Echoes of the Past II

She saw the core twisting, darkening, consuming the world in a violent surge of power. The people screamed, their faces contorted with fear and pain, as the core's corruption spread like wildfire. Buildings crumbled, the sky darkened, and the once-thriving civilization was reduced to ashes in a matter of moments.

Lyra gasped as the visions assaulted her mind, overwhelming her senses. She saw flashes of the temple they were standing in, but it was vibrant, full of life. The people inside prayed, chanting words she couldn’t understand, their hands raised in reverence toward the relics. They had believed the core was their protector, their source of life, but in their trust, they had sealed their own doom.

She stumbled backward, her heart racing as the final image took shape—a woman, standing at the altar. The woman’s face was blurred, but her aura was unmistakable: powerful, ancient, and familiar. She held the crystal Lyra had just touched, cradling it in her hands, her expression one of sorrow and resignation. As the core’s darkness began to twist around her, she whispered something, a word that echoed in Lyra’s mind.

“Forgiveness.”

The word lingered in the air as the vision began to fade, leaving Lyra disoriented and breathless. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her mind, her heart pounding in her chest. She could still feel the echo of the woman’s presence, as if she had just brushed against something far greater than herself.

“Lyra!” Thalor’s voice broke through the haze, his hand steadying her as she swayed on her feet. His eyes were wide with concern. “What did you see?”

Lyra struggled to find her voice, her mind still reeling from the intensity of the vision. “It was… it was the past. This place, these people… they worshipped the core. They thought it was their protector, but it turned on them. And that woman—” She paused, frowning as she tried to recall the details. “She tried to stop it. She held the crystal, but I think she knew it was too late.”

Thalor’s expression darkened as he listened, his hand still on her arm, grounding her. “The relics were meant to control the flow of energy,” he said quietly. “But the core’s corruption twisted them into tools of destruction.”

Lyra nodded, her gaze drifting back to the crystal on the altar. Its glow seemed less inviting now, more dangerous, as if the power it held could just as easily destroy as it could heal.

“What do we do with it?” she asked, her voice low.

Thalor’s jaw clenched as he considered the question. “We can’t leave it here. If someone else were to find it, or if the planet’s energy destabilizes further, it could be catastrophic.”

Lyra hesitated, her instincts warning her against touching the crystal again. But Thalor was right—they couldn’t just leave it here, not when it held such immense power. If the core’s corruption had tainted it, then it was up to them to ensure it didn’t fall into the wrong hands.

Taking a deep breath, Lyra reached out once more, her fingers brushing the cool surface of the crystal. This time, she was ready for the surge of energy, the faint hum that resonated deep within her. She closed her eyes, letting the pulse of the relic’s power flow through her, searching for any trace of the corruption she had seen in the vision.

At first, there was nothing—just a faint, steady rhythm, like the beating of a heart. But as she delved deeper, she felt it: a shadow, dark and insidious, lurking at the edges of the crystal’s energy. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was there, a remnant of the core’s influence, waiting to be unleashed.

Lyra’s pulse quickened as she withdrew her hand, her breath shaky. “It’s corrupted,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Just like the core.”

Thalor’s expression hardened. “Then we need to purify it, or destroy it. We can’t let that darkness remain.”

Lyra nodded, though the idea of destroying something so ancient, so powerful, filled her with a deep sense of unease. The crystal wasn’t just a relic—it was a piece of this planet’s history, a symbol of what had once been, before everything had gone wrong.

But as she looked at Thalor, she knew they didn’t have a choice. The relic was dangerous, and if they didn’t act, it could cause more destruction than the core ever had.

“Let’s take it with us,” she said finally, her voice steady. “We’ll figure out how to deal with it once we know more.”

Thalor nodded, and with careful hands, he wrapped the crystal in a piece of cloth, tucking it securely into a pouch at his side. As they turned to leave the temple, Lyra couldn’t shake the feeling that the crystal was watching her, its energy humming faintly in the back of her mind.


***

The journey back to the surface was quieter than Lyra expected. The tremors that had shaken the planet earlier seemed to have subsided, and the air was still, almost too still. It was as if the planet was holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

As they reached the edge of the ruins, Lyra paused, glancing back at the ancient structures one last time. There was a weight to this place, a sense of unfinished business that clung to the air like a shadow.

“We need to find answers,” she said softly, more to herself than to Thalor.

Thalor glanced at her, his gaze thoughtful. “We will. But first, we need to get to a place where we can safely study the crystal.”

Lyra nodded, though her mind was still buzzing with questions. What had the woman in the vision meant by “forgiveness”? Was there a way to cleanse the crystal of its corruption, or was it doomed to carry the core’s darkness forever?

As they made their way across the valley, Lyra felt the bond between her and Thalor hum with a renewed intensity. Their connection was stronger now, more attuned to the planet’s energy, and she could feel his presence more clearly than ever before.

But there was something else, too—something lurking just beyond the edges of her awareness, like a shadow waiting to pounce. It wasn’t the core, or the entity they had encountered in the cavern. It was something older, deeper, and far more dangerous.

She shivered, her hand instinctively tightening around the blade at her side. Whatever it was, she had the distinct feeling that their journey was far from over.

As they reached the top of the ridge, Thalor paused, his gaze scanning the horizon. His expression was tense, his body rigid with alertness.

“Someone’s coming,” he said quietly.

Lyra’s heart skipped a beat. “Who?”

Thalor didn’t answer immediately, but his hand moved to the hilt of his sword. “I don’t know. But they’re not friendly.”

Lyra’s pulse quickened as she followed Thalor’s gaze, her eyes narrowing as she spotted movement in the distance. Figures, dark and indistinct, were making their way toward them, their silhouettes barely visible against the fading light.

“Get ready,” Thalor said, his voice low.

Lyra drew her blade, her mind racing. Whoever these newcomers were, they were heading straight for them, and they didn’t look like they were coming in peace.

As the figures drew closer, Lyra could make out more details—their strange, twisted armor, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light. And at the center of their formation, leading the charge, was a figure that sent a chill down her spine.

It was the woman from her vision.