Volume2:Shards of Unity
Chapter 3: The Gathering Storm
The journey across the plains was relentless. The golden shard seemed to grow heavier in Eryth's hand, its faint light pulsing like a heartbeat. The horizon stretched endlessly, broken only by the silhouette of jagged ruins rising in the distance.
Nyx moved silently beside Eryth, its golden eyes scanning the surroundings. Though the plains seemed empty, there was an oppressive weight in the air, as if the land itself was holding its breath.
Eryth wiped the sweat from their brow, glancing at Nyx. "I feel it too," they muttered. "Something's coming."
Nyx rumbled low in its throat, its shadows rippling with tension.
By midday, the ruins loomed closer. They were ancient, their once-grand structures now reduced to crumbling stone and twisted metal. Strange symbols were carved into the remnants of walls, their meaning lost to time.
As Eryth stepped into the ruins, the air grew colder, the golden shard flickering faintly. They stopped, their eyes narrowing.
"This place… it's wrong," Eryth said, their voice barely above a whisper.
Nyx let out a soft growl, its form blending into the shadows around them as it prowled ahead.
Suddenly, the golden shard flared to life, its light casting sharp shadows across the ruins. Eryth winced, shielding their eyes.
"What now?" they muttered, lowering their hand.
The light from the shard coalesced into a single beam, pointing toward the center of the ruins.
Eryth exchanged a glance with Nyx. "Guess we're going that way."
The center of the ruins was dominated by a massive circular platform, its surface etched with intricate patterns that glowed faintly in the shard's light. At its center stood a monolith, taller than anything else in the ruins. Its surface was smooth and black, like polished obsidian, and veins of gold pulsed faintly within it.
Eryth approached cautiously, the shard in their hand vibrating with increasing intensity.
As they stepped onto the platform, the patterns beneath their feet lit up, spreading outward in a cascade of golden light.
Nyx growled, its body tense, as the air around them began to hum.
Eryth stared at the monolith, their heart racing. "This feels like a trap," they muttered.
Before they could take another step, a deep voice echoed through the ruins, cold and hollow.
"You should not be here."
Eryth spun around, their blade at the ready. Nyx crouched low, its shadows flaring as it growled at the newcomer.
From the shadows of the ruins emerged a figure draped in a tattered cloak, their face obscured by a mask made of cracked bone. Their presence was suffocating, the air around them heavy with malice.
"You carry a shard of the light," the figure said, their voice reverberating unnaturally. "It does not belong to you."
Eryth tightened their grip on their blade. "I didn't exactly ask for it."
The figure tilted their head. "And yet, it binds you. You walk a path that will lead to ruin—for you, and for all."
Eryth stepped forward, their eyes blazing with defiance. "Maybe. But I'm not stopping."
The figure's mask seemed to shift, as if they were smiling. "Then you are a fool."
The air around the platform began to ripple, the golden light from the patterns twisting into dark tendrils. The figure raised a hand, and the tendrils lashed out toward Eryth and Nyx.
The battle was unlike anything Eryth had faced before. The tendrils moved with terrifying speed, striking from all directions. Eryth ducked and weaved, their blade glowing with golden light as they deflected the attacks.
Nyx moved like a shadow, its claws slicing through the tendrils with ease. But no matter how many they destroyed, more seemed to emerge, writhing and coiling around them.
Eryth gritted their teeth, the shard in their hand flaring with heat. "Nyx, I need time!"
Nyx roared in response, launching itself at the cloaked figure. The two clashed in a flurry of shadows and light, their movements too fast to follow.
Eryth knelt on the platform, the shard's light intensifying. They could feel its energy coursing through them, wild and uncontrollable. Closing their eyes, they focused, trying to channel its power.
The shard pulsed once, twice, and then exploded with light.
The tendrils disintegrated instantly, their forms consumed by the golden energy. The cloaked figure staggered back, their mask cracking further.
Eryth rose to their feet, the shard glowing brightly in their hand. "Your turn," they said, their voice steady.
The figure let out a low growl, their form flickering as they retreated into the shadows. "You cannot escape your fate," they said before vanishing completely.
The platform fell silent, the golden light fading back into the patterns beneath Eryth's feet.
Nyx approached, its golden eyes watching Eryth closely.
"I'm fine," Eryth said, though their voice was shaky. They looked down at the shard, its glow dim but steady. "That was… intense."
Nyx growled softly, its body brushing against Eryth's side.
Eryth sighed, their gaze drifting to the monolith. "This thing… it's connected to everything, isn't it?"
Nyx rumbled in response, its golden thread pulsing faintly.
Eryth stared at the monolith for a long moment before turning away. "Let's keep moving," they said. "There's more to this than we realize."
As they left the ruins, the oppressive weight in the air lifted, but the feeling of being watched remained. Far in the distance, unseen eyes followed their every step, and the faint echo of a laugh lingered in the wind.
The storm was far from over.