Zami stood before the massive gate of the Withering Spire, his silver eyes scanning the swirling, cryptic runes etched into its surface. The glowing symbols pulsed rhythmically, but their meaning eluded him. He didn't recognize the language, nor did it resemble any known script from his past encounters.
The whispers of the colony seemed to hum louder, but Zami shut them out, focusing on the task at hand. His hand moved to his pouch, and without hesitation, he retrieved the shard of Wailing Dread.
The shard thrummed softly in his palm, as if aware of its proximity to the gate. A faint warmth emanated from the piece, its jagged edges glowing faintly in the dim light. Zami approached the gate and held the shard up, placing it close to the swirling runes.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Zami waited, his breath steady, his senses alert. The shard felt heavier now, almost as if it had a life of its own, reacting to the gate's aura.
Suddenly, the runes began to shift. The symbols that once appeared chaotic and indecipherable now aligned in a pattern, almost as if they were being drawn out by the shard itself. The faint light from the shard grew brighter, pulsating in time with the shifting runes.
Zami's eyes narrowed in concentration. He didn't know what would happen, but he felt a connection between the shard and the gate—one that ran deeper than mere coincidence. The air around him seemed to vibrate, and the ground beneath him trembled.
The gate groaned.
The massive, towering structure shuddered, and the faint hum of power reverberated through Zami's bones. The shard glowed fiercely now, the Wailing Dread's essence channeling into the symbols on the gate, unlocking something hidden deep within.
The gate's surface rippled, as though it were made of liquid, distorting and reshaping before Zami's eyes. Slowly, with a terrible grinding sound, the runes rearranged themselves into a singular formation—a doorway, open and waiting.
The gate opened.
Zami stepped forward cautiously, his katana in hand, ready for whatever lay beyond. His heart thudded in his chest, his senses on edge. As the gate opened wide, the oppressive aura of the Spire seemed to intensify, the air growing thick with an ancient, malevolent energy.
Inside, darkness stretched out before him, but it was not the same darkness he had encountered in the colony's depths. This was something more, something ancient and powerful. He could almost feel the weight of time pressing down on him, the very walls of the Spire alive with secrets waiting to be unearthed.
He had no choice but to venture forward.
With the shard still pulsating in his hand, Zami stepped into the Withering Spire, the gate closing behind him with an echoing thud. The path ahead was uncertain, but he knew one thing—he was now closer than ever to the Shattered Dominion. The next vessel, the next challenge.