The path ahead twisted through jagged canyons, the oppressive silence of the Wastelands broken only by the occasional howl of the Void winds. Kael's muscles ached, and his mind buzzed with questions that refused to settle.
He was frustrated—not just with the situation, but with himself. How had he lived his entire life without knowing the truth about the world? He had spent his years toiling in obscurity, chasing Adrian's shadow, yet he had barely scratched the surface of the larger forces at play.
"You're restless," Lysandra said, falling into step beside him.
Kael exhaled sharply. "Restless doesn't begin to cover it. How is it that I knew nothing of the Shattering, the Elemental Forces, or even the full extent of the Void's reach?"
She gave him a sidelong glance. "Because ignorance was your cage. And Adrian was your keeper."
Kael frowned. "What do you mean?"
Lysandra's tone softened, though it carried an edge of sadness. "You were Adrian's pawn. He needed you focused on him, driven by vengeance, so you wouldn't look beyond the prison he built around you. He controlled what you knew, fed you only the truths that served his plans."
Kael's jaw tightened. "And I fell for it. I wasted years chasing him, thinking I was making progress, when all I was doing was running in circles."
"That's the power of a manipulator," Lysandra said. "They make you believe the path they've laid for you is the only one that exists."
Garrick, who had been walking ahead, chimed in without turning around. "Don't beat yourself up too much, lad. Most people live their entire lives in ignorance and never realize it. The world is fractured, and those fractures are deliberate. The powers that be don't want people knowing the truth. It's easier to rule a scattered herd than a united force."
Kael's mind reeled. "But the world I grew up in—the Verdant Dominion—it seemed so… complete. I thought I understood it."
"That's by design," Garrick said. "The Verdant Dominion thrives on control. They keep their people comfortable enough to avoid rebellion but isolated enough to prevent questions. It's the same in the Ashen Empire, the Veil Peaks, and even the Azure Basin. Every region has its own cage, its own narrative."
Kael shook his head, trying to reconcile Garrick's words with his memories. "But Adrian… he encouraged me to learn, to train. He wanted me to grow stronger."
"Of course he did," Lysandra said. "He needed you strong enough to play your role but not wise enough to see through his lies."
Kael clenched his fists, the Void Chains tightening instinctively around his arms. "So I've been nothing but a tool. A blind, obedient tool."
"Not anymore," Lysandra said firmly. "You're free now, Kael. And you're learning the truth. That's what matters."
As they continued, Garrick painted a picture of the world Kael had never truly known.
"Most of the populace is just like you were—living in small, isolated communities, their understanding of the world shaped by the lies they're fed. They don't know about the Wastelands, the Elemental Forces, or the full scope of the Void's influence. And the few who do are either fighting to survive or working to maintain the status quo."
Kael listened intently, the pieces of the puzzle starting to align. "So the Wastelands are the key. This place holds the truths the rest of the world has forgotten."
"Exactly," Garrick said. "The Wastelands are dangerous, yes, but they're also the heart of the world's history. Everything the aristocracies want to hide is buried here."
As the conversation wound down, the group came across the remains of a village nestled in a shallow valley. The buildings were little more than crumbled stone walls and collapsed roofs, but signs of life lingered—scraps of clothing, broken tools, and scattered personal belongings.
"This place wasn't abandoned," Garrick said grimly. "It was wiped out."
Kael's stomach churned. "By the Void?"
"Not directly," Garrick said, crouching to examine the ground. "Look at the marks on the walls—scorching from fire, not Void corruption. This was an attack. Probably from a neighboring faction."
Lysandra's expression darkened. "This is what the Void does, even without lifting a finger. It divides us, makes us destroy each other while it grows stronger in the background."
Kael felt a surge of anger. "So it's not enough that we're fighting the Void itself—we're also fighting each other?"
"That's the tragedy of it," Garrick said. "And why people like us are so important. We have to rise above the petty divisions and see the bigger picture."
As they scavenged the village for supplies, Kael couldn't help but notice how different he felt. His body was stronger, his movements more fluid. The Void Chains, once an oppressive burden, now felt like a natural extension of himself.
But it wasn't just physical. His mind was sharper, his thoughts more focused. He was starting to see connections he would have missed before, patterns that hinted at the larger forces at play.
"You're changing," Lysandra said, watching him from across the room.
Kael met her gaze. "Is that a good thing?"
"That depends on what you do with it," she said. "Power can corrupt just as easily as it can liberate. The difference is in how you use it."
Kael nodded, her words grounding him. He wasn't just fighting for himself anymore. He was fighting for a world that had been kept in the dark for far too long.
As they prepared to leave the village, Garrick approached Kael with a map he had pieced together from their findings.
"There's a place not far from here," Garrick said, pointing to a mark on the map. "An old fortress called Durnthall. If the texts are to be believed, it holds records from before the Shattering. If we're going to understand the Void and how to fight it, we need to go there."
Kael studied the map, his resolve hardening. "Then that's where we're going."
Lysandra placed a hand on his shoulder. "It won't be easy. The fortress is likely crawling with Voidspawn, not to mention whatever traps the ancients left behind."
Kael nodded. "I know. But we don't have a choice. If we're going to stop Adrian and the Void, we need answers."