The moon hovered high over Elarith, casting a ghostly sheen across the castle grounds. Aether stood on the edge of the ancient balcony overlooking the valley, where the spectral forest danced under the starlight like whispers from another realm.
His fingers clenched the stone railing.
He hadn't slept—not since the encounter with the Gatekeeper. The revelation that he bore the crest of the Eclipse—a dormant power locked within his soul—wasn't just a twist of fate. It was a burden, a key, and a threat.
Behind him, the great hall murmured with the soft echoes of nobles and soldiers alike, gathering to prepare for what would come next. But Aether needed space. He needed to think. Needed to breathe.
"Can't sleep either?" a soft voice asked.
He turned to see Seris, her silver hair braided over her shoulder, eyes like shards of glacier light. She was barefoot, wrapped in a flowing midnight robe, a glowing crystal clasped around her neck.
"No," Aether admitted. "I keep hearing that voice. The Gatekeeper. His words won't stop echoing in my head."
"'He who awakens the Eclipse must pay the price,'" Seris recited quietly. "You think he meant you?"
"I don't know. But the emblem appeared on my hand, not yours."
She stepped beside him and leaned on the railing, her shoulder barely brushing his. "You're not alone in this, Aether."
"I know."
But knowing didn't make it easier.
Seris studied his face for a moment. "Come with me," she said suddenly.
Without another word, she turned and walked toward the shadowed corridor.
Aether hesitated, but followed. They wound through a staircase lit by floating orbs of pale firelight, descending into the lower levels of the castle—places he hadn't yet explored. The air grew colder with each step.
At last, they stopped before a heavy door lined with strange runes pulsing with amber light.
Seris placed her palm against the wood. "Blood of the moon," she whispered.
The door creaked open.
Inside was a chamber that looked untouched by time. Walls of obsidian stone shimmered with embedded crystals. A pool of silvery liquid rested at the center, surrounded by seven ancient pillars, each carved with sigils from languages long lost.
"What is this place?" Aether asked.
"The Sanctum of Memory," Seris said. "Built by the first Archons. It reveals truths... sometimes more than one can bear."
He stepped closer to the pool. The surface was impossibly still, yet it pulsed faintly, like it was breathing.
Seris continued, "I brought you here because you need answers. But answers come with a cost."
Aether stared into the silver liquid. "What kind of cost?"
"You'll see things—memories that may not be yours. Visions of the past, the future, or even other realities. And if you're not strong enough... they can break you."
He swallowed.
"I'm tired of being in the dark."
And with that, he knelt beside the pool, extended his fingers, and touched the surface.
At once, a surge of light exploded from the pool, engulfing him.
He was no longer in the Sanctum.
He stood in the ruins of a city. Tall spires cracked and crumbled. Ash fell from the sky. Fires burned blue in the distance. The wind carried screams—raw, endless.
A figure stood before him.
Aether recognized himself—older, battle-worn, eyes hard with something close to hatred.
This version of him wore armor of black and gold, and around his neck was a talisman glowing with the Eclipse sigil.
"You finally made it," the older Aether said.
"What... what is this?"
"A glimpse," the figure answered. "Of what you could become."
Aether stepped back. "This isn't real."
"It's as real as any path not yet chosen. You think bearing the Eclipse makes you a savior? No. It makes you a target. It makes you a weapon. And weapons are meant to be used."
"No," Aether whispered. "That's not who I am."
"But it could be," his future self said. "When your friends fall. When you lose Seris. When you realize peace is a lie. You will break. You will become me."
"Never."
The figure smiled bitterly. "You think your heart is immune? You think love will save you?"
And suddenly, Seris appeared behind the older Aether—bloodied, pale, her eyes glassy.
"No!" Aether screamed and rushed forward—but the vision shattered into shards of glass and flame.
He was falling—through stars, through fire, through layers of memory.
Now he stood in a field, under twin suns.
This time, Seris was there, holding a child with eyes of violet and hair like silver fire.
Aether blinked.
They were laughing.
A house stood nearby, humble but warm, nestled between hills and flowering trees. A life. A future.
Seris looked up at him. "Do you see, Aether? This path exists too. But only if you hold on to who you are."
He reached toward her—
And awoke with a gasp, sprawled beside the now still pool.
Sweat drenched him. His heart pounded. Seris knelt at his side, worry carved into every feature.
"Are you alright?"
"I... I saw everything. A future where I lose myself. And one where... we survive. Together."
She didn't ask for details. Instead, she helped him up. Her hand remained in his, steady and firm.
"You understand now why the Gatekeeper said there's a price."
"Yes," Aether said, voice hoarse. "But I also understand something else."
He turned toward the runic walls, determination hardening his jaw.
"I won't let fate choose for me."
Elsewhere—beyond the realms of Elarith, in the dark between worlds—a woman cloaked in starless robes watched a swirling mirror.
Her eyes, devoid of pupils, shimmered with cosmic knowledge.
She saw the boy awaken. She saw the pool stir.
"The Eclipse stirs," she whispered.
From the shadows behind her, six cloaked figures emerged. Each bore a mark of ancient power—one of Flame, one of Ice, one of Shadow, and others nameless.
"What do you command, Oracle?" one asked.
"Prepare the Echoes," the Oracle said. "He has touched the Sanctum. The pieces are moving. The game begins."
Back in the castle, Aether and Seris emerged from the hidden chamber to find the world subtly changed. The air was heavier. The stars above pulsed with unfamiliar hues.
"Aether," Seris said, pausing in the corridor. "There's one more thing you should know."
"What?"
She turned to face him. "You weren't the only one chosen by the Eclipse."
A silence fell between them.
His voice was low. "Then who?"
Seris looked away, her jaw tense. "My sister. Before she disappeared."
Aether's world shifted again.
He thought the night had already given him too many revelations.
But this?
This was just the beginning.