The Keeper's celestial blade gleamed in the dim light of the Heart of the Archives, its edge brimming with divine energy. Celestine barely had time to process the weight of the knowledge she had just uncovered before the warrior lunged at her, his movements a blur of light and fury.
Elyndor reacted first, drawing his twin daggers in a flash. The clash of steel against the Keeper's weapon sent shockwaves through the chamber, making the ancient books tremble on their shelves. The runes on the walls flickered violently as if protesting the battle unfolding within their sacred space.
"Celestine, move!" Elyndor barked as he parried another strike, his golden eyes glowing with power.
Celestine stumbled back, her mind racing. The knowledge she had gained—it was too much, too overwhelming. The truth of the Forgotten One's past, the rewriting of history, the destruction of entire civilizations. She couldn't let it all be lost again.
The Keeper swung his weapon in a deadly arc, the air humming with divine wrath. "The knowledge you seek is forbidden!" his voice boomed. "It is not meant for mortal minds!"
"And yet, it exists," Celestine shot back, her voice firm despite the tremor in her hands. She forced herself to stand her ground. "If the gods went to such lengths to hide the past, then it must be a past worth remembering."
The Keeper hesitated for the briefest moment—a hesitation that Elyndor seized. With a quick step, he spun around the celestial warrior, his daggers slicing through the Keeper's armor. Light erupted from the wounds instead of blood, but the strike was enough to drive him back.
"Go! I'll hold him off!" Elyndor shouted.
Celestine clenched her fists. She knew what she had to do. The Heart of the Archives—the crystalline tome—held the key to everything. If she could unlock its secrets before the Keeper stopped her, she might be able to turn the tide.
The entity, silent until now, suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Celestine, the choice you make here will bind your fate to the Forgotten One's forever. There will be no return to the life you knew."
She met its gaze, resolve hardening in her chest. "I was never meant to live in ignorance."
With that, she turned back to the tome and placed her hands upon it once more. This time, she did not resist the flood of knowledge. She let it consume her, let the lost voices of history whisper their truths into her soul.
And then, the Heart of the Archives answered her call.
A burst of golden light surged outward, filling the chamber with an ethereal glow. The Keeper recoiled, shielding his eyes, while Elyndor leaped back just in time to avoid the explosion of energy. The shadows on the walls solidified, forming the shapes of forgotten rulers, warriors, and scholars—all those who had been erased from time.
Celestine's breath caught as she recognized one figure among them—the Forgotten One himself.
His form wavered like a reflection upon water, but his voice was clear. "You have freed the first fragment of truth, Celestine. But the gods will not stand idly by."
As the golden light dimmed, the Keeper straightened, his expression dark. He was not alone. More figures appeared in the chamber—other celestial warriors, their divine presence suffocating.
Elyndor let out a low curse. "We're outnumbered."
Celestine closed the crystalline tome, its power now pulsing within her very being. She had opened a door that could never be shut again.
"We run," she said, determination steel in her voice. "And we find the rest of the truth before the gods erase it once more."
As the Keepers advanced, Celestine, Elyndor, and the entity turned, vanishing into the endless corridors of the Archive. The battle for the truth had begun, and there was no turning back now.