Zaedric's breath came slow and measured as he stepped closer to the obelisk. The Keeper's words echoed in his mind, heavy with the weight of consequence. Knowledge demanded sacrifice, but what would that truly mean?
Lyria clutched his sleeve, her fingers trembling. "Zaedric… are you sure about this?"
He turned to his sister, seeing the uncertainty in her wide eyes. She had already lost so much their home, their family, the life they once knew. He wanted to protect her, but something deep within told him that turning away now would be the greater mistake.
Deyvar kept a wary hand on his sword's hilt. "Whatever choice you make, we stand with you. But be warned, old knowledge is never given freely. It takes something in return."
Zaedric nodded. His gaze returned to the Keeper, who stood motionless, their hooded face unreadable. "I choose to know."
A silence settled over the ruins, thick and suffocating. The obelisk pulsed with an eerie glow, and the ground trembled beneath their feet. A wind stirred, though no breeze had been present before. Then, as if responding to his choice, the obelisk split open with a deep, resonant crack.
A swirling void lay beyond, a chasm of shifting light and shadow. Strange symbols floated in the air, suspended like drifting embers. The very fabric of reality seemed to bend at its edges, warping and shifting unpredictably.
The Keeper's voice cut through the growing tension. "Step forward, Seeker. Only you may pass."
Zaedric hesitated, his feet rooted to the ground. He turned back to Lyria and Deyvar, their expressions a mix of worry and resolve. He didn't want to leave them behind, but something told him this was a journey he had to make alone.
Deyvar placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Go. We'll hold the way for you."
Lyria's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "Just… come back to us."
He gave them both a small nod, then took a deep breath. With one last glance at his companions, Zaedric stepped into the void.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
For a moment, there was nothing. No sound, no light, no sense of up or down. It was as if he had been untethered from existence itself. Then, suddenly, he was standing in a vast expanse of shifting stars, each one flickering like a dying ember.
A voice, ancient and layered with echoes, spoke from the abyss. "You seek knowledge, Zaedric Voss. But knowledge has a price."
Zaedric swallowed. "I know."
"Then brace yourself, mortal. For what you learn cannot be forgotten, and what is seen cannot be unseen."
The stars coalesced, forming symbols and images that burned into his mind. He saw the history of Aeltharion, the rise and fall of civilizations long forgotten. He saw glimpses of his own fate, paths untaken and roads yet to come. And, beneath it all, he felt the presence of something vast and watching, waiting beyond the fabric of reality itself.
Pain lanced through his skull as the knowledge forced itself into his mind, an unbearable weight pressing upon his soul. He gritted his teeth, trying to withstand the sheer magnitude of it all.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, it was over.
Zaedric collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. The stars had vanished, leaving him in utter darkness once more.
The voice spoke again, softer this time. "You have seen. Now, return."
A force wrapped around him, pulling him back, back through the void, back toward the ruins. The last thing he saw before consciousness left him was the flickering glow of the obelisk fading into silence.
And then...
Zaedric awoke to the sensation of rough stone beneath his palms and the distant murmur of voices. His head pounded, a dull ache radiating from his temples as he forced his eyes open. Flickering torchlight cast long shadows across the ancient ruins, and the obelisk stood quiet once more, its eerie glow extinguished.
Lyria was at his side, her hands gripping his arm tightly. "Zaedric!" Her voice was thick with worry. "You're awake!"
Deyvar exhaled sharply, arms crossed. "We were starting to think we'd lost you."
Zaedric groaned, pushing himself upright. His limbs felt heavy, as if he had been drained of something vital. "How long…?"
"A day," Deyvar said grimly. "You collapsed the moment you stepped back through."
Zaedric frowned, the memories of what he had seen still raw in his mind. The endless stars, the ancient voice, the knowledge forced upon him, it all lingered, pressing against his thoughts like an oppressive weight. He had seen the past and glimpsed fragments of the future, yet so much of it still felt like a blur.
Lyria touched his shoulder gently. "What happened? What did you see?"
Zaedric hesitated. How could he explain something he barely understood himself? He met her gaze, seeing the concern in her eyes. "I saw… history. And something more. Something watching from beyond."
Deyvar stiffened. "Beyond?"
Zaedric swallowed, recalling the vast presence he had felt within the void. It had been ancient, incomprehensible, its gaze stretching beyond mortal understanding. He wasn't sure if it had been a god, a force of nature, or something else entirely, but he knew one thing it had seen him.
The Keeper's voice broke the uneasy silence. "You have taken the first step, Seeker. But knowledge is a path paved with peril. You must wield it wisely."
Zaedric turned to face the robed figure, their hooded form still obscured in shadows. "What am I supposed to do with what I've learned?"
The Keeper tilted their head slightly. "That is for you to decide. But beware those who seek knowledge often find themselves hunted by those who wish it buried."
A chill ran down Zaedric's spine. The demons that had destroyed Varethia… had they been seeking something? Or preventing something from being found?
Deyvar placed a hand on his sword. "So what now? We've got no home to return to, no clear path ahead. We need a plan."
Zaedric took a slow breath, steadying himself. "We head east. There's a city Eldrin's Rest where scholars and mercenaries alike gather. If anyone can help me make sense of what I saw, it's someone there."
Lyria frowned. "And if we're being hunted?"
"Then we stay ahead of them," Zaedric said, determination hardening his voice. "We don't stop moving."
The Keeper inclined their head. "Your path is your own. But remember, Seeker, once you begin this journey, there is no turning back."
Zaedric met their unseen gaze and nodded. "Then we move forward."
With that, they gathered their supplies and left the ruins behind, stepping onto a path shrouded in both knowledge and danger. And in the distance, hidden in the shifting shadows, something watched their every move.