Chapter 41: Return to Reality
Suddenly, I found myself back in the temple, but something had changed. The lights around the stone had faded, and the air had become incredibly heavy.
"Eiad!" Lilia's voice pierced the silence. She ran toward me, her eyes filled with concern.
"What happened?" she asked, her face pale.
I took a deep breath and told her everything I had seen during that journey through time. I told her about the burning city and the figure I had seen there. I spoke of the strange voice and the dark eyes.
"I saw... something in the future, something dark. There's something bigger than ever before."
Lilia covered her mouth, her eyes widening in shock. She knew exactly what this meant.
"You've opened a gate between times, Eiad," she said in a low voice. "You've seen the future... you've seen what will happen if we don't stop it."
The words she spoke were heavy. "If we don't stop it? What does that mean?"
"The figure you saw... it's not just a being of darkness. It's an ancient entity, one that ruled this world for ages. Now, it's returning, and we are the ones who must stop it."
That moment marked the beginning of what I had feared. The darkness was not just a threat that had been vanquished; it was the start of something greater, something that could destroy everything.
Chapter 42: Hints from the Past
Days passed since the incident in the temple, but everything remained blurry in my mind. The voice, the vision, the mysterious figure that appeared in the realm of time... it all haunted me in my dreams. But the thing I couldn't ignore was what Lilia had said: "It's an ancient entity... and it's returning now."
I didn't understand what she meant. How could an ancient being return now? And where had it been all these ages?
One day, I decided to go on a journey to search for answers. Lilia warned me, but she knew that I couldn't stop. I needed to understand everything. We decided to head toward ancient temples believed to hold secrets from past ages.
Chapter 43: The Ancient Temples
The first temple was deep in the forest, far from any towns or settlements. Giant trees surrounded the place as if protecting it, and the air was thick with the strange scent of herbs and plants. This forest might have been full of secrets, but I knew that the temple was what mattered now.
We entered the temple cautiously, and although it was partially ruined by time, the magic emanating from it was still powerful. The atmosphere was dark, and a feeling of melancholy hung over the place.
Inside the temple, there was an ancient stone tablet covered in magical symbols I couldn't decipher. It seemed to tell an old story, one about a great being that had ruled the world in past ages, someone who could control time and space.
As I approached the tablet, I felt something strange in the air. There was an invisible energy that seemed to flow through my body, as though I was about to uncover something immense.
"Eiad, don't touch that," Lilia said with concern. "You don't know what it could open."
But it was too late. At that moment, I couldn't stop myself—I reached out and touched the stone tablet.
Immediately, the magical symbols began to glow, and I heard a faint voice speaking in an ancient language:
"The coming will be a struggle for survival. Everything in this world is at the mercy of darkness."
Lilia stepped back, her eyes filled with fear.
"Eiad... what have you done?"
Then, as if time itself had stopped, the symbols muttered, and the image of the ancient entity appeared before us. It was a distorted image, its red eyes and vague features causing terror. Its voice shook my mind:
"You've summoned me. Now, you will face the consequences."
The image suddenly disappeared, leaving us in complete silence.
Chapter 44: The Hidden Power
I couldn't sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, the figure of the ancient entity would return to haunt me, and those deep words we had heard echoed in my mind: "The coming will be a struggle for survival."
Then, suddenly, I felt something strange in my body. A magical power was flowing within me, as though I had gained something new. I tried to focus on this energy, and I found that I could move things around me with my mind alone. It was an incomprehensible force, but I felt it might hold the key to understanding what was happening.
The next day, I spoke to Lilia about the new power I had acquired. She was surprised but not shocked. It seemed like there was something bigger than we knew behind this power.
"Maybe that power was part of the simulation of time, part of the ancient plan we didn't know existed," Lilia said slowly. "But it could also be a test, a trial of your endurance."
I felt anxious, but I was determined to continue. If this power was part of a greater battle, then I was the one who had to stand against the darkness.
Chapter 45: Seeking the Truth
In the days that followed, we began our journey in search of more clues. Lilia suggested that we needed to search through ancient records that contained information about the ancient entity and its rule over time. There were rumors of old writings in a distant kingdom that might hold these secrets.
We decided to go there, to the city surrounded by magical walls that hid priceless knowledge. The journey was long, and the days passed slowly, but I knew that each step brought me closer to the truth that had been hidden from me.
Everything pointed to the fact that returning to the past was just the beginning.
End of Chapter 45