The portal brought Aloysius, Kaelis, and Elyon to the edge of the Forest of Lost Time, where towering trees twisted unnaturally, their branches woven with shimmering threads of divine radiation. The air was thick with an eerie stillness, and the ground seemed to ripple like the surface of a disturbed pond.
"This forest traps memories," Kaelis warned, scanning the shadowed undergrowth. "Those who enter often lose themselves in echoes of their past."
Aloysius felt a cold chill run down his spine. The shard hidden deep within this forest was guarded by illusions and time-warped spirits—tests not just of strength, but of mind and will.
As they ventured deeper, the trees whispered fragments of forgotten moments lost friends, past regrets, and buried fears. Each step was a battle against fading identity, a struggle to hold fast to reality.
Suddenly, spectral figures emerged, their forms flickering like broken memories. They attacked not with brute force, but by dredging up pain and doubt, seeking to fracture Aloysius's resolve.
Aloysius gritted his teeth, summoning the lightning and shadow within. "Focus. We fight not just the forest, but the ghosts of ourselves."
With fierce determination, they pushed forward, breaking through the forest's illusions until the shard appeared a crystal pulsating with trapped time.
Grasping it, Aloysius felt his memories sharpen and stabilize, the forest's grasp weakening.
The price of progress was clear: the path to restoring the Radiant Veil demanded confronting the deepest parts of oneself.