The stairway from the ruined city led into silence — the kind of silence that pressed into Kael's ears, wrapped around his mind, and made every breath feel like it echoed forever. The walls turned smooth and obsidian-black, reflecting their tired faces as they climbed. It was like entering the mouth of a creature too ancient to remember its own name.
They emerged into a long corridor. But this was no ordinary hall. High above, motionless statues floated in midair — thousands of them — cloaked in shadowy robes with no faces, only single glowing eyes on their heads. They hovered, unmoving, yet their presence was suffocating.
Kael didn't need a shard to understand what they were.
"Watchers," he muttered.
"Watchers of what?" Daren asked, keeping his voice low.
"Of us," Veyr replied. "This is their domain."
Rina shivered. "I don't like this floor."
None of them did. The corridor stretched endlessly forward, and every time they moved, the statues shifted. Not visibly. But Kael could tell. They were watching. Judging.
And as they moved deeper, something began to change.
Their memories.
Kael blinked, and suddenly, he saw a village. Not this place. A different one — green fields, warm light. A girl laughing.
But then it vanished.
"What was that?" Rina gasped, holding her head. "I… I just saw my father. But he's been dead for years."
"It's the floor," Mier said, eyes darting around. "It's doing something to us."
Kael reached for the Shard of Memory.
It pulsed in his hand, steadying him.
The others began to struggle — hallucinations, whispers, flickers of past regrets. One by one, they were being drawn into their own minds. Only Kael stood firm, the shard protecting him.
He turned to the others. "Stay close. Touch the shard if you lose focus."
They nodded, each reaching for the shard in turn. The storm within their minds calmed, but the presence of the Watchers grew stronger.
A voice rang out.
It was not spoken. It was simply *there*.
"You carry what does not belong to you."
Kael looked up. One of the Watchers had descended. Its body was massive, swirling with runes and shadows. Its eye stared at him, ancient and unreadable.
Kael stepped forward. "I carry what was given freely. If you want it back, take it."
The Watcher paused.
Then it laughed — a deep, echoing sound like thunder rolling through a hollow mountain.
"Courage. Or arrogance. You walk the path of the Broken One. The god who defied all order. The one who ruled for seventeen thousand years and burned alone in the end."
Kael's heart skipped.
The god. The one whose power he would one day inherit.
"What do you know about him?" Kael demanded.
The Watcher leaned closer. "He was like you. Mortal. Defiant. He climbed the Tower not to conquer it, but to unmake it. And when he succeeded… the stars fell silent."
Behind Kael, the others listened in stunned silence.
"Why show me this?" he asked.
"Because you carry his shard. A fragment of his soul still lingers. If you wish to survive what lies ahead… you must prove you are more than just his echo."
The ground trembled.
From the black walls, four figures emerged — shaped like Kael and his companions, but wrong. Twisted reflections. Mirror-versions of themselves, each bearing dark copies of their powers.
Rina gasped. "They're us…"
Daren unsheathed his blade. "Then let's beat the shadows out of them."
The battle began.
Kael faced his own reflection — a hollow-eyed version of himself, its body wrapped in the same shards but pulsing with dark fire. Every strike was matched. Every dodge mirrored.
But Kael had something the shadow didn't — memory.
He called upon the Shard of Memory and let the echoes of fallen challengers guide his movements. His strikes grew faster, sharper, unpredictable.
He shattered his reflection with a final blow, light bursting from the wound.
Across the chamber, the others were victorious as well, breathing heavily but standing.
The Watcher's voice returned.
"You may pass. But be warned — this path was never meant for more than one."
Kael stared up. "I don't care. I'll change that."
The Watcher tilted its head, and for a moment, Kael thought it almost smiled.
Then it vanished.
A new staircase appeared. This one burned with violet light.
Kael turned to the others. "Let's go."
They climbed.
But the Watcher's words echoed behind them.
This path was never meant for more than one.
And the Tower… it was listening.