Kaelin's breath caught in her throat as her fingers tightened around the hilt. The sword pulsed in response—warm, alive, and ancient.
A whisper echoed through her mind, not in words, but emotions. Grief. Power. Destiny.
This sword remembers.
---
After the Flash
The others were still recovering from the shockwave. Mira groaned and pulled herself upright.
"Kaelin—what did you do?!"
Kaelin turned to her, eyes now flickering with a faint silver hue. "I don't know," she admitted, her voice distant, layered with something not quite her own.
Jericho stared at her. "Your eyes… they changed."
Lysa stepped forward warily. "That sword… it's not just a relic."
"It's alive," Eli added, rubbing his temples. "Or at least… aware."
---
Legends Reborn
As they moved deeper into the ruins, the environment changed. More runes glowed on the walls, reacting to the sword in Kaelin's hand. It was like walking through the pages of a forgotten myth.
Mira looked at Kaelin. "Do you feel anything else?"
"Flashes," Kaelin replied. "Memories that aren't mine. Battles. A name… Araya."
Jericho muttered, "That name again. It was in the Ember Temple archives—one of the lost Guardians, right?"
Eli nodded slowly. "She vanished during the Cataclysm War. No body. No tomb. Just vanished."
"And now her sword chooses Kaelin," Mira said quietly.
Kaelin gripped the sword tighter. "We need to know why."
---
Unseen Watchers
As the team moved on, none of them noticed the shadow watching from above.
A figure cloaked in ragged black leaned against a broken pillar, unseen in the flickering torchlight. A silver pendant hung from their neck, identical to the mark glowing on Kaelin's blade.
"She's awakened it," the figure whispered. "Too soon…"
They vanished into the dark.
---
A Warning in Flame
The ruins led them to a final chamber—its walls scorched black, and a single word etched in charred stone above the archway:
"Return."
Before anyone could speak, flames erupted in a perfect circle around the group. A spectral figure formed in the fire—a warrior in armor so ancient it crumbled as he moved.
"You've disturbed the seal," the voice boomed, hollow and enraged. "The sword must not leave this place."
Kaelin raised the blade, instinct guiding her.
"I won't give it up."
"Then you carry the burden of Araya," the spirit said. "And the war she died to end… may begin again."