Zara gasped as the power of the Shard surged through her, more than anything she had ever experienced. It was a wave, sweeping her out of the reality of the auction house and into one of light and darkness. Weightless, she drifted through a vacuum that pulsed with the rhythm of the universe itself.
Visions flickered before her eyes—fragments of vanished civilizations consumed by the centuries. She recalled towering temples where light from distant stars poured down, warriors with powers that warped reality, and a figure of shadow standing at their heart. Eyes of the figure glowed like the same luminance as the Shard, and for a moment, Zara saw herself standing in the darkness.
The voice of the Shard, or the voice of the power that it represented, whispered in her mind.
You are the last. The one who should rebalance.
Zara's heart thudded. What does that mean? she asked, her thoughts echoing into nothing.
The Order desires to control the power of the Aether, to reshape the world according to their own design. But you. you are the key to something greater. Something more powerful even than the gods. Seize your destiny, and the power will be yours.".
Zara hesitated. The Shard's words hung over her, freighted with the weight of what it was asking. But even as doubt seeped into her mind, she could feel the connection building between herself and the relic. This was not a simple weapon. It was a power older than time itself, and if the Order gained it, the world would never be the same.
I'll do it, she said to herself. But on my own terms.
Light surrounding her intensified, and with a final, blazing flash, the Shard power merged with hers. Zara's sight dissolved, and the world came crashing back into focus.
She stood once more in the auction house, but everything was different. The strength of the Shard coursed through her, stronger than ever. A soft, otherworldly light glowed in the air about her, and the darkness that she controlled throbbed with new life.
The Order man stumbled to his feet, his eyes widening as he grasped the change in her.
"You… you've merged with it," he muttered, his voice laced with incredulity. "That's impossible."
Zara balled her hands, sensing the energy coursing just beneath her skin. "Guess I'm full of surprises."
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