. A low rumble echoed through the room as a new passage opened, the air beyond it crackling with energy.
Kael stepped toward it without hesitation, the shard pulsing in his hand like a second heartbeat.
"Kael," Liana called, but there was no anger in her voice this time—only weariness. "You need to slow down. This place... it's changing you."
He paused, turning to meet her gaze. "Good," he said simply. "It means I'm getting closer."
Liana hesitated, torn between her loyalty to him and the gnawing fear that he was slipping further away from who he once was. Finally, with a reluctant sigh, she followed him into the passage.
The path twisted and turned, its walls alive with flowing energy. The deeper they went, the louder the whispers became, forming words Kael could almost understand.
The shards were speaking to him.
"Do you hear that?" he asked, glancing at Liana.
She shook her head. "All I hear is silence. And honestly, I think I prefer it that way."
Kael smirked but didn't press the matter. He could feel the shards pulling him forward, guiding him toward something vast, something unknowable.
And as they stepped into another expansive chamber, its ceiling stretching beyond sight, Kael knew they were nearing the heart of the canyon's secret.
The Looming Trial
At the center of the chamber stood a monolithic structure, its surface covered in glowing runes that pulsed like veins. The air around it was alive, charged with a power that made the hair on Liana's arms stand on end.
Kael approached it, his pulse quickening as the shard in his hand resonated with the monolith.
"This is it," he murmured.
Liana remained behind, her instincts screaming at her to keep her distance. "What is it?" she asked, her voice low.
Kael turned to her, a faint smile playing on his lips. "The next trial."
Before she could protest, the monolith flared to life, and the chamber plunged into chaos.