The ruins of the Nexus node stood silent behind them, its once-glowing towers reduced to crumbling stone and shattered crystal. The air was still, heavy with the weight of what had been done.
Elaine led the group southward, her steps slow and deliberate. The faintly glowing shard in her hand pulsed weakly, its light dimmer than before.
"Does it feel different?" Kael asked, walking beside her.
Elaine glanced at the shard, her expression distant. "It's quieter. The Nexus is gone, but… I can still feel it. Like an echo."
Lira tightened her grip on the field generator slung over her shoulder. "If the Nexus is severed, why does the shard still have power? Shouldn't it have burned out?"
"The shards were pieces of the Nexus," Elaine said. "Severing it didn't destroy them—it just cut them loose."
Ardyn's voice was sharp. "And loose shards in a world like this won't stay untouched for long."
Elaine nodded grimly. "That's why we need to keep moving. If anyone else tries to use them…"
She didn't finish the thought. She didn't need to.
The World Fractures
They reached a small settlement nestled in the shadow of a jagged mountain range. The village was little more than a collection of crude huts and market stalls, its people weary and watchful.
The group approached cautiously, their weapons sheathed but ready. As they entered, the stares of the villagers lingered on the shard glowing faintly in Elaine's hand.
An older man stepped forward, his face lined with years of hardship. "You carry something dangerous," he said, his voice steady but wary.
Elaine met his gaze. "We're not here to use it. We're trying to keep it safe."
The man nodded slowly. "Safe from what? The Convergence is gone, but their shadow still looms. Others will come for what you carry."
Kael frowned. "Others like who?"
The man's expression darkened. "Warlords, scavengers… anyone with ambition and no conscience. The Nexus held the world together, whether we liked it or not. Now that it's gone, chaos will fill the void."
A Warning from the Past
That night, as the group rested in the village, Elaine sat apart from the others, the shard glowing faintly in her hands. The villagers' words echoed in her mind.
Was severing the Nexus truly the right choice? She had stopped its control, but had she condemned the world to a different kind of ruin?
As she stared into the shard's light, a voice broke the silence.
"You doubt yourself."
Elaine turned sharply, her blade half-drawn. A figure stood in the shadows—a tall man with pale, angular features and piercing eyes.
"Who are you?" she demanded, the shard flaring brighter.
The man stepped into the light, his movements calm and deliberate. "An emissary of what remains. The Nexus is gone, but its purpose is not. The world still needs unity."
Elaine's grip on the shard tightened. "You're Convergence."
The man smiled faintly. "The Convergence was a means to an end. That end has not changed."
A New Threat Emerges
The man's voice was calm, almost soothing. "The shards you carry are more than remnants. They are seeds. With them, we can rebuild—better, stronger, free of the flaws that plagued the original Nexus."
Elaine stepped forward, her blade raised. "I severed the Nexus for a reason. I'm not letting anyone rebuild it."
The man's gaze lingered on the shard. "And yet, here you are, carrying its heart. Do you truly believe you can resist its call forever?"
Ardyn appeared at Elaine's side, her blade drawn. "If you're here to take it, you're going to have to go through us."
The man inclined his head slightly. "I'm not here to fight. Not yet. But when the world begins to crumble, you'll see the truth. Unity is inevitable."
Before they could react, the man stepped back into the shadows, his form dissolving into the night.
The Shard's Warning
Elaine stared at the darkness where the man had disappeared, her pulse racing. The shard in her hand pulsed faintly, its light flickering as though responding to her unease.
"What was that about?" Kael asked, approaching with his bow in hand.
Elaine turned to him, her voice steady but strained. "The Convergence isn't gone. At least, not all of it. They're still trying to rebuild."
Lira's eyes widened. "Rebuild? How? The Nexus is severed."
"They don't need the Nexus," Elaine said. "Not entirely. The shards are enough."
Ardyn frowned. "Then we destroy them. Every last one."
Elaine looked down at the shard, its faint light reflecting in her eyes. "It's not that simple. The shards are still connected to the world's energy. If we destroy them, we risk taking everything with them."
Kael crossed his arms. "So what do we do?"
Elaine's grip on the shard tightened. "We keep them out of the wrong hands. And we find out who that man was—and what he's planning."
A Fragile Alliance
As dawn broke over the village, the group prepared to leave. The villagers watched them warily, their fear of the shard's power evident in their eyes.
The older man approached Elaine as she strapped her satchel in place. "The road ahead will only grow darker," he said. "Be careful who you trust."
Elaine nodded. "Thank you. For everything."
The man hesitated before speaking again. "If you truly mean to keep that shard safe, you'll need more than determination. You'll need allies."
Elaine's gaze hardened. "We'll find them. And we'll stop anyone who tries to use the shards again."
As the group left the village, the shard's faint hum seemed to echo with a warning—a reminder that their fight was far from over.