Kael trudged through the dense undergrowth of the dying forest, his grip on the shard tightening with each step. The clearing where the shadows had attacked still lingered in his mind. The figure's warning echoed like a wound that wouldn't close.
Aeris walked ahead, her blade sheathed but her body taut, every movement sharp and deliberate. She glanced back occasionally, as if expecting another attack.
"We need to stop," Kael said finally, his voice strained.
Aeris didn't look back. "Stopping means waiting for more of those things to find us."
Kael planted his feet, refusing to move further. "Stopping means figuring out what the hell is going on."
Aeris paused, turning to face him. "Fine. Let's hear it. What did your ominous glowing rock say this time?"
Kael clenched his teeth, frustration bubbling to the surface. "It didn't say anything. That thing we saw—it wasn't just a warning. It was a piece of the Prime Echo. And it said every time I use this thing, I make the Nexus worse."
Aeris crossed her arms, her expression skeptical. "And you believe it?"
Kael's silence was answer enough.
Aeris sighed. "Look, maybe it's telling the truth. Maybe it isn't. But sitting here guessing isn't going to change anything."
The shard pulsed faintly in Kael's hand. "She is correct. The path ahead reveals answers."
Kael muttered under his breath, brushing past Aeris. "Fine. Let's keep moving."
The trees thinned as they pressed forward, the air growing colder. Ahead, the landscape opened into a barren wasteland, its cracked ground glowing faintly with red fissures. Massive fragments of broken structures jutted out of the earth, their edges sharp and uneven.
Kael stopped at the edge of the forest, his stomach twisting. "What is this place?"
"The remains of a realm," Aeris said quietly, stepping past him. "One of the many worlds that fell when the Nexus shattered."
Kael's chest tightened as he scanned the desolation. The Resonance here was different—chaotic, unstable. The shard in his hand pulsed weakly, as if struggling to maintain its connection.
They walked in silence, weaving between the jagged ruins. Aeris's movements grew slower, her eyes darting to the shadows as if sensing something Kael couldn't.
"What's wrong?" Kael asked.
Aeris held up a hand, motioning for him to stop. "We're not alone."
Kael's grip on the shard tightened, its light flaring in response. He scanned the area, but nothing moved. The silence pressed against his ears, broken only by the faint hum of Resonance.
Then, a voice called out. "I'd lower that glowing stick if I were you. Makes you an easy target out here."
Kael turned, his heart racing. A figure stood atop a jagged piece of rubble, his silhouette barely visible against the fractured sky. He was dressed in tattered leathers, his face obscured by a hood. In his hand was a curved blade that shimmered faintly with Resonance.
"Who are you?" Kael asked, raising the shard defensively.
The man slid down from the rubble with ease, landing a few paces away. He raised his hands in a show of peace. "Name's Elias. And before you get any ideas, I'm not here to rob you."
Aeris stepped forward, her blade halfway drawn. "You're not exactly convincing."
Elias chuckled. "Fair. But trust me, if I wanted to take that shard, you wouldn't see me coming."
Kael frowned, the shard in his hand pulsing faintly. "How do you know about the shard?"
Elias pointed to the fractures in the ground, where faint streams of Resonance energy coiled and swirled. "I felt it. When you showed up, the whole place shifted. That thing you're carrying—it's not subtle."
Aeris narrowed her eyes. "And what's your angle? Why are you talking instead of running like everyone else?"
Elias tilted his head, his expression turning serious. "Because if you're carrying a shard of the Prime Echo, then you're either going to save what's left of the Nexus—or tear it apart completely."
Kael's grip on the shard tightened. "And which do you think I'm doing?"
Elias shrugged. "That depends. Do you have any idea what you're doing with it?"
Kael hesitated. The silence stretched long enough for Elias to smirk.
"Didn't think so," Elias said. He gestured to the ruins around them. "Look, I'm no fan of the Spiral Choir or the Collective, but they're not wrong about one thing: that shard isn't a toy. It's Resonance at its purest, and if you're not careful, it'll tear you apart."
"I don't need a lecture," Kael snapped.
Elias raised an eyebrow. "No? Then what do you need?"
"Answers," Aeris interjected, stepping between them. "If you're going to keep talking, make it useful. What do you know about the Prime Echo?"
Elias studied her for a moment before nodding. "Fair enough. The Prime Echo wasn't just the Nexus's core—it was the Nexus. Everything flowed through it. When it fractured, the balance broke. The shards—like the one he's holding—are pieces of that balance. Powerful pieces."
"And now everyone wants them," Kael muttered.
"Not everyone," Elias corrected. "Just the ones who know what they're worth. The Spiral Choir, the Reverie Collective, the Silent Path... each of them thinks they can fix the Nexus in their own way. But trust me, none of them can be trusted."
"Why should we trust you?" Aeris asked.
Elias smirked. "You shouldn't. But I'm the only one here who doesn't want to kill you, so take that for what it's worth."
Kael exchanged a glance with Aeris. Her expression was skeptical, but Kael could see the tension in her shoulders easing slightly.
"Fine," Kael said finally. "But if you try anything—"
"You'll blast me with your magic shard, I get it," Elias said, raising his hands again. "Relax, kid. I'm just here to help."
The shard pulsed faintly, its glow steady. Kael wasn't sure whether to take that as approval or a warning.
As the three of them moved deeper into the ruins, Kael couldn't shake the feeling that Elias was watching him closely.
And somewhere in the back of his mind, the voice within the shard whispered: "This alliance will test you."