The ruin was ancient, a skeletal frame of towering stones and moss-covered walls that stretched into the sky like jagged fangs. It pulsed faintly with the energy Kael had come to recognize—a beacon of the fragment hidden within. The air was heavy with anticipation as Kael, Rhea, and Adrin approached, their weapons ready.
"Doesn't feel abandoned to me," Adrin muttered, his eyes scanning the ruins.
Kael paused, his grip on his spear firm. "It's not. The fragment's power... something here is feeding on it."
Rhea knelt, brushing her fingers across the mossy ground. Symbols etched into the stone glowed faintly beneath her touch, their meaning lost to time. "These ruins... they're not just a hiding place. They're part of something bigger. A memory of what came before."
Kael's gaze shifted to the carvings, their shapes resonating faintly with the fragment in his hand. "A memory... or a warning."
The three of them stepped into the ruins, the air growing colder with each step. The faint hum of the fragment grew louder, pulling Kael forward like a tether. He could feel its energy wrapping around him, guiding him deeper into the structure.
The chamber at the heart of the ruin was vast, its ceiling lost in darkness. At its center was a pedestal, where the fragment hovered, glowing with a blinding light. But between them and the fragment was a figure clad in blackened armor, its form radiating malice.
"A Keeper," Rhea whispered, her voice tight.
Kael stepped forward, his spear ready. "Another puppet of the elites."
The Keeper turned, its hollow gaze locking onto Kael. Its voice echoed through the chamber, cold and devoid of humanity. "You do not belong here. The fragments are not for you."
Kael's jaw tightened. "The fragments belong to the Earth. Not to you. Not to the elites."
The Keeper raised a blade wreathed in dark energy, its form twisting as if it were alive. "You claim to fight for the Earth, yet you bring destruction. The wilds cry out in anguish."
Kael gripped the fragment in his hand, its light surging through him. "The wilds chose me. I'm here to make things right."
The Keeper lunged, its movements unnaturally fast. Kael met its strike, the clash of spear and blade sending a shockwave through the chamber. Rhea and Adrin flanked the Keeper, their attacks precise, but the creature moved with an otherworldly grace, parrying every blow.
"The fragment—it's amplifying it!" Rhea shouted, dodging a strike.
Kael pushed back, the fragment's energy surging through him. His connection to the wilds deepened, their whispers guiding his movements. With every strike, he felt the balance between him and the Keeper shifting, the fragment in his hand resonating with the one on the pedestal.
The battle was relentless, the Keeper's strikes growing more ferocious with every exchange. But Kael's resolve burned brighter. He called upon the wilds, their energy flowing through him like a torrent, and with a final, decisive strike, he shattered the Keeper's blade.
The figure faltered, its form flickering like a dying flame. "The Heart... it will not save you," the Keeper rasped before dissolving into ash.
Kael stood over the remains, his breathing heavy. The chamber fell silent, the only sound the faint hum of the fragment on the pedestal. He stepped forward, his hand outstretched.
As his fingers closed around the fragment, a surge of energy coursed through him, the wilds' voice echoing in his mind. Images flashed before his eyes—visions of a world before its collapse, of the elites' betrayal, and of the fragments' purpose.
"They're not just pieces of the Heart," Kael murmured, his voice shaking. "They're its memories. Its warnings."
Rhea placed a hand on his shoulder, her expression grave. "What did you see?"
Kael turned to her, his gaze fierce. "The Heart isn't just a weapon. It's a choice. And the wrong one could destroy everything."
The fragment's light dimmed, its power now a part of Kael. The wilds were stirring, their whispers growing louder. The path ahead was clearer now, but the stakes were higher than ever.
As they left the ruin, the storm on the horizon seemed darker, more ominous. Kael tightened his grip on his spear. The elites' shadow loomed over the Earth, but the wilds were with him. And he would not stop until the Heart was whole.
4o