The descent felt endless.
Kael, Lin, and Aelira moved in silence down the spiraling staircase hewn from translucent crystal. Each step echoed not just in sound, but in memory. Flickers of Kael's past—lives lived, battles fought, choices made—shimmered faintly along the walls, reflected as ghostly silhouettes frozen in moments of pain, love, and war.
Lin paused once, watching a flicker of Kael holding a young woman—different from her—at the edge of a battlefield, their foreheads pressed together in farewell. She said nothing, but Kael noticed. His hand reached out and found hers.
"Those aren't my choices," he said quietly. "Not anymore."
She didn't let go.
When the stairs ended, they emerged into a circular chamber that pulsed with a slow, deliberate rhythm—like the heartbeat of a sleeping god. In the center, floating above a dais of obsidian glass, hovered a tome unlike anything they had seen: The Codex of the First Pact.
It was enormous, bound in ethereal hide stitched with golden thread. Its pages turned slowly of their own accord, whispering in forgotten languages. Glyphs spiraled across its surface, shifting shape whenever they tried to focus.
Aelira moved first, scanning the room for traps or illusions. "There's something here… watching us."
Kael nodded. "The Codex is sentient. It's not just a book—it's a vessel. A memory keeper of all past Pactbearers."
As if in response, the Codex ceased turning pages. A glow formed above it, coalescing into an image—an old man, eyes blazing with starlight, his body composed of fragmented light and stone.
"I am Valek, the First Pactbearer," the echo said.
Kael stepped forward, breath tight in his chest. "You're the one from the vision. The one who fought the gods."
Valek's gaze passed over them all. "And you are the one who dares begin the cycle anew."
"I didn't choose this."
"No. But your soul did."
The Codex flared, and the chamber was plunged into visions:
— The forging of the First Pact, as cosmic forces knelt beside mortals.
— The breaking of that Pact, caused by betrayal from within.
— The cataclysm that followed: a celestial schism tearing through dimensions, killing gods, erasing cities from memory.
"Why show us this now?" Lin asked, her voice trembling.
Valek's eyes narrowed. "Because the final cycle begins. You must know the truth: the gods were not the architects of order. We were. The Pactbearers. But we became corrupted… twisted by power and fear."
Aelira tensed. "Then the gods—?"
"—rose to replace us. But they too failed."
Kael stepped closer. "Then what am I meant to do? Rebuild the Pact?"
Valek nodded solemnly. "Rebuild it. But not as it was. Choose your allies. Forge new bonds. Defy the cycles. But be warned…"
He turned, and the room trembled.
"…she remembers."
A shadow emerged behind the Codex—tall, crowned, with a thousand eyes and a voice like silk spun over bone.
"Hello again, Kael," she whispered. "Did you think I would remain forgotten?"
Kael froze. That voice. That presence.
Lin staggered, grabbing his arm. "Who is she?"
He looked up, eyes widening.
"Liora."
The name struck like lightning.
Kael's first pact… his greatest regret… and the one being who knew how to destroy everything he had become.
And she had returned.