The return to Vaelor was marked by a heavy silence. The city's streets seemed different now — every shadow hid the possibility of elven retaliation, every casual glance felt laden with suspicion. The fragments in my backpack now emitted a soft, steady pulse, as if they had gained a life of their own after the events in the Sunken Temple.
Madame Lenore awaited us at the inn's entrance, her arms crossed and a sharp smile on her lips. "Did you think I'd forget? Seven hundred coins, or I'll go to the guild and share some interesting stories about the city's 'hero.'"
Liriel began to protest, but I cut her off. "You'll have your money in three days."
The madame laughed. "Three days? And how do you intend to get seven hundred coins in three days? Will you rob another brothel?"
It was Elara who surprisingly replied, "We have our methods, madame. And if we pay in advance, perhaps you could offer a discount?"
Madame Lenore's expression shifted from cynical to intrigued. "A discount, you say? Five hundred coins if you pay by noon tomorrow."
When she left, Vespera whistled softly. "Five hundred coins in a day? Even for us, that's impossible."
That was when an elderly man in worn academic robes approached hesitantly. "Forgive the intrusion, but I overheard you might be seeking profitable work?"
He introduced himself as Professor Arion, a historian from the Royal University specializing in ancient artifacts. His eyes gleamed when he mentioned the fragments.
"There are rumors," he whispered, "about what happened in Aquendra. And what if I told you I can not only pay your debts but also help you understand what you're carrying?"
Liriel studied the professor warily. "Mortals and their obsessions with knowledge. What do you want in return?"
Arion smiled, showing yellowed teeth. "Merely the chance to study the fragments. There's a nearby ruin — the Celestial Observatory — where I can examine them properly. I'll pay six hundred coins."
The offer was too good to be true, but our options were limited. We agreed to meet him at the Observatory by nightfall.
The path to the Observatory was a steep climb up the Mountain of Whispers, where the wind seemed to carry voices from the past. The place was a circular structure open to the sky, with ancient astronomical instruments scattered all around.
"Magnificent!" Arion exclaimed when I showed him the fragments. "They really changed after Aquendra, didn't they?"
Elara looked surprised. "How did you know that?"
The professor ignored the question, fitting the fragments into a central device that looked as if it had been made specifically for them. "The Observatory wasn't just for studying stars, you know? It was a place to study the barriers between worlds."
As Arion worked, Vespera pulled me aside. "I don't like this, Takumi. He knows too much."
Liriel nodded. "This place… there are traces of forbidden magic here. Magic of divination and sight across planes."
It was already too late. Arion activated the device, and the fragments shone with a blinding intensity. Instead of projecting stars, the Observatory began to show visions — glimpses of other times, other places.
"What did you do?" I shouted, shielding my eyes.
"Exactly what needed to be done!" Arion replied, his voice filled with rapture. "The fragments aren't seeds — they're memories! Memories of the very fabric of reality!"
The visions became clearer: we saw the creation of the first portals between worlds, the rise and fall of civilizations, and... the birth of the Demon King himself as a fallen god.
Liriel stepped back, shocked. "This… this is forbidden knowledge even for the gods!"
Arion laughed, an unpleasant and triumphant sound. "Exactly! And now it's mine!"
But the Observatory began to collapse under the strain of the released energy. Pieces of the ceiling fell as the visions grew more chaotic.
"We have to stop this!" Elara shouted, trying to reach the central device.
Vespera fired an arrow that struck the mechanism, but it only made things worse. The visions now included future events — battles, betrayals, and something that looked like our own deaths.
That was when Kaelen and his elves appeared at the entrances of the Observatory. "Did you think you could escape, humans? And you, Arion, betraying your own people for forbidden knowledge?"
The professor looked terrified. "Kaelen! You don't understand — what I've discovered here could save all worlds!"
"Or destroy them!" the elven ambassador retorted, brandishing his blade.
While the elves and the professor faced off, Liriel pulled me toward the device. "Takumi, the fragments! They respond to you — try to calm them!"
I placed my hands on the pulsating fragments, and a wave of inexplicable calm spread through me. The visions slowed down, focusing on a single scene: a crystal garden where all realities met in harmony.
"The Garden of Worlds," Liriel whispered in awe. "I thought it was only a legend."
The fragments stopped shaking and began to emit a soft melody. The energy in the Observatory stabilized, and the visions vanished.
Kaelen and Arion stopped their fight, both staring at the fragments in astonishment.
"What did you do?" asked the elven ambassador, his voice losing its arrogance.
"I don't know," I answered honestly. "I just… stopped trying to control them."
Arion fell to his knees. "That's it… all this time, we were trying to dominate the power when we only needed to harmonize with it."
Kaelen lowered his blade. "My people… have spent millennia making the same mistake."
As the Observatory ceased trembling, a figure emerged from the shadows — it was Ragnar, the bard.
"I always knew you were different, Takumi," he said. "Not because you were a hero, but because you never tried to be one."
Then came the revelation: Ragnar was not an ordinary bard — he was a guardian, entrusted with protecting the fragments until someone worthy appeared.
"The fragments have chosen you," he said to me. "Not to use them, but to protect them."
Kaelen bowed, an elven gesture of deep respect. "Lytheria will withdraw its claims. The fragments are where they belong."
Arion offered us a sack of coins. "Payment for the most valuable lesson I've ever learned."
The sack contained seven hundred coins — exactly what we owed Madame Lenore.
On the way back to Vaelor, with the coins in hand and the fragments safe, I thought about how everything had changed. We were no longer a band of inept adventurers — we were guardians of something greater.
Madame Lenore was surprised when we paid our debt in full. "How did you manage that?"
Vespera smiled. "You don't want to know."
At the inn, I looked at my companions — the goddess who had learned humility, the mage who had found courage, the succubus who had discovered purpose, and the bard who was more than he seemed.
"And now?" asked Elara.
"Now," said Liriel, gazing at the fragments, "we begin the real adventure."
And for the first time, the idea didn't fill me with dread, but with quiet curiosity. The debts were paid — but the greatest challenge was only beginning.