The morning after discovering the monolith's secret, Valen and Elian left the City of Echoes. Elian, choosing to remain amongst the familiar ruins, bid Valen farewell with a mixture of hope and apprehension. Valen, clutching the wooden box containing the iridescent feather, felt a renewed sense of purpose. The visions granted by the monolith had shown him the vastness of existence, and though overwhelming, they had also ignited a fire within him—a desire to create a world where such devastation would never happen again.The obsidian shard, now more than ever, felt warm against his chest, guiding him westward. The landscape began to change once more, the cracked plains giving way to rolling hills covered in sparse vegetation. The air was cleaner here, the scent of ash replaced by the smell of damp earth and distant rain.After several days of travel, the shard led him to a deep valley. As he descended, he heard a low, constant roar that grew louder with each step. At the bottom of the valley, a wide river flowed, its waters churning and swirling with an unnatural energy. This was the River of Souls, a place spoken of in hushed whispers by travelers—a place where the veil between worlds was thin.The river itself was an unsettling sight. Its waters were not clear or blue, but a swirling mass of iridescent colors, constantly shifting and changing like a kaleidoscope. A faint, ethereal glow emanated from its depths, and the air around it crackled with static energy.Valen approached the river cautiously, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. The obsidian shard pulsed strongly, as if urging him forward. He could feel the power emanating from the river, a raw, untamed energy that both fascinated and frightened him.A Spectral FerrymanAs he stood at the river's edge, a small boat materialized from the swirling mists that clung to the water's surface. It was a simple vessel, made of dark wood, and rowed by a figure shrouded in shadows.The figure turned towards Valen, and he could see that it was not entirely human. Its form was translucent, almost ghostly, and its eyes glowed with an eerie light."You seek to cross?" the figure asked, its voice a low, mournful whisper.Valen nodded. "The shard has led me here."The figure gestured towards the boat. "The river does not welcome the living. But the shard… it speaks for you."Valen stepped into the boat, and the spectral figure began to row. The boat glided smoothly across the swirling waters, the iridescent colors shifting and swirling beneath them. As they crossed, Valen could hear faint whispers coming from the river's depths—the voices of the lost, the echoes of lives lived and gone.A Vision of the PastMidway across the river, the boat stopped. The spectral figure turned to Valen, its glowing eyes fixed on him."The river shows those who cross… glimpses of what they have lost," it whispered. "Be prepared."Suddenly, the swirling waters beneath the boat cleared, revealing a vision. Valen saw himself as a young boy, playing in the fields near his village. He saw his parents, their faces filled with love and laughter. He saw his friends, their faces bright with youth and joy.The vision was so vivid, so real, that Valen felt a sharp pang of longing. He reached out to touch the images, desperate to recapture the happiness he had lost.But as he reached out, the vision began to distort, the faces of his loved ones twisting into grotesque masks. The laughter turned into screams, and the fields were consumed by fire.Valen recoiled, his heart pounding in his chest. The vision vanished, and the swirling waters returned."The river remembers," the spectral figure whispered. "It remembers all that has been lost."The Other ShoreThe boat continued its journey, finally reaching the other shore. Valen stepped out, his mind still reeling from the vision he had witnessed. The spectral figure vanished, the boat dissolving back into the mists.The landscape on this side of the river was different from anything Valen had seen before. Towering trees with shimmering leaves stretched towards the sky, their branches intertwined to form a dense canopy. The air was thick with the scent of flowers and damp earth, and the ground was covered in a carpet of soft moss.This place felt alive, vibrant with an energy that was both calming and invigorating. It was a stark contrast to the desolate lands he had traveled through.As Valen ventured into the forest, the obsidian shard pulsed once more, guiding him deeper into the unknown. He knew that his journey was far from over, but he also knew that he was on the right path. The River of Souls had shown him the pain of the past, but it had also shown him the possibility of a new beginning. And with the shard and the feather as his guides, he would continue to walk, towards whatever destiny awaited him.