Whispers of the Primal

The Veiled Temple loomed before us, its ancient stone walls a testament to power older than I could fathom. Carved symbols spiralled across its surface, pulsing faintly as if alive, drawing us forward. I could feel something there—an energy that both repelled and pulled at me, stirring a part of myself that was still unknown, unfathomable.

Raelle’s grip on my arm was firm, but her eyes held an intensity I hadn’t seen before. Her expression was almost haunted, as though coming here was more than just a mission for her—it was personal. For a moment, she seemed lost in thought, her gaze fixed on the distant temple.

“Raelle,” I ventured softly, “this place… what does it mean to you?”

She looked at me, her face shadowed, a flicker of vulnerability showing through her usual guarded demeanour. “The Veiled Temple is where Crafters come to seek truth. For some, it grants visions of their pasts or futures, revealing hidden knowledge.” She paused, her voice thickening. “For others… it reveals what they fear most.”

I frowned, sensing there was more to her story, a darkness she kept close to her heart. “Is that what you’re afraid of? That you’ll see something here?”

Raelle’s gaze dropped, her shoulders tense. “I came here once before when I first became a Crafter,” she admitted. “The visions it showed me… they were of a life I left behind, of people I hurt and… failed. And I thought I could just run from that, forget it, but in this place, nothing stays buried.”

I wanted to ask more, to probe into the pain I could sense beneath her words, but something in her expression warned me not to. Instead, I nodded, understanding that her story would come out in time.

We took a step forward, but the moment we crossed the threshold into the temple grounds, the air grew colder, pressing in like invisible weights. Shadows danced around us, taking on twisted forms, each one whispering fragments of words, fragments of memories that I could barely catch but that tugged at my heart.

And then I saw him—Sable.

He stood alone at the edge of the clearing, a distant figure cloaked in black, his face half-hidden in shadow. But it was his eyes that held me captive—eyes filled with a sorrow so deep it almost felt… sympathetic.

“Welcome, Elliot,” he called, his voice low, almost gentle. “I knew you’d come here. It’s inevitable, isn’t it? A lost soul seeking answers.”

Raelle tensed, stepping in front of me. “What do you want, Sable?”

Sable’s gaze drifted to her, and for a moment, a flicker of pain crossed his face. “I want to help him,” he replied, his voice barely a whisper. “To understand this place—something you’ll never understand, Raelle. You treat the Dreamscape as a weapon, as something to control. But it’s so much more than that.”

His words were laced with bitterness, and I realized there was history between them, a past neither of them was willing to revisit. Raelle’s face hardened, but she said nothing.

I swallowed, stepping forward. “What’s your connection to the Dreamscape, Sable? Why are you so obsessed with it?”

Sable’s gaze met mine, and for the first time, I saw a vulnerability in his eyes that made my stomach twist. “The Dreamscape is more than just a world between worlds,” he said softly. “It’s a refuge, a sanctuary for those who don’t belong… for those who have nowhere else to go.”

He took a deep breath, his expression growing darker. “I wasn’t always… like this,” he continued. “Once, I was just a Crafter like you, trying to survive. But then I lost someone—someone I loved more than anything. The Dreamscape became my escape, my only way of keeping her memory alive.”

I could feel the weight of his pain, his loneliness. Sable wasn’t just a villain—he was a man who had suffered, who had been broken by his losses. “And now?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

His gaze hardened, and the softness faded, replaced by an unyielding determination. “Now I understand the Dreamscape’s true potential,” he said, his voice filled with a twisted conviction. “The Primal energy can be used to reshape reality itself. If I can reach it, I can bring her back… I can rewrite her death. And I’ll tear through anyone who stands in my way.”

I felt a shiver run through me, a chill that settled deep into my bones. His words were laced with desperation, with an all-consuming need that bordered on madness. I understood him more than I wanted to. If I were in his position, if I had the power to bring back someone I’d lost… would I go as far as he had?

Raelle stepped forward, her voice filled with anger. “Sable, that’s not how the Dreamscape works. You’re tampering with forces you don’t understand. If you disrupt the Primal, you could unravel everything, destroy everything.”

He smirked, the expression bitter and weary. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’ve lost everything already. What do I care if this world burns?”

In that moment, I saw the truth behind his anger, his cruelty—a man so broken by grief that he’d lost his humanity, his ability to care for anything other than his own pain. It was heartbreaking, but it was also terrifying. Sable was a man with nothing left to lose.

And then he turned his gaze on me, his expression softening. “Elliot… you don’t have to fight me. You’re like me, I can see it—the way you were pulled here, the way the Dreamscape calls to you. You could help me. We could unlock the Primal together, and you could have whatever your heart desires. Don’t you want that?”

I hesitated, the weight of his offer pressing on me. Part of me was tempted. The Dreamscape had already shown me things I’d thought were long buried—regrets, fears, memories I’d hidden away. If I had the power to control it, to reshape my own life, what could I do?

But Raelle’s voice cut through my thoughts, steady and unyielding. “Elliot, don’t listen to him. He’ll say anything to get what he wants. The Dreamscape’s power isn’t a tool—it’s a responsibility, a burden that no one should carry alone.”

Sable’s expression hardened, and he turned to Raelle, his eyes filled with venom. “You would say that, wouldn’t you? After everything you did… you still cling to this sanctimonious idea of ‘balance.’ Tell me, Raelle, did your precious Dreamscape show you what happened to the people you left behind?”

She flinched, her face paling, and I realized he’d struck a nerve. Raelle’s past was as haunted as Sable’s—maybe more so. But she kept her composure, her voice steady. “Yes,” she said quietly. “And I’ll live with that for the rest of my life. But I won’t destroy the Dreamscape to rewrite my mistakes. I won’t sacrifice innocent people for my own regrets.”

Sable laughed bitterly, his gaze filled with disdain. “So noble, aren’t you? But we both know that if you had the chance, you’d change things too. You’re just afraid—afraid of facing what you really want.”

Before Raelle could respond, the ground beneath us trembled, and a blinding light filled the air, emanating from the Veiled Temple itself. The ancient symbols carved into its walls began to pulse, the energy growing stronger, more intense.

A voice echoed through the air, deep and resonant, as if the temple itself were speaking. “Seekers of truth… reveal your desires.”

The world shifted, and suddenly I was alone.

The temple loomed before me, but the clearing was empty. Raelle and Sable were gone, leaving me standing in a silence that felt oppressive, almost suffocating. The voice echoed again, closer this time. “Show me what you desire most, Elliot.”

And then, as if in response to my thoughts, the air shimmered, and a vision began to take shape before me. I saw a version of myself—confident, fearless, free from doubt and fear. This version of me held the Dreamscape’s power in his hands, his gaze steady, his heart unburdened. He was everything I wished I could be.

But then the vision shifted, twisting, revealing a darker side. This idealized version of me began to wield the Dreamscape’s power recklessly, reshaping reality to suit his whims, his own desires. I watched, horrified, as he tore through the Dreamscape, warping it into something monstrous, a world of nightmares.

“No…” I whispered, backing away from the vision. “That’s not me. That’s not what I want.”

But the voice was relentless. “Power corrupts. Even the purest hearts can be twisted by it.”

The vision dissolved, leaving me standing in the empty clearing. And then I saw him—Sable, standing across from me, his expression dark, his eyes filled with understanding.

He took a step forward, his voice barely a whisper. “Now you see, Elliot. Power isn’t just a gift—it’s a curse. And the only way to survive it is to embrace it fully, to make it your own. Join me, and together, we can control this power, wield it without fear.”

I looked into his eyes, feeling the weight of his offer, the temptation pulling at me. But in the depths of his gaze, I saw something else—a darkness that had consumed him, a loneliness so profound that it threatened to swallow him whole.

And I knew, in that moment, that I couldn’t follow his path. I wouldn’t become what he had become.