Echoes of the Past I

The crisp air of the surface was a welcome relief to Lyra after the stifling depths of the core's cavern. She and Thalor had been walking in silence for what felt like hours, their footsteps light on the cracked, alien soil beneath them. The terrain was still treacherous, but without the oppressive weight of the core’s influence, the landscape seemed less hostile, the colors of the strange vegetation beginning to brighten, as if the planet itself was breathing in new life.

Lyra tilted her head to the sky, the twin suns of the planet casting a warm glow across the horizon. It felt strange, almost surreal, to see such beauty after the darkness they had just escaped. But even in the tranquility of the moment, a part of her couldn’t shake the unease that lingered in her chest.

“What do you think that being was?” Lyra asked after a long silence, glancing sideways at Thalor.

Thalor’s gaze remained fixed on the path ahead, his expression thoughtful. “A fragment of the core, as it said. But I sense there was more to it.”

“More?” Lyra frowned, slowing her pace slightly. “Like what?”

Thalor’s brow furrowed. “The core was ancient, and the entity we encountered wasn’t just a remnant of its power—it was aware. It had lived, perhaps even existed before the core corrupted it. There’s a history here that we don’t fully understand.”

Lyra’s mind buzzed with questions. What kind of history was Thalor referring to? The entity had mentioned being bound by the core’s power, but it had also spoken with a sense of purpose, of understanding beyond what they’d expected from something that had been imprisoned for so long. Could it have once been something… more?

She wanted to press Thalor further, but before she could speak, a distant rumble echoed across the landscape. Lyra stiffened, her instincts flaring as the ground beneath them trembled, just faintly. The tremor was far weaker than the quakes they had experienced in the core’s cavern, but it was enough to put her on edge.

“Did you feel that?” she asked, stopping in her tracks.

Thalor nodded, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the horizon. “Something is shifting. The core’s destruction has caused more than just a physical change to this planet.”

Lyra’s heart quickened. “Are we in danger?”

Thalor didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes, and Lyra could feel the pulse of their bond flare to life again, the connection between them shimmering like an unseen thread. She could sense him reaching out, feeling the energy of the planet, its currents flowing beneath the surface.

“There’s a disturbance,” he said after a moment, his voice low. “A disruption in the planet’s energy. It’s as though something is… awakening.”

“Awakening?” Lyra’s pulse raced. The last thing they needed was another ancient force rising from the depths of this world.

Thalor opened his eyes, his expression grim. “The core’s destruction has upset the balance. This planet has been under its influence for so long that now, without it, things are changing. Old energies are stirring—energies that have been dormant for millennia.”

A cold chill ran down Lyra’s spine. “Are we talking about more entities like the one we saw in the cavern?”

Thalor shook his head. “I don’t know. But whatever it is, we need to be prepared.”

Lyra’s hand instinctively went to the small blade she kept at her side. She had always preferred to rely on her quick thinking and resourcefulness over brute force, but the uncertainty of their situation made her feel the need for some kind of tangible defense.

They continued forward, the tremors beneath the surface growing more frequent, though never strong enough to be dangerous. Still, Lyra’s nerves were on edge, and every shadow seemed to hide the threat of something lurking just out of sight.

As they rounded a jagged ridge, the landscape opened up into a sprawling valley, its floor dotted with ancient structures—ruins of a civilization long lost to time. The stone buildings were worn and weathered, their surfaces cracked and crumbling, but there was a certain elegance to their design, a beauty that spoke of a culture that had once thrived here.

Lyra’s breath caught in her throat. “What is this place?”

Thalor’s gaze swept over the ruins, his expression unreadable. “This is where it all began.”

Lyra blinked, her mind struggling to process his words. “What do you mean?”

Thalor stepped forward, his posture tense, as though the weight of the past was pressing down on him. “These ruins… they are remnants of the people who once inhabited this planet. A civilization that flourished long before the core’s corruption.”

Lyra’s eyes widened in shock. “You mean… this planet wasn’t always under the core’s control?”

Thalor shook his head. “No. The core was once a source of power for this world, a force of creation rather than destruction. But over time, it became corrupted. It began to feed on the people’s energy, turning them into slaves of its will. The civilization you see here was destroyed, its people wiped out by the very power they once revered.”

Lyra stared at the ruins in disbelief. She had always thought of the core as a malevolent force, something that had always been a threat. But to learn that it had once been something good—something that had helped a civilization thrive—was almost too much to comprehend.

“How do you know all this?” she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Thalor’s eyes darkened. “I’ve seen glimpses of this planet’s past through the bond. The core’s destruction has revealed memories that were buried deep within its energy. This civilization was once powerful, advanced, but they grew too reliant on the core’s power. When it turned on them, they were powerless to stop it.”

Lyra swallowed hard, her mind racing. The weight of history pressed down on her, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility. They had destroyed the core, but what if that wasn’t enough? What if the planet was still in danger, still vulnerable to the forces that had once torn it apart?

As they ventured deeper into the ruins, Lyra’s eyes were drawn to a large, intricately carved structure at the center of the valley. It was taller than the surrounding buildings, its stone surface covered in symbols that seemed to pulse with a faint, otherworldly glow.

“What is that?” Lyra asked, her voice hushed.

Thalor’s gaze was fixed on the structure, his expression unreadable. “It’s a temple. The people who lived here built it as a sanctuary, a place of worship for the core before it became corrupted. It was said to house the planet’s most powerful relics—artifacts that could control the flow of energy.”

Lyra’s heart skipped a beat. “Relics? Do you think any of them are still here?”

Thalor’s expression darkened. “It’s possible. But if they are, they could be dangerous. The core’s influence may have tainted them, just as it tainted everything else.”

Lyra’s pulse quickened as they approached the temple’s entrance, its towering doors standing slightly ajar. She hesitated for a moment, glancing at Thalor. “Do we really want to go in there?”

Thalor met her gaze, his eyes steady. “We have no choice. If there are relics inside, they could either help restore balance to this planet—or destroy it. We need to know what we’re dealing with.”

With a deep breath, Lyra stepped forward, her heart pounding in her chest as she pushed the heavy door open. The air inside the temple was cool, tinged with the faint scent of something ancient and forgotten. The walls were lined with more of the strange symbols, their glow casting eerie shadows across the floor.

As they moved deeper into the temple, the silence was oppressive, broken only by the faint echo of their footsteps. Lyra’s hand never strayed far from her blade, her senses on high alert.

Finally, they reached the center of the temple, where a massive stone altar stood, its surface adorned with a single, glowing object. Lyra’s breath caught in her throat as she stared at it—a crystal, pulsating with a soft, ethereal light.

“That’s it,” Thalor said quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper. “One of the relics.”

Lyra stepped closer, her eyes locked on the crystal. There was something mesmerizing about its glow, something that called to her, deep in her mind.

“Is it… safe?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Thalor hesitated, his gaze fixed on the crystal. “I don’t know. But whatever it is, it’s tied to the planet’s energy. We need to be careful.”

Lyra swallowed hard, her heart pounding as she reached out toward the crystal. The air around it seemed to hum with power, the faint vibration resonating through her fingertips.

Just as her fingers brushed the surface of the crystal, a surge of energy shot through her, and her vision blurred. She gasped, stumbling back as images flooded her mind—flashes of the past, of the people who had once worshipped the core, of the moment when everything had gone wrong.