The days after Raelira's departure were quiet—but it wasn't the comforting kind of silence. It was the sort of stillness that came before a storm. The forest, once vibrant and restless, seemed to hold its breath.
Alex sat on a large, flat stone outside their temporary camp, sharpening his spear. The weapon pulsed faintly—ever since the battle with the First Guardian's memory, it had changed. It was lighter, faster. And the color of its energy had shifted.
Not gold.
Not crimson.
But a deep blue that shimmered like starlight.
"Still getting used to it?" Eira asked as she approached, a bundle of herbs in her arms.
Alex gave a faint smile. "It's not just the weapon. Something's… waking up inside me. Something old, but also new. Like this power isn't from the Guardians."
"Then where?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "But when I touched it during the fight, it felt free. Like it wasn't bound by their rules or their history."
Kairo joined them, tossing a satchel to the ground. "Whatever it is, it made Raelira back down. And that's saying something."
Alex glanced up. "Any word from the nearby villages?"
Kairo's face darkened. "That's the thing… there aren't any nearby villages anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"They're gone. Empty. Like they vanished."
Eira's brows furrowed. "All of them?"
Kairo nodded. "Not a single body. No blood. No signs of a fight. Just… silence."
Alex's grip on the spear tightened. "Kael."
"Or worse," Kairo added grimly. "Something that feeds without leaving a trace."
Before more could be said, a sharp chirping sound echoed nearby.
A messenger wisp—tiny and glowing—floated toward Alex. It shimmered once, then a voice began to play:
"To the one who calls himself Guardian… your presence is requested at the Echo Caverns before the moon bleeds. Come alone, or there will be consequences."
The message ended, and the wisp shattered into stardust.
"Another trap?" Eira asked.
"Definitely," Alex said. "But if someone knows I'm a Guardian… they might also know about Kael."
Kairo stood. "Then we go with you."
Alex hesitated. The message said come alone… but this wasn't a world where rules were fair or safe.
"I'll lead," Alex finally said. "But you stay close. If something happens, we fight together."
---
ECHO CAVERNS
By dusk, they reached the jagged cliffs that marked the entrance to the Echo Caverns. The opening looked like a gaping mouth, breathing cool air with every gust. Strange humming could be heard deep within—like voices layered over one another, repeating whispers long forgotten.
Alex entered first, his footsteps echoing in the darkness. The further in he walked, the more the walls shimmered—filled with luminous crystals that pulsed in time with his heartbeat.
Then, a voice.
"You shouldn't have come."
Alex spun.
From the shadows, a figure emerged.
Not Kael.
Not Raelira.
A young woman—no older than him, dressed in dark robes with a silver mask hiding half her face. Her aura was different—calm, but cold. She held no weapon, but the ground around her cracked with tension.
"I'm not here to fight," Alex said.
"I'm not here to offer peace," she replied. "Only revelation."
"Then reveal it."
She tilted her head. "You carry power that does not belong to the Guardians. Something ancient. Something buried."
"I know."
She paused, then said something unexpected.
"Do you know why the Forsaken Guardians fell?"
Alex blinked. "They were corrupted. Twisted by greed and power."
She chuckled. "Is that what he told you? The First Guardian?"
Alex's silence answered her.
"The truth is," she continued, "they didn't fall. They were pushed. Betrayed by their own kind—silenced for questioning the laws that bound the Guardians. Their punishment wasn't for evil… but for asking the wrong questions."
Alex took a step closer. "And who are you?"
She reached up and removed the silver mask.
Half her face was human.
The other half—glass and crystal, like a shattered mirror held together by magic.
"My name is Veyra. I am the daughter of a Forsaken Guardian… and one of the last living witnesses to the truth."
Alex stared, heart thudding.
Another Forsaken?
Still alive?
"You're not like Kael."
"No," she said, voice soft. "But I've met him. He walks the path of revenge. I walk the path of remembrance."
Alex's fingers twitched at the edge of his spear. "Then help me stop him."
"I will… if you agree to hear what the Guardians never told you. If you're truly not like him, then you'll want the truth."
A long pause.
Then Alex nodded. "I'm listening."