The tunnels were darker now, the glow of the ancient carvings completely faded. Kael, Maren, and Rion walked in silence, their footsteps echoing through the stone corridors.
No one spoke about what had happened with the Keeper.
But Kael couldn't stop thinking about it.
The vision of his future self—standing in a world of ruin, alone, with blood on his hands—haunted him. The words "You will break the cycle… or you will become it." burned into his mind.
Maren eventually broke the silence. "We should rest before moving forward. We don't know what's waiting for us beyond this place."
Kael shook his head. "We can't stay here. That thing—whatever it was—it might not be the last one."
Rion sighed. "I hate to agree, but he's right. This place is cursed. We should—"
A distant rumble cut him off.
The ground beneath them trembled. Dust and loose stones fell from the ceiling. Then—
The tunnel behind them collapsed.
They barely had time to react. The force of the cave-in sent them stumbling forward, choking on dust.
Maren coughed. "No way back now."
Rion groaned. "You just had to say we should rest."
Kael didn't respond. He was staring at what lay ahead.
An archway, unlike any they had seen before. Its entrance was massive, covered in ancient glyphs that shimmered faintly, as if resisting the darkness. Beyond it was a long, narrow bridge suspended over a void of nothingness.
And at the other end—
A massive gate.
The air around it was heavy, pulsing with unseen power.
Kael clenched his fists.
This was it.
The true exit.
But something was waiting for them there.
They stepped onto the bridge, moving cautiously. The abyss beneath them seemed endless, swallowing the faint light of their torches.
As they neared the gate, Kael's shard burned.
He stopped, gripping his chest. His vision blurred—another vision threatening to pull him in.
But this time, it wasn't of the past.
It was now.
He saw himself standing at the gate, the shard in his hand glowing violently. He saw something emerging—a being of shadow and flame, towering, its presence suffocating.
And then—
Blood.
So much blood.
Kael gasped, snapping back to reality.
"Kael?" Maren was at his side, steadying him. "What's wrong?"
He turned to her, his voice tight.
"There's something beyond that gate."
Rion looked skeptical. "Well, no shit. If I had to guess, another ancient nightmare trying to kill us?"
Kael didn't laugh. "No. This is different."
Maren narrowed her eyes. "Different how?"
Kael took a slow breath. Then he spoke the words that made his stomach turn:
"It's waiting for me."
The moment they reached the gate, the air shifted.
A deep, hollow voice echoed through the chamber.
"You who carry the fragment of the Fallen Cycle… step forward."
Kael's body locked in place. The voice didn't come from beyond the gate.
It came from everywhere.
Maren and Rion immediately drew their weapons.
Rion muttered, "I swear to every god, if I have to fight another ancient ghost, I'm throwing myself into that abyss."
Kael, ignoring him, placed a hand on the cold metal of the gate.
And the world shattered.
Kael stood alone.
The chamber was gone. Maren and Rion were gone. The world around him was an empty void, stretching infinitely in all directions.
And in front of him—
A throne.
It was massive, carved from obsidian, covered in glowing crimson cracks.
Seated upon it was a man.
Tall. Cloaked in darkness. His face was obscured, but his eyes burned with blue fire—the same color as Kael's shard.
The man slowly rose.
And Kael felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.
Because he recognized him.
This was the figure from his visions.
The one who had stood at the end of the world.
The man who had witnessed the fall of everything.
And then the figure spoke.
"The world does not change. It only burns, again and again."
Kael's blood ran cold.
"I have seen the end, and I have seen the beginning. You are not the first, and you will not be the last."
Kael gritted his teeth. "Who are you?"
The man stepped closer. The void trembled beneath his presence.
And then—
"I am you."
Kael felt the words like a physical blow.
He stepped back, shaking his head. "No. That's not—"
The figure raised a hand, and Kael's shard exploded with power.
His mind filled with endless memories—lives he had never lived, wars he had never fought, choices he had never made.
And in all of them—
The world always burned.
The cycle always repeated.
Kael always failed.
The man's voice was a whisper now.
"You were never meant to win."
And with that—
Kael screamed.
The void shattered.
Kael collapsed onto the cold stone floor, gasping for air.
Maren and Rion were at his side instantly.
"Kael! What happened?!" Maren demanded.
He clutched his shard, his entire body trembling.
It was different now.
Something had changed.
And deep in his soul, Kael knew—
The path forward wasn't just about survival anymore.
It was about breaking the cycle.
Or being consumed by it.
Maren touched his shoulder. "Kael?"
He slowly stood, looking toward the gate.
His voice was quiet.
"…We keep moving."
And as the gate slowly creaked open, revealing what lay beyond—
Kael stepped forward.
No longer just running from the past.
But fighting for the future.
End of Arc 1
Next: Arc 2 – The Gathering Storm