When they crossed the borders of Aeltharion, the landscape changed once again. The light of the Crystal Tower faded into the distance, leaving before them a valley covered in gray stone and surrounded by dead trees. The air felt heavy; even the wind seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.
Kael turned to Lira, holding the crystal shard tightly in his palm.
"This place... it's as if it's suffocating the light."
Lira opened her book, but its pages remained silent.
"The prophecy is silent here. This is the realm of the unknown."
At the center of the valley stood a structure made of black stone. It resembled an altar, though its peak was cracked, and dark mist seeped from within.
As Kael approached, the crystal shard trembled. Its light began to fade.
"Kael, stop!" Lira shouted. "The crystal is reacting. There's something here."
At that moment, a figure emerged from behind the altar. A tall, armored body, a face with eyes that glowed like black crystals, and a curved sword held firmly in one hand. A cloak woven from shadows rested upon his shoulders.
"I am Varzoth," said a deep voice. "The dark side of the Crystal. You are children of the light... but light gains meaning only through shadow."
Kael stepped forward, unarmed.
"The Crystal chose us. You are nothing more than its distorted reflection."
Varzoth laughed. The sound shook the stones of the valley.
"The chosen one... do you even know what that means? The Crystal demands a price. Light can exist only in balance with darkness."
Lira stepped forward.
"We have already paid its price. Courage, wisdom, and loyalty. What you offer is nothing but fear."
Varzoth raised his sword.
"Then walk through fear itself."
The sky darkened. The stones of the valley cracked. Black shadows swarmed around Kael and Lira. Kael raised the crystal shard, but its light was weak.
"Lira!" he shouted. "We have to do this together!"
Lira opened her book and read from a glowing page:
“Where two hearts unite, light shall shine.”
Kael pressed the crystal shard against the book. Instantly, the crystal and the book merged. A brilliant light burst forth. The shadows screamed. Varzoth stepped back, but he did not disappear.
"This is only the beginning," he said. "The other crystal fragments are still with me. Each one is a trial. And every trial demands a loss."
Kael and Lira stood within the radiance. Varzoth dissolved into mist, yet his voice continued to echo through the air.
Elandor appeared in the distance.
"They did not defeat him. But they accepted him. That is the first victory."
Kael took a deep breath.
"And the other fragments?"
Elandor lowered his head.
"One lies buried beneath the northern ice. Another rests within the heart of a forgotten village in the west. But the most dangerous one... is in the south, where Varzoth was born."
Lira closed her eyes.
"A long journey awaits us. But now we know what we are fighting."
Kael raised the crystal shard. Its light shone once more.
Notes: Translation and photos were created by artificial intelligence.
