Chapter 34: The Third Shard

When the light subsided, the spire was gone, and the crystalline guardians had vanished. The group stood in the aftermath, battered but alive.

Zeryn knelt on the ground, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. The destruction of the spire had taken more out of her than she’d expected.

The leader approached her, his expression grim. “Three down. One to go.”

“But at what cost?” Zeryn whispered, her voice barely audible. She looked at her hands, which were faintly glowing with the same blue light that had enveloped the spire.

“What’s happening to me?”

The leader frowned but said nothing. The green-eyed figure crouched beside her, their usual smirk absent. “You’re changing. Maybe the spirits weren’t lying after all.”

The group’s unity felt more fragile than ever as they left the ruins of the spire behind. The final shard awaited them, but so did the unanswered questions hanging over their heads.