Kael sat by the campfire, its crackling flames casting flickering shadows against the trees. The night was quiet, but the silence was uneasy, as if the wilds were holding their breath. He stared into the fire, the memories from the guardian still vivid in his mind. The images it had shown him were more than a history—they were a warning.
Rhea joined him, her expression cautious but curious. "You seem lost in thought," she said, sitting on a fallen log opposite him.
Kael didn't look up. "The fragment showed me something," he said quietly. "A glimpse of what the world was before the elites twisted it. And a glimpse of what they're planning."
Rhea's brow furrowed. "And what did you see?"
Kael finally met her gaze, his eyes hard. "The Heart wasn't just fractured. It was corrupted. Whatever the elites are doing, it's tied to that corruption. The wilds are fighting back, but they can't hold out forever."
Before Rhea could respond, Adrin approached, his footsteps hesitant. "Kael," he said, his voice uneasy, "we have a problem."
Kael stood immediately, his senses sharpening. "What is it?"
Adrin pointed toward the perimeter of their camp, where faint, glowing symbols shimmered against the trees. "I don't know what they are, but they weren't there before."
Kael moved quickly, Rhea and Adrin following close behind. The symbols pulsed with a faint, otherworldly light, their patterns intricate and unfamiliar. Kael reached out cautiously, his fingers hovering just above one of the glowing marks. The fragment in his chest flared, reacting to the symbols.
"It's a ward," Rhea said, her voice tense. "But not one I recognize. This isn't from the wilds."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Then who?"
Before anyone could answer, the symbols flared brighter, and a low hum filled the air. The ground beneath them trembled, and the light coalesced into a single point, forming a shimmering portal. From within, shadowy figures emerged, their forms humanoid but distorted.
Kael raised his spear, his body tensing. "Stay back," he warned Rhea and Adrin.
The first figure stepped fully into the light, its features sharp and angular, its eyes glowing with an unnatural brilliance. It spoke, its voice layered and discordant. "Kael of the wilds," it said. "Bearer of the fragment. You have trespassed on forbidden ground."
Kael didn't lower his weapon. "I don't answer to you," he said coldly. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head, as if amused. "We are the Keepers. Guardians of the old world's secrets. You have meddled in forces beyond your understanding."
Rhea stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "If you're guardians, why didn't you stop the elites from tearing the world apart?"
The figure's gaze shifted to her, its expression unreadable. "The elites' actions were... permitted. Their experiments served a purpose."
Kael's grip on his spear tightened. "What purpose?"
The figure didn't answer directly. Instead, it raised a hand, and the portal flared brighter. "Return the fragment, Kael. Its power is not yours to wield."
Kael took a step forward, his voice steady but filled with defiance. "The Heart belongs to the Earth. To the wilds. Not to you, and not to the elites. If you think I'll give it up, you're mistaken."
The figure's glowing eyes narrowed. "Then you leave us no choice."
The other figures stepped forward, their movements unnaturally smooth. Kael braced himself, the fragment's energy surging as the air around them crackled with tension.
The battle was coming, and Kael knew this would be unlike anything he'd faced before. The Keepers weren't just enemies—they were remnants of a forgotten past, wielding powers that rivaled the wilds themselves.
But Kael wouldn't back down. The Heart's future—and the Earth's—depended on him.