Part 1: The Whispering City
Sylvaen stepped forward hesitantly, her boots clicking against the smooth stone streets of Elarion. The city hummed with an unnatural energy, the air thick with something ancient and watchful. Towers of shimmering crystal stretched into the sky, their surfaces pulsing with veins of light—blue, silver, gold, shifting with an unseen rhythm.
This place was alive.
And yet, it was not welcoming.
As she and Kaelen walked deeper into the city, she felt the weight of hidden eyes pressing against her, unseen figures lurking just beyond the glow of the towering structures. The streets were lined with people—humans, but also beings who seemed slightly different—their eyes sharper, their skin touched with the glow of Skyshard energy.
She had never seen anything like them.
A soft murmuring drifted through the air as she passed, voices whispering in a language she barely understood. But she caught fragments.
"She is the one… the lost Echo…"
"Impossible. She is too young."
"If she wields the Skyshard, the Council must know…"
Sylvaen clenched her fists. She had never liked being stared at. And now, in a city that seemed both wondrous and ominous, she felt exposed.
Kaelen noticed her tension but didn't slow his pace. He moved with confidence through the streets, past towering statues of warriors with celestial blades, past fountains that shimmered with glowing water.
Finally, he spoke. "They are wary of you."
Sylvaen shot him a look. "No kidding."
"They do not trust outsiders," he continued. "Especially ones carrying fragments of the Skyshard."
Sylvaen felt the weight of the Shard pulse against her chest, its energy tethered to her very soul. "Why? I thought you said they were like me."
Kaelen's expression darkened. "They were. Once. But the Skyborne have grown… divided."
Sylvaen stopped walking. "Divided how?"
Kaelen hesitated, as if unsure how much to tell her. Then, with a sigh, he said, "You will see soon enough."
Before Sylvaen could press him further, a group of figures emerged from the shadows of a nearby corridor.
They wore long robes, dark blue and embroidered with symbols she did not recognize. The tallest among them, a woman with piercing silver eyes, stepped forward.
"Kaelen," she said, her voice smooth but firm. "You return with a stranger."
Kaelen nodded. "She is not a stranger. She is the Echo."
A ripple of unease passed through the group. The woman's expression did not change, but Sylvaen felt the weight of her gaze, as if she were being studied like a puzzle missing its final piece.
"Then the Council must decide her fate," the woman said. She turned on her heel. "Follow me."
Kaelen motioned for Sylvaen to walk beside him. "This is Councilor Idris," he murmured. "She speaks for the Elders of Elarion."
Sylvaen's gut tightened. She had a feeling this meeting would not be friendly.
Part 2: The Trial of Light
The Council Hall was unlike anything Sylvaen had seen before.
A massive dome of crystal and stone, its ceiling stretched so high that it seemed to merge with the stars above. The walls pulsed with veins of Skyshard energy, their glow forming strange, shifting patterns.
And in the center of the vast chamber stood the Elders of Elarion.
Five figures, cloaked in shimmering robes, stood in a perfect circle. Their faces were obscured by hollow masks, their forms barely human—some taller than they should be, others radiating energy that made the air hum.
Sylvaen swallowed hard.
One of them—an Elder with a voice like a slow-burning fire—spoke first. "You carry the last Skyshard. Do you understand what that means?"
Sylvaen hesitated. She wasn't sure she did.
"I know it's powerful," she admitted. "And I know the Hollow Chorus wants it."
"The Hollow Chorus wants more than the Skyshard," another Elder said, their voice layered with echoes. "They seek to unravel the Veil itself. To return the world to nothingness."
Sylvaen's blood ran cold.
She had always assumed the Hollow Chorus were monsters—relentless, destructive creatures of shadow. But what if they were something worse?
"What do you mean 'unravel the Veil'?" she asked.
The Elders exchanged glances. Finally, Councilor Idris stepped forward.
"The Veil is what separates our world from the Abyss," she said. "Long ago, the Hollow Chorus were not creatures of shadow. They were once Skyborne, like us. But they sought to claim all of the Skyshards' power for themselves. In their greed, they tore open the Veil."
Sylvaen's heart pounded. "You mean… they created the Hollow Chorus?"
Idris nodded. "And if they succeed in breaking the Veil completely, they will consume everything."
A heavy silence filled the chamber.
Sylvaen tightened her grip around the Skyshard's energy. She had spent so long fighting—fleeing—surviving. But now she understood. This was not just a battle for power.
This was a war for existence itself.
The Elder with the fire-like voice spoke again. "That is why we cannot allow the Skyshard to remain in untrained hands. You must prove yourself, Echo."
Sylvaen frowned. "Prove myself how?"
Idris stepped forward. "You must face the Trial of Light. If you pass, the Skyborne will stand with you. If you fail… the Skyshard will be taken from you."
Sylvaen's breath caught.
Taken?
She clenched her fists. No. The Skyshard had chosen her. She wouldn't let them take it away.
Lifting her chin, she met Idris's piercing gaze.
"Fine," she said. "I'll take your trial."
Part 3: Into the Crucible
The trial chamber was carved into the mountain itself, a place of stone and light, where echoes of past warriors still lingered in the air. The walls pulsed with ancient magic, forming a circle of runes that trapped Sylvaen within its boundaries.
Kaelen stood at the edge of the chamber, his expression unreadable. Idris and the other Elders watched from above.
"The Trial of Light is not a test of strength," Idris said. "It is a test of will. Of heart."
Sylvaen took a steady breath.
The air shifted.
A figure materialized before her—a shape formed of pure golden energy, its form shifting between human and something more. When it spoke, its voice was a thousand voices layered as one.
"Do you fear the truth?"
Sylvaen's pulse quickened. "No."
The being extended a hand of light, and suddenly—
She was not in the chamber anymore.
She was standing in the ruins of her past.
The village where she had grown up burned around her, flames licking the sky. Shadows moved through the fire—figures of the Hollow Chorus, the same ones who had destroyed her home.
And then—
A voice.
Soft. Familiar.
She turned.
And saw him.
Her brother.
Standing in the fire, his face filled with something she could not understand.
Pain.
Regret.
And something far worse.
"Sylvaen," he whispered. "Why did you leave me?"
A scream tore through her soul.
And the Trial of Light had only just begun.
To Be Continued...
This is Chapter 8, Part 1 & 2. The Trial of Light will force Sylvaen to face the deepest truths of her past and decide if she is truly worthy of the Skyshard's power.
Let me know if you want Part 3 & 4 expanded or any changes!