The weight of the vision clung to Aria like a lingering shadow. The knowledge that the Lumina Shard had once been whole—only to be broken by her mother and the others—sent a shiver down her spine. But why? What had been so dangerous that they had to shatter its power? And why had Dorian been there?
The image of the shard, fragmented and pulsing with an ancient, untapped energy, haunted her. It was more than just a piece of history. The shards were remnants of a power so potent that even the most powerful Seekers, her mother included, had deemed it too dangerous to keep whole. They had broken it for a reason, but the vision had raised more questions than answers.
"Focus, Aria," she whispered to herself, tightening her grip on the Lumina Shard around her neck. It was warm, but there was no sign of the surge of energy she had felt before. No new revelation. Just the silence of the moment.
The group pressed forward through the ruined temple, their steps echoing in the cold silence. Dust drifted through the air like whispers of the past, and the flickering glow of their torches cast shifting shadows against the cracked stone walls. The scent of damp earth and old magic clung to the air, mixing with the heavy silence of a place long abandoned.
Lyric adjusted her glasses, her brows furrowed as she scanned the surroundings. "I still don't get it. If the shard was broken, then that means… there are other pieces out there, right?"
Quinn nodded grimly, his expression serious. "Possibly. And if Saraphine wants it, then we're not the only ones looking for them."
Finn exhaled sharply, the weight of their task settling over him. "Great. So not only do we have to figure out why the shard was broken, but now we have to deal with someone else trying to put it back together?"
Aria's pulse quickened at the thought. Saraphine wasn't just after the shard—she wanted to restore it. But for what purpose? The power it held was unlike anything she had ever encountered, and Aria knew that the answers they sought could unlock far more than she was prepared for.
Kael's voice was quiet but firm, grounding her with his words. "If the old group went so far as to break the shard, then putting it back together must be dangerous." His gaze met Aria's, his eyes softening for a moment before his resolve returned. "We need to find the other pieces before she does."
Aria nodded, gripping the Lumina Shard around her neck. The warmth that had surged through her before was now a dull hum beneath her fingertips, like it had expended its energy revealing the past. She hoped the feeling would return, that the shard would give her something more—something tangible. But it didn't.
They walked in silence for a while, the air growing heavier with every step. It felt like the ruins themselves were watching, waiting. The passageway narrowed ahead, leading into a chamber shrouded in mist.
A distant sound reached her ears—faint, like the soft rustle of wind or the whisper of a far-off voice.
Then, a sound—faint, distant.
A whisper.
Aria stopped, her breath hitching. "Did you hear that?"
The others froze, exchanging uneasy glances. The air felt charged, like a storm was about to break.
Lyric scanned the shadows, adjusting her glasses with a quick motion. "Hear what?"
Another whisper. This time, they all heard it.
A voice, soft as silk but sharp as a blade. "You shouldn't be here."
The torches flickered violently, their flames twisting unnaturally, casting erratic shadows on the walls. The mist in the room thickened, coiling around them like living tendrils, suffocating the air and making it difficult to see clearly.
"Something's wrong," Finn muttered, his hand instinctively moving to his staff, fingers twitching in readiness.
The voice echoed again, stronger this time, like it had an urgency. "Turn back."
And then, from the darkness, figures emerged.
At first, they were nothing more than shifting silhouettes—distorted, flickering in and out of existence. But as they stepped closer, their forms solidified into something far more unsettling.
Warriors clad in tattered armor. Their faces were obscured by shadow, and their eyes—hollow, glowing with an eerie light—pierced through the darkness. Their movements were jerky, unnatural, like puppets guided by unseen strings.
Kael drew his sword in an instant, his stance tightening, muscles coiling in preparation for a fight. "We've got company."
Quinn's hands flickered with magic, energy crackling between his fingers. "They're not alive."
"Ghosts?" Finn asked, gripping his staff tighter, ready for the confrontation.
Quinn shook his head, his voice low with realization. "Worse. Echoes."
Aria's pulse pounded, her breath quickening. Echoes—fragments of the past, bound to a place of power. They weren't truly alive, but they weren't completely gone either. These weren't ordinary spirits; they were remnants, drawn to the temple's lingering magic.
One of the warriors stepped forward, its voice hollow and fragmented. "Turn back. Or be lost to the void."
The air pulsed with dark magic, thick with the oppressive weight of the ancient power that clung to the temple.
Without warning, the Echoes lunged, their movements fast and erratic, their weapons flashing in the dim light. Kael met the first one head-on, their swords clashing in a burst of sparks. The force of their strike sent a shockwave through the room, rattling the walls.
Aria barely had time to react before another Echo charged at her, its blade slashing through the air with deadly intent. She ducked, narrowly avoiding a sweeping strike, then rolled to the side, her heart hammering in her chest.
She reached for the Lumina Shard, hoping for some kind of reaction, some surge of power that could help her. But nothing came. The shard remained silent, cold beneath her fingertips.
Not now.
Lyric shouted a spell, a burst of fire erupting in front of her. The flames consumed one of the Echoes, but instead of burning, it only wavered, as though the fire was being rejected by the very essence of the Echo. The flames flickered and twisted, the creature's form bending and resisting reality itself.
"These things don't go down easy!" Finn yelled, his hands glowing with magic as he conjured a shield of light, blocking an incoming attack from another Echo.
Aria's thoughts raced as she rolled to her feet, barely avoiding another attack. The Echoes weren't like anything they had fought before. They weren't bound by the same laws of life and death. They were echoes of the past, fragments of something far older and more powerful.
"They're protecting something!" Aria shouted over the chaos, her voice barely audible above the sounds of the battle.
Kael deflected a strike and glanced at her, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"
"The Echoes! They're here because this place is important. We need to figure out what they're guarding!"
Quinn's eyes flashed with realization, his voice tinged with urgency. "There must be a focal point—something anchoring them here."
Aria scanned the chamber, her heart racing. Her eyes caught on something at the far end of the room, partially obscured by mist—a raised platform. At its center stood a pedestal, a faint glow emanating from its surface, pulsing in rhythm with the energy in the air.
"That's it!" she pointed, her voice sharp with certainty.
Kael and Finn moved in unison, charging forward to clear a path. Lyric covered them, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air as she summoned a blast of wind that swept through the Echoes, forcing them back, if only for a moment.
Aria sprinted toward the pedestal, her legs burning with the effort. The closer she got, the stronger the pull in her chest became. It was the same feeling she had at the First Gate—the same magnetic force that had drawn her to the Shard. But now, it was stronger, more insistent, like the very fabric of the temple was calling to her.
She reached out, her fingers brushing against the smooth surface of the pedestal—
The moment her fingers made contact, the entire room trembled.
A flash of light erupted around them, blinding and all-consuming. The air crackled with magic, and for a brief moment, everything stopped.
The Echoes froze in place, their forms flickering, their eerie glow fading until they were nothing more than wisps of smoke, dissolving into the mist. The silence that followed was deafening, as though the temple itself had held its breath.
Aria exhaled shakily, her hands still pressed against the pedestal. The glow beneath her fingers faded, leaving nothing but the faintest afterimage. But the presence of something ancient, something powerful, still lingered in the air, filling the room with an oppressive stillness.
Quinn stepped forward cautiously, his voice low and unsure. "What did you just do?"
Aria turned to him, her eyes wide with a mix of confusion and awe. "I don't know." She shook her head, trying to process what had just happened. "But I think we found what the Echoes were protecting."
Kael sheathed his sword, his expression unreadable. "And now we have to figure out why."
Aria nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. Whatever