The Sanctuary of Echoes

Dawn greeted us with a sky of icy gray. After two days of exhausting travel, we finally spotted the ruins atop the mountain. The sanctuary of the Heart of Aeterion stood like a sleeping giant: toppled columns, cracked walls, and statues covered in moss. Even in its abandonment, it radiated an imposing presence, as if the gods had left a warning behind.
We stopped at the base of the main staircase. The air was heavy, filled with an aura that made the skin tingle.
“So this is where we’ll find the relic,” Rei murmured, her voice low. “Doesn’t look very welcoming.”
Nara raised an eyebrow. “What did you expect? A door decorated with flowers and a sign that says ‘Welcome’?”
Lysbeth didn’t smile. Her eyes were fixed on the temple doors, two massive stone blocks covered in ancient inscriptions. “These runes are a seal. Not just anyone can pass.”
I stepped forward, placing my hand on the inscriptions. A tingling ran up my arm, as if something invisible was trying to read my soul.
“Well?” Aria asked, her voice tense.
Before I could answer, the doors slowly creaked open with a deep roar, as if they had been waiting for our arrival. A cold wind rushed out from within, extinguishing the torches Nara had lit.
“That’s not a good sign,” Nara murmured, yet she stepped forward anyway.
We entered together, sword and magic ready. The interior was illuminated by crystals embedded in the walls, glowing with a bluish light. The echo of our footsteps multiplied through the corridors, giving the feeling that someone else was walking beside us.
We arrived at a circular chamber. In the center stood an empty pedestal, surrounded by glowing inscriptions.
“The Heart of Aeterion should be here,” Cicilia said, having insisted on accompanying us as a guide. “But it seems to be protected by trials.”
Suddenly, the floor shook, and the chamber darkened. A voice echoed in our minds, deep and without a source.
"To claim the impossible, you must first face yourselves."
The crystal lights went out. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in the chamber. I was alone.
The world around me had become a distorted reflection of Azurath Castle, blackened and in ruins. I took a few steps, and then I saw her: Piko, floating before me, her light extinguished.
“Kaoru…” she whispered, her voice heavy with reproach. “Why did you let me die?”
My heart stopped. “No! You’re not real!”
She floated closer, her eyes accusing. “You promised you’d protect me, yet you turned me to ashes. If you can’t protect me, how will you protect Aria? How will you save Kiseki?”
I fell to my knees, covering my face. Her words cut through me like blades.
“Enough!” I shouted, my voice breaking. “I’m not perfect, but I’ll do everything in my power not to fail again!”
The illusion of Piko shattered into fragments of light, and the surroundings darkened once more.
When I regained my vision, I was back in the circular chamber. My companions were also panting, each trapped in their own trial.
Aria trembled, tears rolling down her face. I rushed to her side.
“What did you see?” I asked gently.
She looked at me, her face soaked. “I saw Kiseki… I saw her and me merging into one, as if we were the same soul. And I felt that if you saved her… I would disappear.”
My eyes widened. That vision matched what we had suspected, but hearing it from Aria made it real.
Lysbeth approached, breathing heavily. “I saw my worst fear: a field filled with the corpses of my soldiers, all dead because I failed to protect them.”
Rei looked pale. “I saw my mother… begging me to abandon my vengeance, to let her death go unpunished. It was… unbearable.”
Nara was silent, which was rare for her. When she spoke, her voice trembled. “I saw all of you… dead, and me alone again. That emptiness… I never want to feel it again.”
The entire chamber vibrated. The voice without a source spoke again.
"You have faced a part of your truth, but you are still not worthy."
The pedestal began to sink, revealing a staircase descending into the depths of the sanctuary. The air it exhaled was denser, charged with an ancient power.
Cicilia swallowed. “This was only the first trial.”
I stood, helping Aria steady herself. My hands gripped hers tightly.
“No matter how many trials there are,” I said firmly, “we won’t turn back.”
My companions nodded, one by one. Fear was still in our eyes, but now something stronger remained: the determination to move forward.
We descended the stairs, each step echoing in the darkness. The further we went, the more we felt removed from the outside world, as if we were entering the very heart of the mountain.
At the end of the corridor, a gate rose before us, covered in symbols that glowed like molten fire. Beyond it, I could feel the force of the Heart of Aeterion, beating as if it had its own life.
“The next trial awaits us,” Lysbeth murmured, adjusting her sword.
I looked at Aria, at my friends, and took a deep breath. Piko, wherever she was, had to be watching us.
“And we will overcome it,” I affirmed, more to myself than to them. “Because I won’t lose anyone else.”
The gate slowly opened, bathing us in blinding light. The true challenge was just beginning.