The sun hide beneath the edge of the trees and the forest into shades of orange and violet ambience. Kael sat at the edge of the clearing, the faint glow of the Starforged Blade resting across his lap illuminating his somber expression. Lira rested against an adjacent tree and honed her dagger at steady, slow strokes. The quiet whisper in nature surrounded of them, A sharp contrast to the chaos of the past few days.
While Kael's mind overloaded with questions and insecurity as he gazed at the floor. The rift, cloak wearing person, the black crystal—all of it pointed to something much greater than he would ever imagined. And yet, he felt indigestible, a pawn in a game he didn't fully understand.
"You're awfully quiet," Lira said, breaking the silence. "Not good idea, you to worry for this long."
Kael looked up at her, his brows furrowed. "It's just… everything feels so much bigger than me. The rifts, the Order, even this blade. I don't know if I'm ready for any of it.
Lira paused her sharpening, her eyes meeting his. "No one ever feels ready for what's coming, Kael. But you've got something most people don't."
"What's that?" he asked, his voice tinged with skepticism.
"Purpose," she replied simply. "You're not just swinging that blade for yourself. You want answers. You want to protect people. That's more than most fighters ever have."
Kael nodded slowly, her words sinking in. But even as he tried to muster confidence, the weight of his responsibilities pressed heavily on his chest.
As the stars began to dot the sky, Kael decided to revisit the scroll he'd taken from the temple. He slowly unrolled it, the dying letters seeming to shine faintly under the light of the Starforged Blade. The translation overlay coated his vision and presented the archaic script as readable.
The Starborne were known to be pure celestial energy entities," he said aloud. "Guardians of the balance between worlds. They wielded powers that could shape reality itself."
Lira's gaze moved to him, a hint in her look of curiosity. "And the Fallen Ones?"
Kael's gaze scanned further down the scroll. "They were Starborne who… turned against their own. They tried to disaggregate the Veil between worlds, to draw from to the confusion that would results. They destroyed entire worlds fighting each other, and left scars behind… like the geyser.
Lira let out a low whistle. Sounds like your star pals made quite a thimbleful of trash on their departure.
Kael's grip on the scroll tightened. "If the Order is trying to replicate what the Fallen Ones did… He trailed off, his thoughts racing. The implications were terrifying. The rfts, the beings, the concealed shapes, all of it implicates the Order in the effort to erode the Veil.
Lira's tone turned serious. We have to stop them now before they destroy this planet.
As the night deepened, a distant howl echoed through the forest. Both Kael and Lira stiffened, automatic reflexions bringing their weapons to bear.
"That didn't sound like a normal wolf, Lira murmured, her eyes scanning the dark treeline.
Kael rose, the Starforged Blade softly luminescent as he set off the system. "System, what was that?"
[Analysis: High-energy entity detected. Proximity: 700 meters. Classification: Riftspawn. Threat level: Moderate.]
"Another creature from a rift?" Kael muttered. He turned to Lira. "We can't let it get any closer to the village.
Lira smirked. "You're starting to sound like a hero, Kael. Let's go."
They flowed through the woods quickly, the shape of the blade a beacon as they moved. As they neared the source of the howl, the trees thinned, revealing another clearing. In its center stood a creature even more grotesque than the last. Its anatomy was a morbid blend of knotted limbs and muscle, with its throbbing red eyes locked onto the trespassers.
Kael felt a chill run down his spine as the creature let out a guttural growl, its claws digging into the earth.
"Ready? Lira asked, her voice steady despite the tension in the air.
Kael nodded, raising the Starforged Blade. "Let's end this quickly."
In the wake of a prolonged fight, the monster lay defeated, its essence becoming a pool of dark material which poured into the earth. Kael's gasps filled the chest with a stale memory of the battle wrought on his aching muscles and body. Lira sat nearby, inspecting a shallow cut on her arm.
And two rift creatures in two days," she said, her voice edged with worry. "They're getting more frequent."
Kael nodded, looking at the earth from beneath which the beast had fallen. "It's not just the rifts. It's the Order, the Starborne, the Fallen Ones… It feels like everything's connected, but I don't know how.
Lira looked at him, her expression softening. "You'll figure it out, Kael. You always do."
He smiled back faintly, but he betrayed a lack of certainty in his gaze. The weight of the Starforged Blade on his back felt heavier than ever. This wasn't just about him anymore. The future of his world, and the worlds of any others, depended on it.
As they made their way back to the village, Kael couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—was watching them. The shadows seemed darker, the forest quieter. And underneath he felt sure that the darkest hour was not yet behind them.