The silence that had settled around the nexus after stabilization was illusory. Just moments ago, the space radiated harmony, but now something was wrong. Melania felt it first: a faint breath of time, as though it were tearing apart the space around them. Her fingers involuntarily tightened around the hilt of her symbolic blade, but no visible threat appeared.
Endar stood nearby, his gaze fixed on the new sphere of the nexus, which now glowed with a red-gold light. The light was too bright, yet unsettling, as if it concealed something dangerous within.
— What do you feel? — Melania asked, not taking her eyes off the sphere.
— It’s not just stabilization, — Endar replied, touching the surface of the sphere. His hand trembled, as if touching it drained him. — The nexus has changed, but something is breaking within it.
Melania sighed and lowered the blade. Her face reflected exhaustion. It had been a long time since they started rebuilding Eternity, and every nexus had been a trial. But now, when they were so close to the end, everything seemed even more complicated.
— We’ve stabilized this nexus, — she said. — So why do the echoes of the old order still linger?
Endar didn’t respond immediately. He stared at the light, as though trying to decipher it.
— The nexus can’t fully let go of the past, — he finally said. — It still holds fragments of the old connections that once bound Eternity. If we don’t find a way to integrate them, they’ll destroy the nexus from within.
At that moment, the ground beneath their feet trembled. Melania jumped, and Endar took a step back. The sphere in the center of the nexus began pulsing, emitting waves of energy that stirred the space around them.
— What’s happening?! — Melania exclaimed, gripping the blade.
— It’s them, — Endar whispered. His voice was calm, but his eyes were glowing with a golden light. — The echoes of the old connections. They’re trying to break free.
The sphere suddenly cracked open, releasing a thin beam of light that sliced through the space, creating a rift. From that rift, shadows began to emerge — not like the ones they had seen before. These shadows were blurry, their outlines shifting as though they were reflections of people who had once existed but now remained only as fragments of time.
— Are those… souls? — Melania asked, feeling her heart tighten from the strange sorrow the creatures emitted.
Endar furrowed his brow.
— No, these are echoes. Fragments of the past that the nexus can’t release. They’re not alive, but they’re dangerous.
The shadows began moving, circling the sphere. Their motions were slow, but there was a palpable threat in the air.
— They’re trying to become part of the nexus again, — Endar said, raising his hands. His golden glow reappeared, creating a protective barrier around them both.
— And if they do? — Melania asked.
— The nexus will collapse. Their energy is incompatible with the new Eternity.
Melania bit her lip, trying to decide what to do. She knew that destroying these creatures might be the only way to stop them, but something inside her resisted that idea.
— We need to find a way to integrate them, — she suddenly said, feeling a resolve take hold of her.
Endar looked at her in surprise.
— That’s risky.
— It’s the right way, — she replied, raising her blade. — We can’t just destroy what’s left of the past. We need to learn to live with it.
Endar didn’t say anything, but his eyes showed inner conflict. He knew Melania was right, but he also understood how dangerous this was.
— Alright, — he said after a pause. — I’ll try to establish contact with them.
Melania nodded and stepped between Endar and the shadows, ready to defend him while he worked.
Endar extended his hands toward the sphere, and his body began to glow with golden light. He closed his eyes, trying to penetrate the essence of the echoes.
The shadows began to react, moving faster and more aggressively. Melania fought them off, but their numbers only grew.
— They’re resisting! — Endar shouted, his voice strained.
— Don’t give up! — Melania cried, feeling her blade grow heavier with each strike.
The light of the sphere began to change. It became more intense, but at the same time, the shadows began to slow. They gradually returned to the sphere, as though it was pulling them in.
— They’re accepting a new form, — Endar whispered, lowering his hands. His face was pale, and his movements slow.
The shadows vanished inside the sphere, and it stabilized, emitting a soft light.
Melania lowered her blade and approached him.
— That was risky, — she said, looking him in the eye.
— But it was necessary, — he replied, taking a deep breath.
The space around them calmed, but on the surface of the sphere, a new symbol remained — the mark of the old echoes that had now become part of the nexus.
— We saved it, — Melania said. — But I fear this is just the beginning of new trials.
Endar nodded, his gaze distant.
— The real battle is yet to come.