Chapter 25: The Weight of Choices

The journey away from the ruined spire was eerily quiet. The once-looming forest seemed subdued, as though the destruction of the spire had drained it of its hostile energy. Yet the silence did little to ease Zeryn’s thoughts.

The words of the shadowy woman echoed in her mind. "Only through unity can you overcome it." But unity was fragile, especially when the darkness within her felt anything but united.

“Where do we go now?” Zeryn asked, breaking the silence.

The leader glanced at her, his face shadowed by thought. “To the next spire. There are three more. Each holds a fragment of the Eclipse’s power.”

“Four spires, four pieces of destruction,” the green-eyed figure muttered. “Sounds like a bad bedtime story.”

Zeryn stopped in her tracks, her eyes narrowing. “And what happens if we destroy them all? Does the darkness just disappear? Or does it find another way to grow?”

The leader hesitated. His silence spoke volumes.

“You don’t know,” Zeryn said flatly.

“We don’t need to know yet,” he replied firmly. “What matters is stopping the Eclipseborn before their corruption spreads beyond this forest.”

“And what about her?” the green-eyed figure asked, gesturing at Zeryn. “That trial wasn’t random. The spire chose her for a reason.”

“I don’t want to be chosen,” Zeryn snapped. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“None of us asked for this,” the leader interjected, his voice sharp. “But it’s here, and it’s real. We fight, or we fall. Those are the only choices we have.”

Zeryn clenched her fists, the shadows within her stirring in response to her frustration. She hated how right he was.