The ruins whispered.
Every stone in Theran'Quel felt etched with breathless memory—half-crumbled spires, overgrown sigils glowing faintly beneath moss, and the soft humming of air that seemed to come from beneath the ground. Elara stepped carefully, the gold key dangling from her neck like a compass needle twitching toward some invisible truth.
Kai trailed behind, sword drawn, less for battle and more for comfort.
"I don't like it," he muttered. "It's too quiet. Too still."
"It's waiting," Elara said softly. "This place was once alive with magic. You can feel it… like bones remembering a heartbeat."
Ahead of them, the Watcher stood beside a jagged archway carved into what had once been a temple gate. Its surface was lined with faded runes—some of which pulsed faintly as Elara approached.
"The fragment lies below," the Watcher said, voice as unreadable as ever.
Elara narrowed her eyes. "Below? As in… buried?"
"Guarded," he corrected. "By one who remembers."
Kai rolled his eyes. "That's not ominous at all."
The Watcher turned. "He was once called Cael the Vault-Keeper. When Theran'Quel fell, he chose to be sealed with its secrets. He has not spoken in centuries."
"And he'll just hand over the mirror shard because… what? We ask nicely?" Kai asked.
"No," the Watcher said. "He'll test you."
Before Elara could respond, the ground beneath them shifted—subtle at first, then violently. Runes along the temple floor flared to life, and the ancient gate opened with a deep groan. Wind howled up from within, thick with dust and magic.
Elara stepped forward without hesitation. "Let's meet the past."
---
The descent was slow, spiraling downward into a deep-rooted catacomb lit only by flickering sigil-light. At the base, they entered a chamber shaped like a vault. In its center stood a figure—stone still, cloaked in layered robes, hands resting on the hilt of a massive staff embedded in the floor.
He raised his head when they stepped in. His eyes were pale like weathered glass.
"Elara," he said.
She froze. "You… know my name?"
"You bear the Key," Cael said. "I have waited long. The echoes warned me. The Gate trembles."
Kai blinked. "Why does everyone talk like a spooky prophecy?"
"Because they remember what you've forgotten," Cael answered calmly.
Elara stepped forward. "We need the mirror shard. Maevra has already broken one seal—she's unleashed something… worse."
"I know," Cael said. "The Woken Star stirs. But truth is not a weapon to be handed over. It must be proven."
He raised his staff. The vault shimmered.
And suddenly… Elara was alone.
---
The chamber had shifted. Gone were the stone walls—now she stood in a twisted mirror of the Guardian Grove, but blackened, wrong, like memory dipped in poison. Voices echoed from the trees—familiar, taunting.
"Elara," her mother's voice. "You left me behind."
"No," Elara said, her hands shaking. "This isn't real."
"You failed," came Kai's voice. "You let her fall. Maevra still lives. The war isn't over."
She covered her ears. "Stop it!"
Then the final voice came. Her own.
"I am not the Keeper. I'm just scared. I'm tired. I don't want this."
The forest cracked apart.
And in its place stood a younger version of herself—barefoot, eyes wide, holding a shattered key in trembling fingers.
"You never wanted the truth," the younger Elara said. "You just wanted to run."
"No," Elara whispered. "I used to run. But not anymore."
She stepped forward. "You're afraid. I get that. So am I. But we're not broken anymore. We're not hiding. We're choosing."
The young Elara looked up, startled.
Elara took the shattered key from her and held it to her chest. "This isn't about being ready. It's about rising even when you aren't."
Light erupted around her.
The illusion cracked.
---
When she opened her eyes, she was back in the vault. Cael had lowered his staff. His face was calm.
"You passed."
Elara nodded, exhausted but steady. "The shard."
Cael knelt and lifted a polished fragment from beneath the floor—glowing with deep purple light, pulsing in rhythm with the key around Elara's neck.
"Two pieces remain," he said. "And the path forward will not be so kind."
She took the shard. "I don't need kindness. I need clarity."
Kai gave a low whistle. "Well. That was the creepiest fetch quest I've ever seen."
Cael actually smiled. "Your friend masks fear with humor. It is wise."
"I'm basically a genius," Kai said, adjusting his grip on his sword.
Elara turned to Cael. "What happens when we gather all the pieces?"
"The Gate will open," Cael said. "And the Keeper's Choice will be made."
"What choice?"
But he did not answer. He only turned and faded back into the vault's silence.
---
Hours later, back in the trees above the ruin, Elara stood under starlight.
She held the mirror shard up to the sky.
One down. Two to go.
But with each step, the pull of the key grew stronger—and so did the weight behind Maevra's warning.
Other powers were waking.
The question wasn't whether Elara would find them.
It was whether she would survive them.