⛰️ The Edge of the Shrine
The wind howled like a creature denied its prey.
High atop the black cliffs of Karh'Mora, Arav stood at the edge of the cliff, the Shrine of the Blind God looming behind him — a structure carved into obsidian rock and overgrown with crimson ivy that glowed faintly under the eclipsed sky. The shrine wasn't supposed to exist. Not in any map. Not in any history.
But dreams had led him here.
Arav's palms were bleeding from the climb. The cursed sword strapped to his back hummed like it recognized the ancient stone. Zia's scarf still wrapped around his wrist — her last gesture before they had separated in the ruins below.
And now, he waited…for something he could not name.
---
🕯️ The Whispering Ruin
Inside the shrine, time bent like light through shattered glass. Symbols crawled along the walls, whispering in languages long forgotten.
When Arav stepped through the archway, the temperature dropped instantly. The dark hall opened into a massive circular chamber, where dozens of stone statues stared at a central pillar — a giant black eye carved into its center.
The air was thick with magic. Or grief. Maybe both.
"Come to die?" a voice croaked.
From the shadows stepped an old man wrapped in tattered robes, his eyes stitched shut with silver thread. His hands were burned, fingertips charred black.
"Who are you?" Arav asked, blade half-drawn.
"I am the Warden of the Blind God. And you… you are his next mistake."
---
⚔️ The Test of Ruin
The Warden raised a broken staff. The pillar-eye in the center of the chamber flickered.
Suddenly — a surge of force slammed Arav against the wall. His blade snapped from its sheath and spun mid-air. But before it could strike, the stone statues came to life — skeletal warriors, cracked and cursed, eyes empty.
"Fight," the Warden whispered. "Or be consumed by what lies… between the eyes of ruin."
The statues attacked — and Arav moved like lightning.
Each step was guided not just by training — but by the sword itself, now an extension of his rage.
Slash. Pivot. Block. Burn.
But even as he fought, his vision blurred. His chest heaved with a burning that wasn't exhaustion — it was memory.
---
🩸 Memories of Ash
With every strike he landed, visions flared in his mind:
His mother's voice, screaming as the house burned.
Zia's tears when he chose vengeance over love.
Kalo — laughing, bleeding, broken — and whispering "You're no different than me, brother."
The shrine was feeding him these memories. Or perhaps the sword was.
"You cannot fight what you refuse to grieve," the Warden's voice echoed.
And then… he stopped.
Arav dropped the sword.
The statues halted mid-blow, frozen.
"Good," the Warden said. "You've chosen to face it."
---
🕳️ The Eye Opens
The pillar's eye blinked.
It opened wide — and from within it, a portal tore through space, revealing an impossible realm of shifting ruin. Shadows twisted into the shapes of people Arav had killed. His reflection stared back from every shard of the broken sky.
Zia's voice echoed from within:
> "Do you even remember who you were before the sword?"
Arav stepped forward.
The realm welcomed him.
---
💔 The Broken Zia
Inside the realm, time dissolved. Arav walked across a field of ash where the trees bled words. The sky wept stars.
He saw her — Zia — standing barefoot, eyes glowing with violet fire.
But this wasn't his Zia. This was a dream shaped by guilt.
She turned.
"You left me," she said, voice hollow. "You promised the sword wouldn't change you."
"I never had a choice."
"There's always a choice," she said, and touched his chest.
And then, she broke — turning to sand in his arms.
Arav fell to his knees.
---
🌓 Truth in the Shadow
The ground cracked beneath him.
From the abyss rose a figure — his twin reflection, cloaked in fire and shadow. The Ruined Arav. Eyes black, smile cruel, bearing the same sword… but drenched in blood.
"I am what you become if you keep lying to yourself," the shadow said.
"No… I won't be like you."
"You already are."
The two Aravs clashed. Every blow shattered pieces of the world around them.
But the real Arav fought not to win — but to forgive.
In the final moment, he sheathed his sword and embraced the shadow.
"You are my pain," he whispered. "But not my future."
---
🌒 Exit the Eye
The realm began to crumble.
The eye in the shrine closed, sealing the darkness within.
Arav fell unconscious.
When he awoke, the Warden stood over him, tears soaking the threads that stitched his eyes.
"You chose truth. You may now walk the path."
He handed Arav a fragment — a glowing shard of the Eye of Ruin.
"You'll need this when your brother returns."
---
🌓 Epilogue: Signs of War
Far away, in the Valley of the Dead Moons…
Kalo stood upon a mountain of bones, holding a new sword forged in crimson.
"The Eye is awake," he muttered.
Behind him — an army of shadows screamed into the void.
And Zia… walked beside him, her eyes now just as dark.