The journey to the northern dunes took them through miles of glittering wasteland. The sun — or whatever passed for it in this realm — hung high above like a cracked mirror, pouring fractured light across the sand.
By the time they reached the base of the mountain, the air had turned heavy. The desert wind grew colder, carrying whispers that were too human to be mere echoes.
Riku's boots crunched against stone steps half-buried in sand. Before them loomed the Temple of Silent Echoes — an ancient ruin carved into the mountainside, its massive gates cracked but still humming faintly with soul energy. The stone bore strange carvings of winged figures and swirling orbs — depictions of relics, perhaps — and a massive symbol at the center: a spiral of hands reaching for a light that never touched them.
Ren let out a low whistle.
"Well… this place definitely screams 'bad idea.'"
Mina's eyes shimmered faintly, sensing the residue of energy in the air.
"The relic's energy… it's here. Faint, but deep inside."
Arin, bow in hand, stepped forward cautiously.
"Temples like this are built around ancient memories — the fragments of people who died with unfinished desires. Keep your mind sharp. Memories can turn to illusions here."
Riku looked at her, curious.
"You sound like you've seen this before."
Arin hesitated, her eyes flickering with something heavy.
"Because I have."
The group paused. Even the wind seemed to still.
Mina spoke softly.
"You never told us… how you ended up here. In this realm."
Arin sighed, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face as they began walking through the cracked gates.
The hall stretched endlessly before them, filled with broken statues and faintly glowing murals that shifted when looked at too long.
"I was a hunter in the living world," Arin began. "Trained to track beasts that threatened villages in the northern highlands. One day, a creature appeared — something that couldn't die, no matter how many arrows I buried in its chest. It devoured half my squad before I realized it wasn't a beast at all. It was a spirit — a lost soul from this realm that slipped into ours."
She trailed her hand across the mural wall, where glowing carvings depicted a woman aiming a bow at a dark figure.
"I killed it. But it took me with it when it died. I remember waking up here, alone. And my bow… it glowed for the first time."
Ren looked over, more serious than usual.
"So that's why you never miss."
Arin gave a small smile.
"Maybe. Or maybe the realm doesn't let me forget what I lost."
They stopped before a massive circular chamber, its walls covered in shimmering script that moved like smoke. At its center lay a massive stone pedestal — and upon it, a crystal orb cracked down the middle, leaking faint blue light.
Mina approached it cautiously.
"This… this is a Memory Core. It holds the essence of those who've been here before us."
Riku frowned.
"Can it show us something about the relics?"
"Maybe," Mina said, placing her hand on it. "But it requires a soul connection to open."
Before anyone could respond, the orb flared. The chamber darkened.
The world shifted.
⸻
Suddenly, they stood in a field of silver grass beneath a blood-red sky. A city burned in the distance — massive towers collapsing as black shadows flooded the streets.
Ghostly figures ran past them — echoes of another time. Warriors wearing the same glowing weapons they carried now — swords, bows, staves — all fighting an unseen enemy.
A voice, distant and echoing, filled the air.
"When the ten relics unite, the gates shall open — and the world shall be reborn… or consumed."
Riku's breath caught.
"That voice… it's the same one I heard when I first touched Eclipsera."
Ren clenched his fists.
"So it's true. These relics are connected — all ten. But what's this 'reborn or consumed' part?"
The vision flickered again. Now they stood before a colossal figure — half-human, half-shadow — wielding a blade made of light and darkness intertwined. Around him, ten relics hovered like orbiting stars.
Then, a whisper echoed, chilling and low:
"Beware the hand that unites them… for it shall bear both creation and ruin."
The vision shattered.
They were back in the chamber. The orb had gone completely dark, its light spent.
Mina exhaled shakily.
"Creation and ruin… what does that even mean?"
Riku looked at his sword — Eclipsera — its edge faintly trembling with light.
"Maybe it means that whoever gathers the relics… decides the fate of both worlds."
Arin folded her arms, thoughtful.
"Which means we're not the only ones looking."
⸻
A sudden rumble shook the chamber. Dust rained from the ceiling.
Ren spun around, drawing his weapon.
"Tell me that was just the temple settling."
Arin's expression hardened.
"No. That was footsteps."
From the entrance, dark shapes began to emerge — souls twisted by rage, their eyes burning crimson. At least twenty of them, crawling from the shadows, whispering in dead tongues.
Riku's sword flared, crimson light flooding the room.
"Looks like we've been found."
Mina raised her staff, the air shimmering with golden threads.
"Then let's make this quick."
Ren cracked his neck, smirking.
"And here I was starting to get bored."
Arin, already drawing her bow, gave a faint grin.
"Try not to burn down the temple this time."
"No promises," Ren said.
The ground cracked beneath them as the first wave of the corrupted souls lunged forward, shrieking.
Their battle cries echoed through the ruined temple — and beyond, unseen eyes watched from the shadows of the upper pillars, hidden behind stone carvings.
A figure cloaked in black armor stepped out of the dark — a faint, eerie blue glow pulsing beneath his helm.
He raised a jagged spear, the air trembling around him.
"So," the figure said, voice deep and calm, "the chosen ones dare touch the relics again."
The group froze — realization dawning.
Arin whispered, her voice tight.
"That's not a goon… that's a General."
The figure pointed his spear toward them.
"I am Varyth, Keeper of Chains… and this temple is your grave."
The temperature dropped. The light dimmed.
Riku gritted his teeth, stepping forward.
"Then we'll shatter your chains."
And as the corrupted souls lunged again, the battle for the Temple of Silent Echoes began — and fate itself held its breath.