The forest loomed ahead, its shadows deep and quiet after the chaos of the tunnels. The air was cool and fresh, a stark contrast to the suffocating dampness they had just escaped. Caden and Garrick sat in a small clearing, their breaths slow and measured as they tried to recover.
Caden's eyes lingered on Garrick, whose face was pale, his injured arm wrapped in a crude bandage torn from his cloak. The older man leaned heavily on his staff, his expression calm but tight with pain.
"How bad is it?" Caden asked, nodding toward Garrick's arm.
Garrick flexed his fingers slowly, wincing. "Not as bad as it could have been. The blade just grazed me, but the arcane energy they used… that's what did the damage."
"They used magic?" Caden's voice was tight with worry.
"Not like mine," Garrick replied. "It was crude, unstable. The kind of power you'd expect from someone desperate to claim a fragment."
Caden frowned, guilt gnawing at him. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have had to—"
"Enough," Garrick interrupted, his tone firm. "This isn't your fault. The Reclaimers are after the fragment, not you. You're just their excuse to hunt it down."
Caden looked down at the shard in his hand, its faint pulse almost hypnotic. The weight of it felt heavier now, a constant reminder of the chaos it brought. "Why is it me, though? Why did the System choose me?"
Garrick sighed, shifting to sit more comfortably against the tree. "The System doesn't 'choose' the way you think it does. It's fragmented, broken. Its echoes react to those who find its remnants, but that doesn't mean it has a plan."
"Then what's the point?" Caden pressed. "Why do fragments even exist if all they do is attract danger?"
"Because they're pieces of something greater," Garrick said, his voice softening. "The System wasn't always broken. Once, it was a source of stability, power, and order. Fragments are what's left of that. They're incomplete, corrupted, but they still carry echoes of their original purpose."
Caden stared at the shard, its faint glow reflected in his eyes. "And if I find more fragments? If I stabilize them, like you said before… can I fix it?"
Garrick's gaze was distant, as though he were considering the weight of Caden's question. "Fixing the System might be impossible. But stabilizing the fragments? That's different. Each one you stabilize will bring you closer to controlling its power—and maybe, just maybe, closer to understanding what the System was meant to be."
The conversation was cut short by the sound of rustling nearby. Caden tensed, his hand tightening around the shard as he scanned the shadows.
"Something's out there," he whispered.
Garrick straightened, gripping his staff with his good hand. "Stay quiet. Let it come to us."
The rustling grew louder, the sound deliberate, as though whatever was approaching wanted to be heard. Caden's heart raced as the shard pulsed faintly, its energy rising in response to the presence nearby.
The underbrush parted, and a figure stepped into view—a woman, her dark leather armor blending with the shadows of the forest. Her eyes were sharp and calculating, and she held a bow loosely in one hand, though the tension in her posture suggested she could have it drawn in an instant.
"Well, well," she said, her voice low and smooth. "Two travelers wandering this deep in the woods. That's unusual."
"We're just passing through," Garrick said, his tone calm but guarded.
The woman smirked, her gaze shifting to Caden. "Passing through with a fragment, no less. That's brave—or foolish."
Caden's breath caught, and he instinctively pressed the shard closer to his chest. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"Someone who doesn't want to see you end up dead," she replied. "Name's Kael. And you're lucky I found you before someone else did."
"Why?" Garrick asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Because the Reclaimers are still hunting you," Kael said. "You think you lost them in the tunnels, but they're not far behind. They'll track that fragment's energy until they get their hands on it—or on you."
Caden exchanged a glance with Garrick, his chest tightening. "How do you know about the Reclaimers?"
Kael shrugged. "Let's just say I've had my own run-ins with them. I know how they operate, and I know how to stay ahead of them."
"Why help us?" Garrick asked, his voice edged with suspicion.
Kael tilted her head, studying them. "Because you've got something they want—and I'd rather see you keep it than let them have it. But don't mistake me for an ally. I'm just someone who doesn't like losing to the Reclaimers."
Caden hesitated, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. The shard pulsed again, its energy growing restless as though it sensed Kael's intentions.
"Fine," Garrick said finally, his tone measured. "We'll listen. What do you suggest?"
Kael nodded toward the forest. "There's a path nearby that leads to an old outpost. It's abandoned, but it'll give you a place to rest—and maybe even a chance to plan your next move. If you want to keep the fragment, you'll need to move quickly. The Reclaimers won't stop, and neither will the others sniffing around Aramore."
Garrick glanced at Caden, who nodded reluctantly. "Lead the way," Garrick said, his grip tightening on his staff.
Kael smirked, turning toward the forest. "Try to keep up."
As they followed her into the shadows, Caden couldn't shake the feeling that their problems had only just begun. The fragment's weight pressed heavier against him, its pulse a reminder of the danger it brought.
The Reclaimers were still out there, and now they weren't the only ones watching.