The air was thick with the faint hum of magic as Yeo walked through the narrow corridors of the dungeon. His thoughts were far from the walls around him; his mind was consumed by the visions he had witnessed—the brutal battles, the burning cities, the looming figure of the Starforged King. Every piece of the ancient war felt like a puzzle he had only started to solve, but already, its weight was unbearable.
The Starforged Shard still pulsed in his hand, its strange energy resonating with him in a way he couldn't explain. It wasn't just a weapon—it was a key, a link to something far greater than himself. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach: whatever path he was walking now, there was no going back.
His footsteps echoed in the silence. His newly unlocked Starstrike ability was a tantalizing prospect, but it wasn't something he felt ready to wield. The power coursing through him felt unpredictable, almost volatile. It wasn't just a tool for battle—it was a force, and he had no idea how to control it.
> [System Alert: Skill Analysis – Starstrike.]
[Starstrike: The power of the Starforged King, manifested as a devastating energy attack. Can be unleashed once every 24 hours. Consumes large amounts of energy. Warning: Uncontrolled usage may cause catastrophic results.]
Yeo grimaced. A powerful skill, but one that could easily backfire if misused. The warning only made him more hesitant to rely on it. He needed to understand it better before he unleashed it in combat.
"Focus," he muttered to himself. "One step at a time."
He continued down the hallway, his senses alert. The deeper he went, the darker and more oppressive the atmosphere became. The dungeon was changing, its very nature shifting as though reacting to his presence. It was no longer just a labyrinth of stone and traps—it felt like a living thing, aware of him.
The corridor opened into a large, circular chamber. The stone floor was cracked, and dark energy pulsed from the center, rising in tendrils that seemed to writhe like living shadows. At the heart of the chamber stood a pedestal, upon which rested an orb of deep blue light.
As Yeo approached the pedestal, his body tingled with a sense of déjà vu, as if he had been here before—or at least seen something like this in the visions. The orb hummed, calling to him in a way that made his skin crawl.
> [Quest Updated: The Awakening of Echoes – Activate the Orb of Recollection.]
With little choice, Yeo extended his hand toward the orb. As soon as his fingers brushed the surface, the world around him dissolved into light.
Once again, Yeo found himself thrust into the memory of the ancient war. The battlefield was enormous, stretching out as far as the eye could see. He saw the Starforged King once more, his massive sword cleaving through enemies, his presence an unyielding force in the chaos. But this time, there was something different.
The air crackled with energy, and the sky was torn open as the Starforged King's blade collided with an enemy general's weapon, a dark, twisted lance that seemed to pulse with forbidden power. The impact sent shockwaves through the very earth, and Yeo could feel the immense energy even from the distance of the vision.
But then, something unexpected happened. The Starforged King staggered, his form flickering as though the very essence of his being was being drained.
A voice, deep and filled with sorrow, echoed across the battlefield: "The cost of power is always greater than you realize."
Yeo's vision shifted, and he saw the general—his face twisted in a grimace of rage and agony—raise his lance to strike. But before he could, a surge of light erupted from the Starforged King. The battlefield seemed to freeze for a moment, and then, in the blink of an eye, the lance shattered, and the enemy general was obliterated in a flash of pure energy.
The Starforged King stood victorious, but at a great cost. His form flickered again, and the light around him dimmed. The war was not over, but the toll it had taken on him was evident.
Yeo's vision snapped back to reality. He gasped for air, the weight of the memory pressing down on him.
> [System Alert: Echo Fragment Unlocked – Fragment of the Starforged King's Last Stand.]
[Reward: Starforged Legacy – Increased affinity with the Starforged Shard. New Skill Unlocked: Legacy of the King – Channel the last remnants of the Starforged King's power to temporarily boost strength and durability.]
The orb had shattered in his hand, but its power had already been imparted to him. The memory of the Starforged King's Last Stand was now a part of him, and with it, the new skill Legacy of the King.
Yeo stood still for a long moment, processing what he had just seen. The power of the Starforged King was immense, but it came at a cost. Yeo understood now: the Starforged King had won battles, but each victory had drained him more, leaving him a shell of his former self. The cost of tapping into such power wasn't something to take lightly.
He clenched his fist around the shattered remnants of the orb. This war—this war of echoes—was more than he could have ever imagined. But now, it was his battle too.
And he had to be ready.