Chapter 2: Echoes of the Past
The trail leading from the forest into open plains was hauntingly quiet. The sunlight reflected off the golden shard Eryth carried, casting small rays onto Nyx's form as it prowled ahead, ever-watchful. Their journey was becoming heavier with every step, as though the shard was not merely guiding them but demanding something more.
Eryth tightened their grip on the shard, a faint pulse of energy crawling up their arm. The sensation was strange—neither comforting nor alarming, just a constant reminder of its presence.
Nyx growled suddenly, low and guttural. Its massive frame tensed, shadows rippling around it as its glowing eyes scanned the horizon.
"What is it?" Eryth asked, halting.
Nyx didn't answer, but the golden thread connecting them vibrated with warning.
Eryth followed Nyx's gaze and saw faint figures approaching from the horizon. At first, they appeared like mirages, their forms distorted by the heat rising from the ground. But as they drew closer, their outlines sharpened—humanoid in shape, but there was something distinctly unnatural about the way they moved.
They were not alone.
The figures revealed themselves as a group of five creatures, each unique in its grotesqueness. Their forms were twisted—flesh melding with shadow, limbs too long or too sharp, their faces obscured by masks made of bone.
Eryth instinctively reached for their blade, the golden shard pulsing in sync with their heartbeat. "Nyx, stay close," they murmured.
Nyx let out a snarl, stepping protectively in front of Eryth, its shadows flaring like a cloak of living darkness.
The largest of the creatures stepped forward, its hollow eyes fixed on Eryth. When it spoke, its voice was like grinding stone.
"Bearer of the shard," it rasped, its words echoing unnaturally. "You walk a path not meant for mortals."
Eryth didn't lower their blade. "That's not your decision to make."
The creature tilted its head, the motion almost amused. "You carry the light of the fallen. It binds you to a purpose you do not understand."
"And yet, here I am," Eryth retorted.
The creature let out a sound that could have been a laugh, but it was hollow, lifeless. "The shard calls to its kind. You think it grants you power, but it will only consume you."
Eryth narrowed their eyes. "Then why don't you try and take it?"
At that, the creature's form shifted, its limbs elongating as it lunged forward. The other four creatures followed, their movements unnervingly synchronized.
The battle erupted in a blur of motion.
Eryth ducked under a swipe from the first creature, their blade glowing with golden energy as they struck back. The shard flared in their hand, sending a pulse of energy through the air.
Nyx moved like a shadow given form, its claws and tendrils tearing through the attackers. It roared, its golden eyes blazing with fury as it protected Eryth from the onslaught.
But the creatures were relentless. For every strike that landed, they seemed to recover almost instantly, their bodies reforming from the shadows around them.
"They're regenerating!" Eryth shouted, parrying another blow.
Nyx snarled in response, its form flickering as it released a burst of energy that sent two of the creatures sprawling. But even that wasn't enough to stop them.
The shard in Eryth's hand pulsed again, brighter this time, and a voice echoed in their mind—a voice that wasn't their own.
"Break the cycle."
Eryth's grip tightened on the shard as a surge of energy coursed through them. Without thinking, they thrust the shard forward, its light erupting in a blinding wave. The creatures shrieked as the light consumed them, their forms disintegrating into ash.
When the light faded, only silence remained.
Eryth staggered, their body trembling from the effort. The shard's light had dimmed, but its warmth lingered.
Nyx approached, its golden eyes scanning their surroundings before nudging Eryth's shoulder.
"I'm fine," Eryth muttered, though their voice was shaky. "What the hell were those things?"
Nyx growled softly, its gaze lingering on the horizon.
"They knew about the shard," Eryth continued, their mind racing. "They called it… the light of the fallen. What does that even mean?"
The golden thread between them pulsed faintly, but no answer came.
Eryth sighed, wiping sweat from their brow. "Whatever it means, we're getting closer to something." They looked at the shard, its faint glow reflecting in their eyes. "And I'm not stopping until we find it."
Nyx let out a low growl, and together they continued their journey, the horizon stretching endlessly before them.
But as they walked, Eryth couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Somewhere, in the vast expanse of the plains, unseen eyes were following their every move.
And far to the west, beyond the broken lands and shadowed cities, the threads of fate began to pull tighter.