Smoke drifted low across the ground, not rising, only spreading, heavy and slow. I walked through it, my steps uneven, my breath sharp. The shard in my hand glowed weak, its crack wider now, its light trembling like it wanted to fade.
The silence followed me, pressing harder, thicker, heavier. My shoulders bent, my grip tight, but I carried. I endured. I resisted. The path ahead was broken, stones scattered, walls fallen, shadows bending. I traced them with my fingers, each touch heavy, each step deliberate.
The shard pulsed once, then again, louder, weaker. My palm burned, raw. I whispered, "Legacy is not given. It is taken." The words echoed against the hollow path, imperfect, carried into the silence that refused to fade.
Smoke rose again, smoke again, smoke that refused to clear. Hunger gnawed deeper, exhaustion carved lines across my breath. My steps slowed, my grip trembled, my palm burned. The shard flared suddenly, its crack glowing, its strength weak.
I stumbled once, my breath ragged, my grip uneven. Shadows bent, storms pressed, silence carried. I walked onward, my steps heavy, my breath sharp, my grip trembling. The horizon bent, storms waited, silence pressed harder.
The ruins whispered again, imperfect, raw. I whispered back, "Choice binds. Choice breaks. Choice carries." The shard pulsed again, louder, weaker. My shoulders bent, my steps slow, but I did not break. I carried. I endured. I resisted.
Smoke drifted thicker, heavier, slower. My breath faltered, my grip weak, my palm burning. The shard pulsed again, louder, its crack spreading. I whispered again, "Legacy is not given. It is taken." The words lingered, imperfect, raw.
The silence pressed harder, storms waiting, shadows bending. The bond was mine alone, fragile yet unbroken, carried into danger not yet faced, into silence not yet named.