The vision did not end. Even as Eris gasped for breath, his knees pressed into the soil of the basin, the crystal dragged him back into its light. His eyes rolled white, and his body went rigid.
Mara swore and reached for him, but Liora seized her wrist. "Don't touch him. If you break the link, it could kill him."
"Or save him!" Mara snapped.
Jonas coughed, his voice thin but sharp. "If the planet itself wants to talk, maybe we let it finish."
And so Eris was pulled deeper.
---
The oceans of Mars faded into darkness. The towers of crystal shattered and sank. The skies turned red with dust storms that raged endlessly, choking the land. One by one, the lights of civilization flickered out, leaving only silence.
And then—Earth.
Not the Earth Eris knew. Cities gleaming with technology beyond comprehension, spanning continents. But cracks formed there, too. Skies burned with fire from above. Rivers ran black. Towers fell.
The voice thundered through the void:
Your world mirrors mine.
Eris's heart pounded as he saw images of Earth splitting, its oceans boiling away, leaving dust and ruin. Humanity scattering into the stars, carrying fragments of their dying world, only to repeat the same cycle on new soil.
He clenched his fists. "No… that's not our fate. That can't be."
The cloaked figure raised a crystalline hand, and shards of light gathered around it, each one showing a different path. In some, Earth burned. In others, it endured—but only barely.
Every choice brings you closer. The crystal you seek is no relic. It is memory, yes… but also warning. You touch Mars to see what will become of Earth if you do not change.
Eris staggered under the weight of it. "And what do you want from me?"
The figure's faceless glow burned brighter.
To remember. To choose differently. To keep your world from becoming mine.
The light shattered, the vision tearing apart into fragments. Eris was hurled backward—
---
He collapsed fully onto the basin floor, gasping like a drowning man. Mara was instantly at his side, shaking him. "Eris! Damn it, answer me!"
His chest heaved. He grabbed her wrist with trembling fingers and croaked, "Earth… it showed me Earth…"
Jonas frowned, stepping closer. "And?"
Eris's eyes lifted, still glowing faintly with the reflection of the spire. His voice was hoarse, but every word carried weight.
"If we don't change… Earth dies like Mars."