The air grew thicker, more oppressive with every step. Canila could feel the weight of the Echoes pressing down on him, as though the very atmosphere sought to crush their resolve. The deeper they ventured into the ruins, the darker it became, until the only light was the faint glow from the runes on Freya's tablet and the pale gleam of Canila's sword.
Freya was pale, her breaths shallow, as if the energy from the tablet was draining her. Yet she pressed on, her eyes burning with determination. "We're close now, Canila," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the Echoes that surrounded them. "I can feel it."
Canila nodded, tightening his grip on his weapon. Every instinct told him they were walking into something far beyond their understanding, but there was no turning back now. Whatever lay ahead was the source of the Echoes, and if they didn't stop it, the world outside the ruins would suffer.
They passed through a massive archway, its stone surface etched with countless runes, many of which were cracked and crumbling with age. Beyond it, the ruins opened into a vast chamber—larger than any they had seen before. The floor was a sea of black stone, broken by jagged pillars that jutted up like the bones of some ancient creature. At the center of the chamber, suspended in mid-air, was a sphere of pulsing, dark energy. Tendrils of shadow extended from the sphere, snaking across the floor and into the walls.
"The heart of the Echoes," Freya said, her voice trembling with a mixture of awe and fear. "It's… alive."
Canila's eyes narrowed. "Then we destroy it."
Freya's gaze flickered to the tablet in her hands. "We can't. Not yet. The heart is connected to this entire ruin—if we strike at it without knowing how to sever those connections, we could trigger something worse."
"Worse?" Canila growled. "You're saying we have to let that thing live?"
Freya shook her head. "No. We just need to weaken it. I've been studying the runes along the way, and I think I've found a way to disrupt its connection to the Echoes without destroying everything around us. But I'll need time—time we might not have if it senses what we're doing."
Canila glanced at the pulsing heart, then back at Freya. "How long do you need?"
"A few minutes. Maybe more." Freya looked up at him, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "But we'll need to hold off whatever defenses the Echoes throw at us in the meantime."
"Leave that to me," Canila said firmly. "Just focus on the tablet. I'll handle whatever comes our way."
Freya nodded and moved to the base of one of the jagged pillars, setting the tablet down and beginning to chant under her breath. The runes on the tablet began to glow brighter, casting an eerie light across the chamber. Canila could feel the shift in the air—the heart was reacting to Freya's magic.
For a few tense moments, nothing happened. Then, the tendrils of shadow that stretched from the heart began to writhe and snap, pulling away from the walls and floor. The ground trembled, and from the darkness, figures began to emerge.
At first, they were barely distinguishable—shapeless, shifting forms that moved like smoke. But as they drew closer, they began to take shape. Humanoid figures, clad in armor that glinted with an unnatural light. Their eyes burned with the same dark energy as the heart, and their weapons shimmered with Echo-infused power.
Canila stepped forward, his sword raised. "Freya, keep going. I'll hold them off."
The first of the Echo warriors charged, its sword raised high. Canila met the attack head-on, his blade clashing with the warrior's. The impact sent a shockwave through the chamber, but Canila held firm. He pushed the warrior back and delivered a swift, decisive strike, cutting it down.
Another warrior took its place, then another. Soon, Canila was surrounded, forced to dodge and parry as the Echo-infused warriors attacked from all sides. Each strike of his sword sent bursts of dark energy rippling through the air, but the warriors kept coming, relentless in their assault.
Canila gritted his teeth, focusing on the rhythm of the battle. He couldn't afford to falter—not with Freya so close to completing the incantation. He moved with precision, cutting down one warrior after another, but for every enemy he defeated, two more seemed to rise from the shadows.
"Canila!" Freya's voice rang out from across the chamber. "I'm almost there! Just a little longer!"
Canila didn't respond—he was too busy fending off the onslaught of Echo warriors. But he could feel the strain beginning to take its toll. His movements were growing slower, his muscles burning with fatigue. And still, the warriors kept coming.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw something—movement in the shadows, larger than the warriors he had been fighting. His heart sank as a massive figure emerged from the darkness.
It was another Guardian, but this one was different. Larger, more imposing, and its armor glowed with a menacing red light. It wielded a massive halberd, the blade crackling with Echo energy.
The Guardian let out a low, guttural growl as it stepped forward, its eyes locking onto Canila. The Echo warriors parted, giving the creature space to approach.
Canila's grip tightened on his sword. He knew this fight would be different. The previous Guardian had been a challenge, but this one—this one was a true nightmare.
The Guardian lunged, its halberd sweeping through the air with terrifying speed. Canila barely managed to dodge, the blade grazing his armor and sending a jolt of energy through his body. He staggered back, his vision blurring for a moment.
But he couldn't stop. Not now.
He countered, his sword flashing as he struck at the Guardian's armor. The blow landed, but it barely made a dent. The Guardian's glowing eyes seemed to flare with fury as it swung its halberd again, this time with even more force.
Canila raised his sword to block, but the impact sent him skidding across the chamber floor. He gasped for breath, his arms shaking from the effort of holding off the attack.
"Freya!" he shouted, his voice strained. "Now would be a good time!"
Freya didn't respond, but the air around the heart of the Echoes began to shimmer. The runes on the tablet were glowing brighter than ever, and the tendrils of shadow that connected the heart to the ruins were starting to snap and recoil.
The Guardian roared, sensing the danger. It charged at Canila again, its halberd raised for a killing blow.
Canila knew he had one chance. He couldn't defeat the Guardian by brute force—he needed to outsmart it. As the creature closed in, Canila waited until the last possible moment, then rolled to the side, dodging the halberd's deadly strike. He leaped to his feet and slashed at the Guardian's exposed back, driving his sword deep into the creature's armor.
The Guardian let out a roar of pain, its movements faltering for the first time. Canila didn't hesitate. He pulled his sword free and delivered a series of quick, brutal strikes, each one aimed at the Guardian's weakest points.
With a final, echoing roar, the Guardian collapsed, its body disintegrating into a cloud of dark energy.
At the same moment, Freya let out a triumphant cry. The last of the runes on the tablet flared with light, and the heart of the Echoes shuddered violently. The tendrils of shadow snapped, one by one, until the heart was left floating in the air, weakened and vulnerable.
"Now, Canila!" Freya shouted. "Destroy it!"
Without hesitation, Canila sprinted toward the heart, his sword raised high. He could feel the energy radiating from it—raw, chaotic, and deadly. But he didn't waver. With a final, powerful strike, he drove his sword into the heart of the Echoes.
The chamber exploded with light and sound. The heart shattered, sending shockwaves through the ruins. Canila was thrown backward, landing hard on the stone floor as the energy dissipated into the air.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then, slowly, the darkness that had filled the chamber began to fade. The oppressive weight of the Echoes lifted, and the air became lighter, easier to breathe.
Canila lay on the ground, breathing heavily, his body aching from the battle. But they had done it. The heart of the Echoes was destroyed.
Freya approached him, her face pale but relieved. "We did it," she said softly, her voice trembling with exhaustion.
Canila managed a weak smile. "Yeah. We did."
But as they both stared at the remnants of the heart, a new unease settled over them. The Echoes had been disrupted, but Canila couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.