The Last Echo Of Eternity

h, were now jagged and uneven, as though the very stone had been carved by an ancient, unseen hand. The p

corner of his vision, every gust of air felt too cold, too deliberate. Something

ry flicker of movement in the dark. His demeanor was calm, but Toby could sense

Toby said quietly, his voic

The spire itself is... alive. It adapts, shifts in response to who enter

rrowed. "You t

hat we've seen so far. The city is connected to something far older. Something... p

no denying that something ancient and powerful was hidden beneath the city's surface, waiting to be

erent-thicker, as if charged with an electrical current. At the center of the room stood a stone pedestal, worn and weathered by time. But it was

the one from his dream, the one that had been shattered in the vision

urmured, taking a ca

der. "Not so fast," he warned. "That crystal is

rning to face Philip, confusion

was built around something far more dangerous than we know. That

de him. His connection to it was undeniable-like an ancient thre

mber, making his skin crawl. A shadow passed over the entrance, t

ld. His presence filled the room, as though he were the source of the shadows themselves. He

s is him. The one from his dream

, his voice smooth like silk, yet laced with

ilt of his dagger. "Who are you?" he demanded, t

ognize me? How disappointing." He tilted his head, his golden eyes glinting. "I suppose that

e quickened

dark curiosity. "But I was once someone else. Someone far more powerful.

e couldn't explain. Nox. The name echoed in his mind like a distant

by said, stepping forward, a surge of con

ng the city. I'm simply... guiding it. You see, the city is a living thing. It's been asleep for millennia, but it's waking now. A

ut he didn't draw it. "And what is it yo

r. "I'm here because I have waited long enough. An

sting, growing longer and deeper. Toby could feel the

he fear gnawing at him. "We're not here to stop you.

aid, his voice low and dangerous. "The city doesn't consume. It recreates. Everything

gnore the rising dread in his ch

ws themselves bent to his will. "You don't get a choice in the mat

the city itself was retaliating. The crystal on the pedestal pulsed violently,

away from the crystal. The weight of its energy filled him, tugging

ight from the crystal flared, and th

ng. Falling

eard Nox's voice, like a distant wh

already

a strange, endless void, weightless, suspended in the air. The darkness was thick, suffocating. It pre

stone, frozen in place. The sensation of falling never ceased, and the d

threads of gold weaving in and out of the blackness. They were like veins of electricity, charging the air, creat

t flooded his mind like a torrential storm. The

tood before a massive structure, towering over her. The city was alive, breathing, shifting as i

the wrong hands. The city will rise again, but it will rise with blood and d

arity that chilled him to his core. Who was she? Why did she feel like a

black void. But something had shifted. He could feel it deep within him-a conn

it the sharp scent of damp stone and ancient earth. It felt l

re aw

the weight of centuries. It was neither male nor female, and yet it held b

throat tight with the weight of the mo

rialized before him. It was neither fully formed nor entirely formless-an amalgamation of sh

ance. "You are the key to unlocking what was sealed away. You will either awa

o comprehend what was happening. "C

beneath it all-it is not just a weapon. It is a choice. You were chosen because you understand it in a way n

nded up in the city, let alone what it all meant. But the voice was right-there was a deep, intr

Or was this s

hts. "Awaken the city, and it will rise to claim its dominion. Or choose

est as he tried to make sense of the words. Th

t?" he whispered,

You cannot stop it alone, Toby. Not without help. There are others like

"Where are they? Who

lling it away from his sight. "You already know them, Toby. The ones who ar

t back into the chamber with the crystal. His knees buckled beneath

wed brighter now, its pulsating light almost blinding. He coul

Philip standing in the doorway, his face pale, ey

Philip asked, his voice shaking. "One mom

d, pushing himself to his feet.

furrowed. "Und

"I understand what it means to be the key. And I understand that everything is

, his expression harden

is awakening. And it's not just Nox we have to worry about. There's s

w that time was running out. The city's heart w

question was no longer what woul