Three months had passed since that day—the day reality was reshaped. Aliana no longer gazed at the sky searching for the rift that had disappeared, nor did she instinctively return to the city square to check for Cyril, whom she hadn't seen since that first encounter on the morning of the new day.
Idolith had changed in subtle yet noticeable ways. The buildings were the same, the streets unchanged, but the colors were more vibrant, and the people more open. It was as if an invisible weight had been lifted from the entire city. The "Era of Forgetting" was no more, though not all memories had returned as they once were.
In the Library of Memory, Aliana was engrossed in studying an ancient manuscript, sitting alone in her usual corner. The manuscripts were no longer hidden, and the library was no longer a secret. In this new world, the library had become open to all, a center for knowledge and learning.
"Spending another night here?" came Selene's voice as she approached, carrying a small tray of food.
Aliana looked up and smiled at her friend. "There's so much to learn."
"About the Seven Crystals and the ancient cities?" Selene asked as she placed the tray on the table. "History is fascinating, but it's not worth losing your youth over."
History. That's how people saw the events now—ancient history, myths, and occurrences from thousands of years ago. No one remembered the Great Eclipse, the Eighth City, or Cairn and the Eternal Shadow. Or rather, everyone remembered different, sanitized, simpler versions of the truth.
"Any messages for me?" Aliana asked as she closed the manuscript.
Selene shook her head. "Nothing new. But the Council of Idolith wants you at a meeting tomorrow. Apparently, something interesting is coming from the Second City."
"Teralith," Aliana corrected automatically. "The City of Dreams."
Selene raised an eyebrow. "True, but no one uses the old names anymore."
"Some traditions are worth preserving," Aliana smiled, clutching the black crystal that hung from her neck. It was calm but strangely warm, as if it pulsed with a life of its own.
After Selene left, Aliana returned to the manuscript. For weeks, she had been searching for any mention, any hint of Cairn's presence in the new world. Official history spoke of the "Guardian of Balance"—a mythical being blending human and shadow, standing between worlds. But there was no mention of Cairn's name or how to contact this guardian.
Yet Aliana had found other signs—small markers, like the blue flower that occasionally appeared on her windowsill. Or the whispers she sometimes heard in the wind, in a voice that resembled his. And, of course, the dreams—where she sometimes saw him, standing somewhere between light and shadow, watching, waiting.
She closed the book and decided to return to her room. Tonight was an ordinary night in Idolith—warm lights, scattered laughter, life moving at its usual pace.
When she reached her room in the Crystal Tower, she found something new on her bed—a flower, but this time it was different. It wasn't blue but silver, glowing faintly in the darkness of the room.
"Cairn..." she whispered, picking up the flower gently.
The moment she touched it, she felt a slight tingling in her fingertips, and the black crystal on her chest flickered. Suddenly, the flower began to melt, turning into a silvery liquid that flowed through her fingers before evaporating gradually, leaving a small star-shaped mark on her palm.
She stared at the mark, which began to fade slowly, and felt something change within her. A new understanding, a deeper knowledge, as if a memory had been planted in her mind.
Teralith... the dream has begun...
The words formed in her mind—not as a voice, but as a feeling, a knowing. Teralith—the Second City, the City of Dreams, where Naiari once bore the Dream Crystal.
At that moment, she remembered Selene's words about the message from the Second City. It wasn't a coincidence. Cairn was trying to tell her something—something was happening in Teralith, something connected to the crystals, to the fragile balance of the new world.
Aliana stood and went to her window, overlooking the sleeping city of Idolith. In the distance, the mountains surrounding the city obscured the horizon, and beyond them, somewhere, was Teralith—the city she had visited just months ago with companions who no longer remembered her as they once did.
"I'll come," she whispered to the wind, as if she knew he could hear her. "I'll follow the sign."
When she awoke the next morning, the mark on her hand had completely disappeared. But the feeling remained—the urgency, the knowledge that something needed to be done. She moved quickly, dressing and heading to the Great Council Hall, where the mentioned meeting was to take place.
The Council Hall was located at the heart of Idolith, in a large white stone building with a crystal dome that allowed sunlight to stream inside. When she arrived, the meeting had already begun.
Six people sat around a circular table—the High Council of Idolith, responsible for the city and its surroundings. Among them were familiar faces: Chancellor Serena (who was once the "Keeper of Records" in the previous world), Lord Lucai (Cairn's forgotten friend), and Selene, who had become a council member a month ago.
"Ah, Aliana," Serena greeted her with a smile. "Thank you for joining us. We have a matter that concerns you directly."
Aliana took a seat, her eyes scanning the familiar and unfamiliar faces. "Selene told me there's a message from Teralith."
Serena nodded. "Yes. Three days ago, all communication with the Second City ceased. Our envoys have not returned, and trade routes have been cut off."
"And this is unusual?" Aliana asked, though she already knew the answer.
"Highly unusual," Lucai replied. "The Second City is one of the most open and connected. Losing contact suggests a serious problem."
What truly intrigued Aliana, however, was the city itself. Teralith, the City of Dreams, where the Dream Crystal resided. Was the city in danger? Was the crystal itself at risk?
"Shortly before communication was lost, we received this message," Serena said, extending a small scroll. "It was addressed to you personally."
Aliana took the scroll cautiously and opened it. The words were written in fine, elegant script, as though written in haste:
"To the Bearer of the Eighth Crystal,
The dream is fracturing. The Door of Horrors is opening. The Second Crystal is in danger.
We need one who remembers.
Hurry, before the nightmares seep into the waking world.
- N"
"N..." Aliana whispered to herself. "Naiari?"
"Do you recognize the sender?" Lucai asked, curious.
Aliana hesitated. In this new world, no one knew Naiari as she had—as a crystal bearer, as one of her companions on the journey. People remembered different, altered memories.
"I think so," she finally replied. "But why was the message addressed to me specifically?" Here, the council members exchanged hesitant glances before Serena spoke: "Because she addresses 'the Bearer of the Eighth Crystal'... and this title has long been known in ancient texts as a reference to the person who carries... well, the Crystal of Balance."
"And you, Aliana, carry a distinctive black crystal," Selene added calmly. "A strange crystal that resembles the description of the legendary Eighth Crystal."
Aliana was stunned. She hadn't expected that the people of this new world would associate her with "the Bearer of the Eighth Crystal." She thought this truth, like many others, had been altered or forgotten.
"Do you think I should go to Teralith?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.
"The council believes so," Serena nodded. "You are a researcher of ancient history, an expert on crystals, and apparently, the sender knows you. You might be the only one capable of understanding what's happening there."
"And what exactly are you asking me to do?"
"Reach Teralith, understand the reason for the communication cut-off, and provide assistance if possible. We'll send a small team with you."
Aliana thought for a moment. She knew this was no coincidence—the message, the silver flower, the signs all pointed in the same direction. Cairn was trying to tell her something, guiding her toward the Second City.
"I'll go," she finally said. "But I prefer to choose my own team."
Serena nodded in agreement. "Alright. Who do you want to take with you?"
"Selene," Aliana said immediately. "And Limon... if he's still in Eidolith."
"Limon?" Lukai asked, surprised. "The Border Guard Captain?"
Aliana nodded. "I've known him for a long time. He's an excellent warrior, and we'll need his skills if we face any danger."
After a brief discussion, the council approved her request. It was decided that the group would depart the following morning, equipped with supplies, maps, and official decrees from the Eidolith Council.
When the meeting ended, Selene pulled Aliana aside. "Why did you request my company? I'm not a warrior, nor an expert in crystals."
Aliana looked at her directly. "Because there's a part of you that remembers, Selene. Even if you don't realize it. You were with me in Teralith before... and we met Nyari there."
Selene's eyes widened in surprise. "Nyari? Do you mean the sender of the message? I don't recall ever meeting her."
"It's alright," Aliana smiled. "You will remember... when we get there."
That night, Aliana had an unusual dream. She was standing in a vast square, surrounded by tall columns of white crystal. The sky above her was neither blue nor black but a blend of shimmering colors, as if it were between two worlds.
"You heard my call."
She turned to find Cairn standing beside her. He looked just as he had the last time she saw him in the Eighth City—a balanced mix of human and shadow, his eyes asymmetrical, and a glowing dark blue mark on his forehead.
"Is this real? Or just a dream?" she asked him.
"Both, and neither," Cairn replied, a calm smile on his face. "I am reaching out to you from the liminal space between worlds, the place I chose to be a guardian."
"Why Teralith? What's happening there?" Aliana asked, trying to make the most of every moment in this encounter.
"The balance we created is fragile, Aliana. The nature of reality itself changed when I merged with the Eternal Shadow and with my future self. But not everything settled properly."
"You mean the Seven Crystals?"
Cairn nodded. "The crystals returned to their places in the Seven Cities, but their power has changed. They no longer function in the same way. And in Teralith... there is an entity that was never meant to exist in this world. An entity attempting to exploit the Dream Crystal."
"An entity like what?" Aliana asked, feeling uneasy.
"A shard... a shard of the Eternal Shadow, the part that couldn't merge. A distorted, unstable fragment. You might call it 'The Echo of the Shadow.'"
"And what does it want with the Dream Crystal?"
"It seeks to open a passage to the Dream Realm, a parallel world to reality. If it succeeds, a door to nightmares will open into our world, and the balance will begin to collapse."
A shiver ran through Aliana's body. "How do I stop it?"
"First, you must find Nyari. In this new world, she is the unofficial guardian of the Dream Crystal. She inherited this role from her ancestors, even though she doesn't remember being the official bearer of the crystal in the previous reality."
"And after I find her?"
"The Eighth Crystal you carry is the key. It has the power to restore balance, to close the doors that shouldn't be opened. But, Aliana... this is only the beginning."
"The beginning?"
Cairn nodded with concern. "The Echo of the Shadow is not the only threat. There are... other fractures in the balance, in other cities. This is why I need you—to be my eyes and hands in the reshaped world."
Cairn stepped forward and took Aliana's hands. The sensation of his touch was real despite being in a dream, warm, strong, and alive.
"I wish I didn't have to draw you into this," he said regretfully. "But you're the only one who remembers the full truth. The only one who understands what's at stake."
"I'll do it, Cairn," Aliana said with determination. "I'll protect the balance you created."
Cairn smiled, and for a moment, it seemed like he was about to say something else. But the world around them began to fade, the square and the columns blurring.
"Time is running out," he said quickly. "I'll be with you, Aliana. Not physically, but I'll guide you whenever I can. Trust the crystal, and listen to it. It's a part of me... and a part of the Eternal Shadow."
Then, before he disappeared entirely, he added: "And Aliana... be cautious of memories. Not all returning memories are true. Some... may be misleading."
Aliana woke up abruptly, sitting upright in her bed, her heart pounding. The black crystal on her chest was faintly glowing, then gradually dimmed.
Dawn was breaking over Eidolith, and the day of the journey had begun.