The air was thick with tension. The council had barely settled into its new role, the survivors had only just begun to rebuild, and now another threat loomed on the horizon. The stranger's words echoed in Mary's mind, each syllable a dark promise of things to come.
The heart of the world…
Older forces…
The true fire has yet to burn…
She didn't know what it meant, but she knew they couldn't ignore it. Whatever lay ahead, they had to face it head-on.
The Decision
The council had gathered again, though this time, the mood was heavier. Even those who had been hopeful the day before now carried the weight of uncertainty on their shoulders.
Mary stood at the head of the long stone table, her gaze firm but distant. She could feel the eyes of Lela, Loosie, and the other leaders watching her, waiting for a decision.
Finally, she spoke. "We leave at dawn."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
"You're leaving?" one of the scholars asked, concern lacing his voice.
Mary nodded. "We have no choice. This 'heart of the world' could determine the fate of everything we've built here. If the forces that are awakening reach it before we do, all of this—" she gestured around her "—will be for nothing."
Lela crossed her arms. "We'll take a small group. Just enough to travel fast and avoid attention."
Loosie smirked, ever the strategist. "So just the three of us, then?"
Mary chuckled softly. "No. We'll need a guide."
A voice from the back of the room interrupted. "I'll go."
Everyone turned. It was the stranger.
He had returned, standing in the doorway as if he had been waiting for this very moment. The guards flinched, but Mary raised a hand to stop them.
"You again," she said cautiously. "You know where this heart is, don't you?"
The stranger nodded. "I know where to start looking."
Lela eyed him suspiciously. "And why should we trust you?"
The stranger's gaze was unreadable. "Because if I wanted you dead, I wouldn't be warning you. I'd be leading your enemies straight to your doorstep."
A silence fell over the council. Lela, Mary, and Loosie exchanged glances before finally nodding.
"Fine," Mary said. "You're coming with us. But if you betray us—"
"I won't," the stranger interrupted. "There's too much at stake."
The Journey Begins
At dawn, the four of them set out—Mary, Lela, Loosie, and the stranger, whose name they still did not know. They traveled light, each carrying only what was necessary. Their destination? A forgotten temple at the edge of the world, where the stranger claimed the first clues to the heart's location could be found.
The journey was not an easy one. The land beyond the city was still scarred from the war. Ruins stretched across the horizon, remnants of a civilization that had once thrived under the gods' rule and then crumbled in their absence. The earth was cracked, rivers ran dry, and the sky seemed duller than before, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
As they walked, Mary glanced at the stranger. He moved like a shadow—silent, precise, always aware of his surroundings.
"You never told us your name," she finally said.
The stranger hesitated for a moment before replying. "Call me Kael."
Lela scoffed. "And why were you the one sent to give us this warning, Kael?"
Kael didn't look at her. "Because I am the last of my kind."
That made everyone pause.
Mary frowned. "Your kind?"
Kael's expression darkened. "I was part of an ancient order—keepers of the world's balance. We existed before the gods rose to power, before they twisted fate to their will. When the gods came, they crushed us, believing they had no need for balance, only dominion."
Loosie whistled. "And yet, here you are."
Kael nodded. "I survived. Barely. And now, the cycle begins anew. Only this time, there are no gods to stop what's coming. That means it's up to us."
No one spoke after that.
They continued walking, their path taking them deeper into the unknown.
The First Encounter
By the fourth night, they reached the outskirts of the temple ruins. It stood at the top of a massive cliffside, its silhouette jagged against the twilight sky. Time had ravaged the once-grand structure, leaving only broken pillars and half-collapsed archways.
But something else was here.
The moment they set foot on the stone path leading up to the temple, Kael stopped suddenly. His hand went to the hilt of his blade, his eyes scanning the darkness.
"We're not alone."
Lela tightened her grip on her spear. "How many?"
Kael narrowed his eyes. "Not sure. But they're watching us."
A gust of wind swept through the ruins, and then, they emerged.
Figures cloaked in black, their faces obscured by masks. Their presence was not natural—there was a coldness to them, a void where life should be.
Mary unsheathed her saber, her heart pounding. "What are they?"
Kael's voice was grim. "The Forsaken. Beings that were never meant to exist."
The figures didn't speak. They simply moved—fast, impossibly fast.
The first one lunged at Loosie, twin daggers flashing. He barely had time to block before another one struck from behind. Lela countered with her spear, parrying two at once, but there were too many.
Mary swung her sword, the blade glowing faintly as she unleashed Mist Blade, her secret technique. Three slashes materialized from different directions, cutting through two enemies in a blink. But even as they fell, more appeared.
Kael was a blur of motion, his strikes precise and merciless. Unlike the others, he seemed to know exactly how to fight them.
"We can't win this fight," he said sharply. "We need to get inside the temple. Now!"
Mary cursed under her breath but knew he was right. "Go!"
The four of them fought their way up the temple steps, cutting down any Forsaken that got in their way. The closer they got to the entrance, the more resistance they faced.
Finally, they reached the crumbling doorway. Kael turned, chanting something under his breath. A barrier of golden energy erupted behind them, sealing the entrance just as the Forsaken tried to follow.
The creatures screeched in rage, their forms flickering like shadows, but they could not pass.
Breathing heavily, Mary looked around at the ancient carvings inside the temple. "What now?"
Kael's eyes darkened as he pointed to the center of the chamber.
There, resting atop a stone pedestal, was an orb pulsing with silver light.
"Now," Kael said, his voice low and ominous, "we find out where the heart of the world truly lies."