The night sky hung heavy over the forest of Veylun, bathed in an eerie crimson glow as the second moon rose—larger, fuller, and blood-red. The trees stood silent, almost reverent, as if they too felt the weight of what was to come.
Eira adjusted the straps of her satchel and stepped quietly through the underbrush. Each leaf beneath her boot crunched like glass, betraying her every move. She turned to glance at Kael, who walked just a few paces behind her, his face set in grim concentration.
"This path feels wrong," he whispered.
She nodded. "That's because it is. But the orb led us here."
Indeed, the orb had pulsed violently the moment they passed the stone archway hours ago. Now, nestled in Eira's palm, it glowed faintly, its light flickering like a nervous heartbeat. Something was ahead. Something ancient.
They reached a clearing surrounded by twisted oaks that stretched like gnarled hands toward the sky. At the center stood a stone pedestal, cracked and weathered, yet untouched by time. Atop it lay a small dagger—its hilt made of bone, its blade shimmering with faint blue runes.
Kael froze. "That's..."
"The Dagger of Echoes," Eira finished, her voice barely a breath.
The artifact they'd only heard of in hushed legends. Said to pierce not just flesh but memory and soul.
As Eira stepped closer, the orb vibrated violently, then dimmed. She felt the air shift. A deep cold began to sink into her skin, creeping like frost beneath her armor. She reached for the dagger.
"Wait!" Kael grabbed her wrist. "Touching it might trigger—"
The ground trembled. A rumble rose beneath their feet, followed by a high-pitched ringing that pierced the air. Shadows spilled from the trees like ink, taking form—twisted humanoid figures with hollow faces and smoky tendrils for limbs.
Wraiths.
Kael drew his sword. "Too late!"
The first wraith lunged toward Eira, shrieking. She ducked, rolling to the side, and flung a bolt of arcane energy from her palm. The wraith screeched and dissolved, but two more took its place.
Kael moved like a dancer, blades slicing through shadow, each swing trailing silver light. "There's too many!"
Eira turned toward the dagger. She had no choice.
She grasped the hilt.
A sudden flash of light blinded her. Then the world fell away.
—
She stood alone in darkness. No ground beneath her, no sky above. Only void.
"Where—?"
"You have touched what should remain buried," a voice boomed. Male, ancient, and vibrating with sorrow.
A figure appeared—tall, cloaked in layers of smoke, its face hidden behind a veil of stars.
Eira's voice shook. "Who are you?"
"I am the Keeper of the Forgotten. The Echo left behind when gods fled this world."
The dagger floated between them, its runes now blazing. "You seek to open the Rift. To find the one who bears your soul's twin."
Eira stepped forward. "I seek the truth. I seek answers."
The Keeper tilted his head. "The truth requires sacrifice. The dagger binds past and present. Through it, you will see all—but you may not return the same."
Eira clenched her fists. "I'll risk it."
"So be it."
The dagger rose. Light poured from it, and images surged into her mind.
A city of silver towers falling beneath a storm of fire.
A man with Kael's face, cloaked in red, standing over her corpse.
A scream.
A child born beneath the eclipse—eyes like hers, but glowing gold.
She staggered backward. "What... was that?"
"Your fate. Or one possible thread of it. The dagger shows paths, not certainties. Your choices still matter."
The void trembled.
"They come," the Keeper said.
Suddenly, Eira was back in the clearing. Kael was on his knees, slashing wildly as wraiths closed in.
She didn't hesitate.
With one swing, she plunged the dagger into the earth.
A ripple exploded from the point of impact, like a dropped stone into a still lake. Wraiths howled and vanished in bursts of stardust. The crimson glow faded from the sky, replaced by the soft silver of the true moon.
Kael looked up, panting. "What... was that?"
Eira pulled the dagger free. "A warning."
She turned to him, her expression hardening. "I saw something. You... you were different. Dangerous."
Kael's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know yet. But something inside you changes. Or will change."
He stepped closer. "Eira, I don't know what you saw, but I'm still me."
"For now," she whispered.
The orb pulsed again. Brighter. Urgent.
They both turned toward the direction it pointed.
The forest parted ahead, revealing a massive stone staircase leading underground, framed by obsidian statues of cloaked figures with hollow eyes. The path down glowed faintly, as if lit by veins of light within the stone.
"The Portal Chamber," Kael muttered.
"Then that's where we go," Eira said.
She tucked the dagger into her belt and started forward, not looking back.
Behind her, Kael hesitated—just for a moment—his fingers twitching as if resisting an unseen pull.
Then he followed.
The moon above turned pale once more. But somewhere in the far distance, another shadow stirred.
And it knew their names.