The air inside the Tower of Aarvak was colder than it had been on the first floor. Mist drifted along the edges of the stone stairs, each step glowing faintly like it had a heartbeat of its own. My clothes were torn from the earlier battles, but the pendant around my neck pulsed gently, keeping my energy steady.
After clearing the first stage, I had expected the path ahead to be easier — it wasn't. Strange shadows roamed these halls, born from forgotten elements of magic and time. Still, I pressed on. Every challenge made me stronger; every obstacle revealed something new about who I was becoming.
When I reached the fifth gate, a bright rune appeared on my left palm. The symbol rotated slowly, forming the shape of a wing made from wind and flame. The door before me trembled once before sliding open.
I stepped forward, and suddenly everything changed.
The world around me turned into a vast valley filled with silver dust and blue rivers of light. A gentle breeze blew from nowhere, carrying voices — faint whispers, like the island itself was breathing.
"This is the Trial of Memory," said the Aetherion Ring in a calm voice. "Every Guardian you meet, Mukul, will hold a fragment of Aarvak's forgotten truth. Face this guardian, and you may learn part of the world's lost past."
"I'm ready," I said quietly.
The silver dust swirled together before me, shaping into a figure — tall, slender, and radiant. She looked human but shone like a comet. Her long white hair flowed past her waist, and her eyes were violet, glowing with ancient power.
"I am Seraphina, the Second Guardian of the Tower," she said softly, her voice echoing through the entire valley. "Keeper of Wind and Memory".
Seraphina lifted her hand, and the ground beneath me rippled like water. Dozens of wind blades formed around her, circling like petals.
"Prove the strength of your heart," she said.
Before I could speak, the storm began.
Blades flew toward me at impossible speed. I reacted on instinct, drawing my spirit blade, Astra, and channelling the pendant's energy through it. Lightning cracked around my wrist as I blocked and deflected, each collision shaking the valley.
Seraphina moved like light itself, every motion graceful and controlled. "Your energy carries sorrow," she said while attacking. "You seek truth but fear what it might show."
"I'm not afraid," I shouted, sending a surge of power through the ground that split the dust open like a wave.
"Then prove it."
She vanished from sight and reappeared behind me, her palm glowing bright turquoise. I turned just in time, channelling the Soul Pulse Barrier, one of my earlier techniques. Wind and light smashed together, creating a shockwave that lifted silver dust high into the sky.
When the storm faded, both of us stood still — breathing, waiting, understanding.
Then Seraphina smiled slightly. "Enough. You have passed."
The blades of wind scattered into sparkling motes around us, fluttering like snowflakes. The air turned calm again.
"You fight not only with strength," she said, walking closer, "but with purpose. That is what separates warriors from destroyers."
I gazed up at her. "Why are these guardians here, really? I can feel there's more to each of you than tests."
Her expression softened. "Because we are pieces of memory — fragments left by Aarvak's fallen gods. When the island sank into silence, our souls were sealed within the Tower to preserve what once was."
"A memory of what?"
"The truth of your world."
Before I could ask more, she placed a glowing hand over my forehead. "Then see it yourself."
In an instant, a vision filled my mind.
I saw Aarvak Island before its destruction — lush forests alive with spirits, towers of gold rising from the ocean, and winged beings walking beside humans. At the centre stood a temple surrounded by light.
But something changed. The light dimmed. Storms of corrupted energy spread across the sky. The gods who once blessed the island began to fall one by one, their power twisting into fragments that later became the trials of the Tower.
And then I saw myself — or someone who looked like me — standing beneath the collapsing temple, holding the same pendant I wore now.
The vision blurred, and I gasped, stepping back.
"What... what was that?"
Seraphina's eyes glowed faintly. "A fraction of your own past. You are tied to the rebirth of Aarvak, Mukul. But only when you meet all seven Guardians will the full truth return."
"Seven?" I repeated.
"Yes," she said, her tone soft as wind. "Each one guards a different aspect of your destiny — power, memory, heart, time, soul, creation, and love."
Her image began to fade slowly into light.
"When you find the seventh, you will find who you truly are."
Her form dissolved completely, leaving behind a floating crystal feather glowing blue. I held it carefully, feeling warmth seep into my hand. The pendant reacted, absorbing the feather into itself.
A new rune appeared on my wrist — the symbol of the Second Guardian. My strength rose instantly, my senses sharper than before.
"The power of Memory and Wind," the Etherion Ring whispered. "You now hold Seraphina's blessing. The Tower awaits your next step."
I looked up at the stairs forming from the light ahead of me. My body ached, but my spirit felt stronger than ever.
"Seraphina," I whispered, glancing back one last time, "thank you."
The wind carried a faint answer — her voice, gentle and far away.
"Walk forward, Mukul Sharma. The island remembers because you do."
And as I climbed higher into the glowing halls above, I realised that every Guardian I met wasn't just testing me—they were awakening pieces of my own forgotten past.
One truth at a time, one memory at a time, I was reclaiming the destiny buried beneath Aarvak's silence.