The morning sun broke over the horizon, casting long shadows across the camp as Canila and his team prepared to part ways. The weight of responsibility lay heavy on Canila's shoulders. The decision to divide their forces was a risky one, but time was running out, and they needed answers fast.
Kael, Braxus, and Fynn stood at the edge of the camp, ready to set off for the villages under threat from the Echoes. Canila approached them, his expression stern but filled with trust.
"Take care of the villages," Canila said firmly, clasping Kael's arm in a warrior's handshake. "We'll find out what's driving these Echoes and put an end to it."
Kael gave a sharp nod, his calculating eyes already scanning the path ahead. "We'll keep you updated on anything we find. But remember, Canila—the Echoes adapt. They're not going to play by the rules we've seen before."
"I know," Canila replied, his voice low. "Stay sharp."
Braxus, always the one to lighten the mood, stepped forward next, his grin wide despite the gravity of their mission. "Don't worry about us, Canila. We'll smash anything that tries to stand in our way. You just focus on solving the puzzle."
Fynn, the ever-dutiful healer, gave a small nod of agreement. "Keep Freya safe. We'll meet again soon."
"Same goes for you. Stay safe, and don't take unnecessary risks," Canila said, his eyes lingering on his friends as they turned and disappeared into the dense forest.
As their figures vanished from sight, a knot of worry formed in Canila's chest. He trusted them, of course, but the unknown nature of the Echoes gnawed at him. These creatures were unlike anything they'd faced before.
Beside him, Freya adjusted the straps on her gear, her eyes distant as she stared at the obsidian tablet in her hand. "We don't have much time," she murmured. "The more we delay, the stronger the Echoes will become."
Canila nodded in agreement, his gaze hardening. "Then let's move. The deeper we go into these ruins, the closer we'll get to finding answers."
The trek into the heart of the Aetheros Ruins was a silent one. Unlike their first foray into the ruins, there was a sense of oppressive anticipation hanging in the air. Every step they took felt as though they were being watched, the shadows clinging to the ancient stones seeming to pulse with unseen eyes.
Freya kept her focus on the tablet, occasionally murmuring incantations under her breath, her face set in concentration. Canila, meanwhile, stayed alert, his senses on high alert for any movement in the ruins around them. He knew better than to assume they were alone.
Suddenly, Freya stopped, her eyes narrowing as she examined a series of runes etched into the side of a massive stone pillar. "Canila," she called out, her voice filled with a note of urgency. "These runes—they're the same as the ones we saw at the altar."
Canila moved closer, studying the symbols. Though they meant little to him, Freya's concern was enough to put him on edge. "What do they say?"
Freya ran her fingers over the ancient carvings, her brow furrowed in concentration. "They speak of a gate—a doorway that connects our world to the source of the Echoes. It's old magic, far beyond anything we've encountered before."
"A gate?" Canila's mind raced. "Is that how the Echoes are entering our world?"
"Possibly," Freya replied, still examining the runes. "But there's something else. The inscriptions warn that the gate can't be destroyed by ordinary means. It's protected by a force that transcends the physical realm."
"Great," Canila muttered. "So we're dealing with magic that's not only ancient but indestructible."
Freya shook her head. "Not indestructible—just… complex. If we can decipher the rest of the tablet, we might be able to figure out how to close the gate or at least weaken it."
Canila clenched his fists. Every answer they uncovered only seemed to raise more questions. "Let's keep moving. There has to be more to these ruins. If we're lucky, we'll find something that'll give us a way to shut this gate for good."
As they ventured deeper into the ruins, the air grew colder, and the oppressive atmosphere became almost suffocating. Every breath they took seemed to weigh them down, the very air tinged with the energy of the Echoes. Even the stone beneath their feet felt brittle, as if it could crumble at any moment.
Freya paused occasionally to decipher more of the inscriptions they encountered, her frustration growing as the language became more cryptic. "It's like the ruins themselves are shifting," she muttered. "Every time I think I've found a pattern, the next set of runes contradicts it."
"Maybe that's part of the magic," Canila suggested. "A way to keep intruders from understanding it fully."
"Maybe," Freya agreed, though her voice was filled with doubt. "But something about this feels… wrong. The magic here—it's not just ancient. It's alive."
Canila felt a chill run down his spine at her words. He'd encountered living magic before—spells that had taken on a life of their own, fueled by the intent of their creators long after they were gone. But this felt different. Darker.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled, and a low rumble echoed through the ruins. Canila drew his sword, his senses on high alert as the shadows around them began to shift.
"Freya, stay close," he warned, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of movement.
Before Freya could respond, the shadows coalesced, forming into a figure—tall and cloaked in darkness, its eyes glowing with the same eerie light they had seen in the Guardian. But this creature was different. Its presence was suffocating, and the air around it seemed to warp and distort as it moved.
"A Shade," Freya whispered, her voice filled with dread. "It's a manifestation of the Echoes. We're too close to the source."
The Shade moved with unnatural speed, its long, shadowy limbs reaching for them. Canila dodged to the side, his sword slashing through the air, but the blade passed through the Shade as though it were made of smoke.
"Physical attacks won't work," Freya shouted, summoning the energy within the tablet. "It's pure Echo energy. We need to disrupt it!"
Canila gritted his teeth, frustration building as his sword proved useless. "Do it, Freya! I'll keep it distracted."
Freya began chanting, her voice rising in pitch as the tablet in her hands glowed with an intense, blinding light. The Shade recoiled, its form flickering as the energy within the tablet clashed with its own.
With a final, desperate cry, Freya unleashed the full power of the tablet. A beam of pure energy shot forth, striking the Shade in its center. The creature let out a screech of pain as its form disintegrated, the darkness that had once surrounded it dissipating into the air.
Breathing heavily, Freya lowered the tablet, her hands trembling from the effort. "We're getting close," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The source of the Echoes—it's just ahead."
Canila sheathed his sword, his heart pounding in his chest. "Then we finish this."
Together, they pressed forward, the path ahead growing darker as they neared the heart of the ruins—and the source of the Echoes.