Melania walked ahead, feeling the cold wind seep through her cloak. This world felt increasingly unfamiliar, even though it had been shaped by their own hands. Each journey into the depths of Eternity unveiled new places that defied all laws, all expectations. Sometimes it was a forest that breathed and shifted according to the emotions of its travelers, and other times it was desolate wastelands where even time seemed hesitant to move forward.
Today, they faced a plain etched with shimmering symbols. The patterns burned into the ground, forming a mesmerizing design resembling a map. But this map led nowhere, revealing only the chaotic essence of the world.
“What is this?” Endar asked, halting beside her. His eyes scrutinized the symbols, though his expression remained grim.
“It’s… a trace of the past,” Melania replied, crouching closer. She reached out to touch one of the symbols but quickly pulled her hand back—the cold was so intense it seeped into her bones. “It seems to be what’s left of our choices.”
“But why is it here again?” Kairen circled her, kneeling to study the markings. His voice was tense. “Eternity was supposed to absorb everything old, yet it rejects this instead.”
“This isn’t just a memory,” Endar straightened, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. “It might be a new node of imbalance. It’s alive.”
Melania glanced at him, finding it hard to disagree. The patterns were shifting, flowing as if responding to their presence. In the center of the design, an image began to form—half-blurred, but unmistakably resembling Astran, standing amidst a storm, holding a broken symbol of balance.
“We can’t leave this unchecked,” she said firmly. “This node could fracture Eternity even more.”
Kairen frowned but silently agreed.
“What do you propose?” Endar asked, his gaze sweeping the eerily silent plain.
“We activate these patterns,” she said, pulling out a shard of the symbol given to them by the Keeper of Balance. Its surface pulsed faintly, though the light seemed dim, as if it lacked strength. “Maybe it will echo back something that tells us more.”
“Or maybe it will create more chaos,” Kairen muttered, though he didn’t stop her.
Melania placed the shard in the center of one of the symbols and stepped back. The patterns began to glow, their lines merging to form a strange mechanism resembling a clock with countless hands. But each hand moved in its own direction, chaotically and without sense.
“What does it mean?” Endar squinted, trying to discern the logic of the movements.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the ground—blurred yet majestic, a blend of light and shadow. The voice that came from it was soft but filled with power.
“You have come here to understand that Eternity is not stable? Or perhaps to confirm your fears?”
“Who are you?” Melania asked, though she already suspected the answer.
“I am the one who maintains balance,” the figure replied. “You have met me before, but back then, your hearts were filled with certainty. Now they are heavy with doubt.”
“Eternity has slipped out of our control,” Endar admitted. “And if you’re here, it means you deem it dangerous.”
The figure nodded.
“Eternity always seeks harmony, but it does not always find it in ways you understand. The current imbalances are not solely your fault. They are a natural process requiring your presence.”
“What must we do?” Melania asked.
“Understand that each node of imbalance is not an enemy but an opportunity,” the figure answered. “But these opportunities come at a price. You must be ready to sacrifice in order to create true harmony.”
Melania fell silent, the weight of responsibility pressing on her.
“Will we have the strength?”
The figure did not answer, instead extending a hand holding a new symbol that glowed faintly.
“This mark will help you see where the other nodes of imbalance lie. But remember—each will test the limits of your resolve.”
Melania accepted the symbol, and the figure vanished, leaving them alone on the plain. The patterns stilled once more, but now the heroes understood that their path would grow even harder.
“Are we ready?” she asked, looking at her companions.
“Have we ever been ready?” Endar smirked.
“No, but we must go on,” she replied, tucking the symbol into her belt.
The plain dissolved into mist, but their journey was only beginning.