Volume 3 — Chapter 19: Awakening of the Final Relic
Light exploded from the pedestal, swallowing the chamber in spirals of white and obsidian fire. Aryn shielded his eyes, staggering as the force washed over him. Eryon pressed himself against the wall, trembling.
At the center of the vortex stood Lyriana—her silhouette sharp against the storm of power. The final relic hovered before her, pulsing like a living heart.
A voice—not one of the living, nor the dead—echoed through the cavern:
"Bearer of Convergence…
Do you claim the power that binds all realms?"
Lyriana felt the words reverberate through her bones. Warmth, fear, destiny—all surged through her veins at once.
"I claim it," she said, steady and unyielding. "Not for domination. Not for blood. For freedom."
The relic flared in response.
The ground shook violently, molten rivers spilling from the cracks. The obsidian walls glimmered with runes that had slept for centuries—now reawakening.
Aryn forced himself forward, calling out, "Lyriana! You don't have to bear this alone!"
She glanced back, meeting his eyes through the swirling light.
"I'm not alone. Not ever."
The relic's glow intensified, responding to her truth.
But Eryon shouted over the roar:
"Lyriana—stop! The relic tests your resolve! If there is even a moment of doubt, it will consume you!"
Lyriana gritted her teeth. "I am not afraid."
The relic plunged toward her chest.
A searing flash—
—and then silence.
For a heartbeat, everything was still.
Then Lyriana gasped as power surged through her, the relic fusing with her very essence. Her markings glowed with intertwined colors—moonlight, violet flame, emerald shimmer, and now obsidian fire.
Aryn stared in awe.
"You… you're glowing."
Lyriana lifted her hands, watching light pulse beneath her skin. "The relic accepted me."
Eryon's eyes widened with fear and awe.
"You've become the living conduit of all four relics… The council will come for you with everything they have."
Lyriana stepped toward Aryn, determination blazing in her eyes.
"Let them come."
But before she could take another breath, the mountain groaned—a deep, rupturing sound.
Aryn looked up sharply. "Lyriana… the cavern is collapsing!"
The awakening had destabilized the entire peak.
Lyriana grasped Aryn's hand. "We move. Now."
Eryon staggered toward them. "The exit is blocked—you'll have to carve a new way out!"
Lyriana's eyes hardened.
"Then I will."
She raised her hand—and the power of all four relics surged outward.
A tunnel blasted open through the collapsing mountain, molten rock exploding aside.
The three of them ran as the chamber behind them fell into darkness.
The final relic had awakened.
And with it, Lyriana's destiny.