As the temple of the Four Pillars thrummed with elemental energy, the ground beneath Aran and Kira vibrated with the ancient power awakening all around them. From their hidden vantage point, they watched as the glowing pillars flickered like storm clouds, each one connected to its respective element—fire, water, air, and earth. But the blinding light that emanated from the shards was only the beginning. Aran could feel the unstable energy in the air, the misalignment in the woman's spell. She was close to unlocking the power of the Four Pillars, but something was missing.
Kira shifted beside him, her fingers twitching towards the small dagger she kept hidden beneath her cloak. She glanced at Aran, waiting for the signal to act. Aran remained calm, his mind racing through the possibilities. The woman was moments away from a catastrophic mistake, and Aran knew it. But this wasn't the time to interfere—not yet.
"We can't let her finish," Kira whispered, her voice barely audible over the rising hum of elemental magic.
Aran's gaze remained fixed on the woman at the altar. "No, we wait. If we move now, we'll tip our hand."
The woman continued her incantation, her voice reverberating through the grand hall. The Conclave members watched in awe as the shards embedded in the pillars began to pulse with light, each one reacting to the ancient forces beneath the temple. But Aran could see the flaw—the elemental balance was off, and the energy was growing more unstable by the second.
He allowed himself a faint smile. The woman was too eager, too ambitious. She had underestimated the complexity of the ancient magic she was attempting to harness, and now, the forces she sought to control were slipping out of her grasp.
Kira glanced at him again, impatience evident in her eyes. "Aran, we need to act."
Aran nodded, his decision made. "Soon."
As the woman reached the climax of her incantation, the ground beneath the temple began to quake, and cracks appeared in the stone floor. The light from the pillars intensified, flickering wildly as the elemental energy spiraled out of control. The Conclave members began to stir, sensing that something was wrong, but the woman pressed on, her voice growing louder, more desperate.
Aran's heart raced. He could see the tension building in the magical structure, the invisible threads that held the elements in balance straining to the breaking point. The woman was on the verge of unleashing a power she couldn't contain.
And then, it happened.
With a deafening roar, the fire pillar erupted in a column of flame, sending shockwaves through the temple. The air pillar followed suit, releasing a violent gust of wind that sent debris flying across the hall. The earth pillar cracked, sending tremors through the floor, while the water pillar burst in a torrent of steam and mist.
The Conclave members panicked, scrambling to avoid the chaos unfolding around them. The woman at the altar stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock as the power she had sought to control tore itself apart.
Aran moved. "Now."
He darted from the shadows, his movements quick and precise as he weaved through the chaos. Kira followed close behind, her dagger drawn and ready. They reached the altar just as the woman's spell collapsed, and the elemental energy lashed out in all directions.
The woman turned to face them, her expression a mixture of fear and rage. "You—what have you done?"
Aran smiled coldly. "You did this to yourself. You reached for a power you couldn't understand."
The woman's eyes flickered with desperation as the elemental forces swirled around them. "You don't know what you're meddling with. This power—"
"This power is beyond you," Aran interrupted, his voice calm. "You failed to account for the balance, and now, it's unraveling."
The woman's hand shot out, a crackling orb of lightning forming in her palm. But before she could release it, Kira was on her, her dagger slicing through the air. The woman deflected the blow with a flick of her wrist, sending a blast of wind towards Kira, but Aran was already moving. He pulled a small crystal from his pocket, a relic he had acquired from the temple's ancient archives.
In one swift motion, he hurled the crystal towards the fire pillar, and as it made contact, the wild flames were drawn into it, the elemental energy contained within the relic. The fire pillar flickered once, then died.
The woman's eyes widened in shock as the flames vanished. "How—?"
Aran didn't answer. He moved to the air pillar next, using the same crystal to absorb the violent winds. One by one, the pillars fell silent, their chaotic energy pulled into the relic.
The temple grew quiet, the air heavy with the aftermath of the elemental storm. The woman staggered back, her face pale and drained. "You… you've ruined everything."
Aran approached her slowly, his gaze cold and unyielding. "No, I saved it. You were about to destroy the entire city with your recklessness."
The woman's expression twisted with anger, but before she could respond, Kira stepped forward, her dagger pointed at the woman's throat. "Enough. It's over."
Aran glanced at Kira, then back at the woman. "You were trying to manipulate the Conclave, using the shards to gain control over the elements. But you didn't understand the consequences."
The woman's shoulders slumped, her arrogance and confidence shattered. "You think you've won, but you don't know what's coming."
Aran tilted his head, intrigued. "What do you mean?"
The woman's lips curled into a bitter smile. "The Four Pillars are just the beginning. There's a far greater power at play here, one that even you can't comprehend."
Aran narrowed his eyes, his mind racing. This wasn't the end—far from it. The woman's failure had only scratched the surface of the ancient magic that lay dormant beneath the city.
He turned to Kira. "We're not done here."
Kira nodded, her expression grim. "What now?"
Aran looked back at the woman, his gaze hard. "Now, we find out what she's been hiding. And we stop whatever's coming."
The game had changed, and Aran knew that the stakes were higher than ever before. But he was ready. Whatever power the woman had been chasing, he would uncover it—and he would use it to his advantage.
The Conclave was only the beginning.