The quiet after the battle was unnerving. Skyfall's ruins lay in silence, broken only by the crackling of dying embers and the distant murmurs of survivors. Kael stood at the edge of the village, staring out at the horizon. The victory over General Thorne had come at a steep price, and it didn't feel like a victory at all.
Erynn approached, a stack of ancient scrolls in her arms. "Kael," she called softly, breaking his trance. "We need to talk."
He turned, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. "What now, Erynn? Haven't we been through enough?"
Erynn's expression was grim. She set the scrolls on a nearby crate and unrolled one, revealing a map of the floating realms. "Thorne was just a piece of a much larger puzzle. I've been piecing together the histories and legends about the Godshards. They're not just weapons, Kael. They're something… much bigger."
Kael frowned, stepping closer to examine the map. It was marked with strange symbols and faded text, each corresponding to a different realm.
"What are you saying?" he asked.
Erynn tapped one of the symbols. "The Godshards weren't created to destroy. They were meant to maintain balance. But when the gods vanished and the Sundering happened, that balance was shattered. The shards are like pieces of a broken machine. If we don't gather them all and figure out how they fit together, the world might fall apart—literally."
Lira joined them, her arms crossed. "So, you're saying we've been running around risking our lives for a set of keys to some ancient puzzle?"
"It's more than that," Erynn insisted. "The Sundering wasn't just an accident or a war. It was… deliberate. Someone wanted the realms to break apart."
Kael's stomach churned. "Who? The gods?"
Erynn hesitated. "I don't know. But there are whispers in the texts—fragments of a prophecy that suggest the gods may not have left willingly. If we can find the remaining shards, we might uncover the truth."
Kael clenched his fists. The Godshard in his pocket pulsed faintly, as if responding to his turmoil. "So, what does that mean for us? We've already lost so much. How do we even begin to fight something we don't understand?"
"You don't," Lira said sharply. "Not yet, anyway. Right now, we focus on staying alive and getting stronger. If there's some grand conspiracy behind all this, we're not ready to face it head-on."
Erynn nodded reluctantly. "Lira's right. But we need to keep moving. The Empire won't stop hunting us, and there are others who want the shards for themselves. If we don't act, they'll finish what the Sundering started."
Kael felt a pang of despair but also a flicker of determination. He thought of the people he'd lost, the sacrifices made along the way. This wasn't just about him or the shards anymore—it was about the entire world.
"Then we keep going," he said finally. "We find the other shards, uncover the truth, and stop whoever—or whatever—caused this. But no more surprises, Erynn. If you know something, you tell us."
Erynn gave a small smile. "Agreed. No more secrets."
Lira clapped him on the back. "Good. Now, let's get out of here before more Empire soldiers show up. Something tells me Thorne wasn't the only one after us."
As they prepared to leave Skyfall behind, Kael glanced back one last time. The village was in ruins, but its spirit remained—a reminder of what they were fighting for.
The Godshard in his pocket pulsed again, and he felt a faint tug, as though it were calling him toward something greater.
Unanswered questions lingered in his mind. What really happened to the gods? Why had the shards chosen him? And could he control the growing power within him before it consumed him entirely?
Kael didn't have the answers yet, but he knew one thing: the journey was far from over.