The dim light of the sanctuary flickered faintly as Kael stepped closer to the stone tablet Liora had found. The air seemed to thicken around them, as though the very walls were holding their breath in anticipation of something ancient and unstoppable. He could feel the power in the air—both familiar and alien—coiling like a snake waiting to strike.
Liora held the tablet in her hands, her fingers tracing the strange, glowing inscriptions etched into its surface. The symbols shifted before Kael's eyes, almost like living things, pulsating with energy. He couldn't understand them, but something about the way they moved reminded him of the visions he had seen in the refuge—the spirals, the jagged lines, the unspoken prophecy.
"It's a key," Liora whispered, her voice reverent. "But not just any key. It holds the knowledge of the gods, the secrets of the earth's true power."
Merek moved closer, his expression tense as he peered at the tablet. "And the gods will do whatever it takes to get it back," he muttered darkly.
Kael's pulse quickened. The weight of Liora's words settled over him like a dark cloud. He had seen what the gods could do—he had felt their wrath through the Sentinels. But now, with this tablet, they were about to unravel something far more dangerous, far more powerful than any of them could have imagined.
"What does it say?" Kael asked, his voice low and cautious.
Liora's brow furrowed, her eyes scanning the symbols as if trying to decipher a hidden message. "I can't fully translate it. But…" Her words trailed off, and she glanced over at Merek. "There's something in here about the Earthbound. It mentions a final battle, a choice between destruction and rebirth. And there's a name—'The Chosen.'" Her eyes flicked to Kael, a flicker of understanding passing between them. "It's referring to you."
Kael felt a cold shiver run down his spine. "Me?"
Liora nodded slowly, her fingers lingering over a specific symbol that seemed to glow brighter than the others. "The Earthbound… the ones who can wield the power of the earth itself. The Chosen are the ones who will either destroy the gods or become their greatest weapon."
Kael took a step back, his mind racing. "That sounds like a prophecy. One of those things you can't change. A fate I can't escape."
"Exactly," Merek said, his voice steady but grim. "But that doesn't mean you have to follow it blindly. You can choose to fight back, Kael. You don't have to let this power consume you."
The words hit Kael like a punch to the gut. He had never felt so out of control in his life. The power, the visions, the constant pressure to make the right choice—it was all too much. He had barely begun to understand the earth's power, and now it seemed that it wasn't just the gods who were watching him. There were others who would seek to use him as a tool in this war.
He turned away, unable to look at the tablet any longer. "I don't know if I'm ready for this. How can I be?"
Liora followed him, her footsteps soft but determined. "No one ever is. But you don't have to be perfect. You just have to be willing to fight. And we're here to help you."
The words should have comforted him, but they didn't. The weight of his destiny—the earth's power—the gods who wanted him dead—it all felt too much to bear. And yet, there was something else inside him, something that refused to let him give up.
Kael clenched his fists, the familiar surge of power bubbling beneath his skin. He had already taken the first steps on this path. There was no turning back now.
But Liora was right about one thing. He didn't have to face this alone.
The sanctuary was quiet again, save for the soft, steady hum of the tablet's energy. Kael could feel the storm outside growing more intense, the earth trembling in response. The gods were getting closer, and with them, their unrelenting search for the power Kael had come to wield. He had no illusions about the danger they posed.
"Let's move," Liora said, breaking the silence. "We can't stay here long. We'll need to find the next piece of the puzzle before they do."
Merek nodded in agreement, pulling his cloak tighter around him as the wind began to howl outside. "The tablet won't save us, but it might give us the information we need. The gods are relentless. We can't afford to wait."
Kael felt his stomach twist. It was time to move, to leave the sanctuary and venture deeper into unknown territory. But with every step, he felt as though the very ground beneath him was shifting, as if it was trying to decide whether to support him—or swallow him whole.
"Where are we going?" Kael asked, still trying to process everything.
"There's another sanctuary," Liora answered. "One deeper into the heart of the mountains. We'll find more knowledge there. And more importantly, we'll find the next key."
Kael didn't speak, but he nodded. His feet moved automatically, carrying him out of the sanctuary and into the storm that raged outside. The wind screamed around them, whipping through the trees and tearing at their cloaks, but Kael barely noticed. His mind was elsewhere—on the tablet, on the prophecy, on the growing feeling that this wasn't just about survival anymore.
It was about choosing which side of fate he was on.
The journey through the mountains was treacherous, made worse by the storm that seemed to follow them at every turn. The earth beneath their feet was slippery, and Kael could feel the raw power of the storm feeding into the very land around them. Each crack of thunder felt like a signal, like the gods themselves were closing in.
They stopped at a narrow pass, where the cliffs rose steeply on both sides. Kael could see the faint outline of a structure ahead—an old temple, weathered by time but still standing tall. This, he knew, was their next destination.
Liora stepped forward, her eyes scanning the temple's entrance. "We're close. The temple holds more than just the key. It holds the answers we need."
"What kind of answers?" Kael asked.
Liora turned to him, her expression unreadable. "The answers to who you really are."