Kael kept walking, his small legs pumping in a weary rhythm. The dull ache of the Bedel was a constant companion in his chest, a subtle reminder of the memories he'd lost and the power that took them.
His eyes were fixed on the distant sign – that faint, unnatural glimmer or strange formation on the horizon. It was barely visible through the grey mist, but it was something different in the endless monotony of The Void. Vispera's warmth, usually a clear guide, now pulsed with a feeling of curiosity, a pull that said, Go see. Something is there.
Physical exhaustion clawed at him. His throat was dry, his muscles protested with every step. Yet, the mere possibility that the sign represented something other than grey decay – perhaps life, perhaps shelter – fueled a desperate, fragile hope that kept him moving. Fear was still present, a cold knot in his stomach, but hope, for the first time since waking, felt stronger.
The landscape remained grey, but subtle changes began to appear as he covered distance. The ashen hills became steeper, the Twisted Flora more dense and contorted, their skeletal branches reaching like claws. The silence felt heavier here, pregnant with unseen threats.
He stumbled over something in the dusty soil. Looking down, he saw a small, smooth stone. Unlike everything else around it, it wasn't greyed. It was a deep, resonant blue, though its color seemed muted, as if seen through water. Strange, intricate lines were etched into its surface – not natural patterns. They looked like symbols.
He picked it up. It was cool to the touch, but carried no warmth like Vispera. As his fingers closed around it, a very brief, fleeting image flashed in his mind – a sense of bright light, of soaring through the air, accompanied by a feeling of immense power. It vanished instantly, leaving behind only the stone and a lingering sense of awe and confusion. Not the painful void of the Bedel, but something different, a faint echo.
He didn't understand the stone or the image, but he knew it was different. It felt old. He tucked it carefully into the pocket of his tattered trousers. A piece of the world that wasn't grey.
As he continued, the distant sign grew clearer. It wasn't just a light, but a structure of some kind, rising from the grey landscape. It looked like a tower or a spire, though its top was obscured by the mist, and parts of it seemed broken or incomplete. The light, if it was a light, seemed to emanate from within it, a steady, unblinking glow.
A wave of fear washed over Kael. What if it was another monster? What if it was a trap? He remembered the Echo Stalker, the Durağan Doğan. This place was dangerous. His steps slowed.
Vispera's presence remained steady, the feeling of curiosity still there, but now mingled with a watchful anticipation. Approach carefully, it seemed to convey. But approach.
He stood for a long moment, torn between his deep-seated fear of this world and the desperate, aching need to find something alive, something that wasn't just part of The Void. The image of the blue stone, a fragment of a different time, fueled his resolve.
Taking a deep breath that did little to clear the dust from his lungs, Kael made his decision. He couldn't stay out in the open forever. The structure, whatever it was, might offer shelter. Or answers. Or danger.
Guided by Vispera's watchful warmth, his eyes fixed on the mysterious structure, Kael resumed his walk. The distance was closing. The uncertainty was growing.
The towering, fractured shape of the structure loomed larger through the mist. He could almost make out details now. Windows? Cracks? And was that… movement near its base?
The chapter ends as Kael walks towards the base of the enigmatic structure, its true nature still hidden by the mist and the distance.