The hallway of golden light stretched onward, casting long shadows behind Drakar and his companions as they walked in silence. The warmth of the light was deceptive—there was a stillness in the air, as if the Bastion was holding its breath.
Kaelen kept an arrow nocked, his sharp eyes scanning every corner. "Is it just me, or does it feel... too quiet?"
Taronis nodded, his blade resting lightly against his shoulder. "We've stepped deeper than anyone has before. The quiet means the Bastion is watching."
Drakar walked at the forefront, his emberlit eyes glowing faintly. "Let it watch," he muttered. "We didn't come this far to falter now."
The passage widened into another chamber—a vast, domed expanse with a crystal-clear pool at its center. The water shimmered with an ethereal light, reflecting the ceiling above, which was covered in intricate carvings that depicted constellations swirling around a central figure.
Kaelen whistled softly. "Beautiful... but unsettling."
Taronis frowned. "This isn't just a pool—it's a Mirror of Memories."
Drakar approached the water's edge, his reflection staring back at him. His face was the same, but for a fleeting second, the surface rippled, and another reflection appeared—his father's. The sight tightened his chest.
Taronis placed a hand on Drakar's shoulder. "Memories have power here. Don't let them consume you."
The Whisper Beneath the Surface
A soft hum reverberated from the pool, and faint whispers drifted up like the sound of distant voices carried by the wind.
"What do you seek?"
The voice was neither male nor female—it was ancient and knowing.
Drakar knelt, his gaze steady. "I seek the truth... and the strength to protect those I care about."
The water stilled, then darkened. Shadows coiled beneath the surface, taking shape. A figure rose—a woman clad in spectral armor, her form wreathed in mist. Her eyes were pale silver, filled with sorrow.
"Then you must endure the weight of your past." Her voice was soft but resolute.
The pool's surface erupted, and from the water emerged three spectral forms—each bearing familiar faces. One was Drakar's father, his armor glowing faintly. The second was a towering orc chieftain with a scarred face and fierce golden eyes. The third was... Drakar himself, younger and unscarred, his expression filled with doubt.
Taronis tensed. "Spectral echoes."
Kaelen drew his bow. "Of course, it's never just a conversation."
Trial of Reflection
The three echoes moved with lethal precision, their ethereal blades humming with energy. Drakar stepped forward, locking eyes with his younger self.
"You're not real."
The younger Drakar's expression darkened. "Aren't I? I'm everything you doubt—the part of you that falters."
The specter lunged, its dagger slicing through the air. Drakar deflected the blow with his emberlit blade, their movements mirroring each other. Sparks flew as their blades clashed, and the chamber pulsed with energy.
Taronis engaged the orc chieftain, his strikes calculated and deliberate. The chieftain's axe swung in heavy arcs, each strike shaking the ground. Taronis dodged with practiced ease, his blade flashing in counterattacks that carved glowing lines into the specter's form.
Kaelen loosed an arrow at Drakar's father's echo, but the specter deflected it with a sweep of his hand.
Kaelen swore under his breath. "Of course he's that strong."
Drakar gritted his teeth, locking blades with his younger self. His tattoos pulsed with emberlight, and memories flooded his mind—the mistakes, the failures, the doubts that haunted him.
I'm more than my past.
With a growl, Drakar shoved the specter back and whispered, "Infernum Surge."
His dagger flared, a wave of fire coursing along its edge. He swept the blade upward, and the younger specter let out a guttural cry as it dissolved into embers.
Breaking the Echoes
Taronis parried the chieftain's next swing and drove his blade into the specter's chest. The spectral orc let out a roar as it shattered into wisps of light.
Kaelen loosed another arrow—this time, a Binding Shot. The projectile struck true, entwining spectral vines around Drakar's father's echo. The specter struggled, but the bindings tightened.
Drakar approached the restrained figure, his breath steady. He met the specter's eyes—those same emberlit eyes he had inherited.
"I will honor you," Drakar whispered. "But I won't be bound by your shadow."
The specter's gaze softened, and for a moment, it almost seemed to nod. The figure dissolved into a stream of light, flowing back into the pool.
The chamber fell silent.
A New Path Unveiled
The spectral woman watched silently, her expression unreadable. "You have faced yourself... and your past. The way forward is yours."
The water in the pool shimmered, and a stone archway emerged from the far wall, carved with runes that pulsed gently.
Taronis sheathed his blade. "Another door."
Kaelen exhaled. "Let's hope this one leads somewhere peaceful."
Drakar stepped toward the archway, his resolve burning brighter than before. "We move forward."
The spectral woman's form faded into the water, her whisper lingering in the air. "Remember who you are."
The hum of the Veil softened, but its song remained.