The canyon walls loomed high on either side of Kael as he staggered forward, every step a battle against the exhaustion weighing on his limbs. His body was battered, his ribs aching from the earlier falls, but he forced himself onward. He clutched the shard tightly, its faint glow casting eerie shadows against the jagged terrain.
The shard felt alive in his hand, its pulsating light syncing with the faint hum in the air. Kael glanced back, heart pounding. The assassin had been quiet for too long, their pursuit unnervingly silent.
Keep moving.
The whisper wasn't his own thought, though it resonated deeply within his mind. It was the same voice that had guided him earlier, saving him when all seemed lost.
"Who are you?" Kael muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible.
The whisper responded immediately, calm and layered, as though several voices spoke in unison.
"A fragment. A remnant. A guide."
Kael shook his head, frustration bubbling beneath his fear. He didn't have time for cryptic answers.
The canyon opened into a clearing, and Kael froze. In the center of the space stood a towering black obelisk, its surface smooth and reflective like polished obsidian. Faint blue symbols pulsed across its surface, matching the patterns on the ground and the shard in Kael's hand. The shard flared brighter, almost as if it were reacting to the monolith.
Kael hesitated. He could feel the energy radiating from the obelisk, heavy and oppressive, pressing down on him like a physical weight.
"Approach."
The voice guided him forward. He felt like a puppet on strings, his body moving despite the warning bells ringing in his mind. The air around the obelisk was thick with energy, the ground beneath him trembling faintly with each step.
When he reached the obelisk, the shard in his hand grew unbearably hot, its glow blinding. Kael hesitated, his instincts screaming at him to pull back.
"Place the shard."
The command was undeniable. Gritting his teeth, Kael pressed the shard against the obelisk's surface.
The moment they connected, a shockwave erupted, throwing Kael backward. He hit the ground hard, the impact driving the air from his lungs. As he struggled to recover, the world around him began to dissolve, the canyon replaced by an endless expanse of swirling light and shadow.
Kael floated in the void, the ground beneath him insubstantial, shifting like liquid glass. Voices whispered from every direction, overlapping in a chaotic symphony.
"Where am I?" Kael shouted, though his voice felt small in the vastness of the space.
The whispers converged, becoming a single voice—calm, resonant, and impossibly vast.
"You stand on the edge of the fracture, where all that was broken still lingers."
The swirling light rippled, and a figure emerged. Its form was ever-changing—human one moment, beast the next, and then a mass of pure energy. It had no face, but its presence was overwhelming.
"Who are you?" Kael demanded, taking a step back.
"A remnant of what once was. A fragment of what was lost. And so are you."
The figure gestured toward the shard in Kael's hand.
"That fragment carries a power older than the Nexus itself. A piece of the Prime Echo, whose resonance holds the threads of existence. But it is not a gift—it is a burden."
Kael's grip tightened on the shard. "Why are they hunting me? What do they want?"
The figure flickered, its edges fraying like smoke caught in the wind.
"To control the Echo is to control the Nexus. But to wield it is to risk its ruin. Even now, the balance of existence trembles under its weight."
Kael's frustration boiled over. "Then tell me what I'm supposed to do! I didn't ask for this!"
The figure stilled, its presence pressing against Kael's mind like a wave.
"Survive. That is all that matters now. The shard will guide you, but the path ahead will demand everything you have. The Nexus is fragile, Kael. And the requiem has already begun."
The figure dissolved into the void, the swirling light collapsing around Kael.
Kael jolted awake, back in the canyon clearing. The obelisk still stood, its light dimmer now, as though it had spent its energy. The shard in his hand pulsed faintly, its glow steady and warm.
Before Kael could collect his thoughts, the faint hum of the assassin's blade reached his ears. He turned sharply, his pulse spiking.
The assassin emerged from the shadows, their crimson blade crackling with energy. They moved with deliberate precision, their head tilting slightly as they studied Kael.
Kael gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the shard. This time, something inside him felt different. There was a faint hum within him, resonating with the shard's energy. He didn't understand it, but he could feel its presence, like a hidden thread waiting to be pulled.
The assassin lunged. Instinctively, Kael raised the shard. A shield of blue light materialized around him, intercepting the crimson blade with a sharp crack. The impact sent Kael stumbling back, but the barrier held.
The assassin stepped back, their mask tilting as if in confusion. Kael took the opportunity to widen the distance between them, his mind racing.
The whisper returned, quieter now but steady.
"Trust the shard. Let it guide you."
Kael focused on the shard, willing its energy to respond. The shield flared brighter, and for the first time, the assassin hesitated.
But Kael could feel the strain. His vision blurred, his body trembling as the energy within him began to falter. He was running out of time.
The assassin advanced again, their blade raised. Kael braced himself, the shard's light flickering.
"Endure."
Kael raised the shard one last time as the assassin charged, the air between them crackling with opposing energies.