The Spire of Echoes loomed over Kael and Seris like a god forgotten by time.
From a distance, it had seemed jagged, silent, and massive. Up close, it was something else entirely—a living thing. Its surface shimmered like molten glass, runes flickering across its black stone skin in pulses that mirrored Kael's own heartbeat.
He stood at its base now, breath shallow, neck craned back to take it all in. The tower spiraled endlessly into the blood-colored sky, vanishing into clouds that didn't move.
"So…" Kael said, trying to keep his tone light, "we knock?"
Seris stepped forward, placing her palm against the spire's outer wall.
It rippled.
A ring of silver light expanded outward from her touch, warping space itself. A seam appeared in the stone, widening into a doorway carved of flame and mist.
"No turning back now," she said.
Kael swallowed. "Right. Great."
They stepped through.
---
Inside was… nothing. Then everything.
The world warped around them the moment their boots left the ground outside. Kael felt as if he'd fallen, flipped, and risen all at once. He gasped, arms flailing for balance.
When he blinked again, the world had changed.
He stood in a field.
Not just any field—but one Kael had seen before. Only in dreams. Gold grass swayed in a breeze that smelled like home, and the sky above was bright with two suns. Trees with silver leaves lined the edges of a lake that reflected stars not yet risen.
Seris was gone.
"Seris?" he called out.
No answer.
He spun, heart pounding.
This was wrong.
It felt right—but that was the trap.
The Spire of Echoes plays with memory.
He remembered what she said. This place remembers.
> "Fragment Stability: 66%."
The mark on his wrist pulsed. Not with danger, but confusion. It didn't recognize the input around it. That was worrying.
Kael moved through the field cautiously. Each step echoed as if the air itself was too thick. His boots left no prints in the golden grass. Nothing made sense.
"Okay," he muttered, "time to wake up now."
"You are already awake," came a voice behind him.
He turned quickly.
A boy stood there. No older than twelve. Hair messy, clothes torn, bare feet stained with soot. But it was the eyes that froze Kael in place—
They were his.
"No," Kael said, shaking his head. "No, you're not—"
"I'm what you left behind," the boy said. "What you were. What you wanted to protect."
Kael backed away. "You're not real."
"Real enough," the boy said, stepping closer. "You remember the promise, don't you? 'Never again.'"
The wind howled through the field, suddenly colder.
Kael's fists clenched. "Get out of my head."
"You're not in your head," the boy replied. "You're in your soul."
A flare of fire burst from Kael's core. The golden grass around him withered, curling into ash.
The boy blinked. "You still burn for it. Even now."
Kael didn't reply.
The boy smiled sadly. "Then we both know what you're here to do."
---
The illusion shattered like glass.
Kael fell—this time for real. No ground caught him. No warning. Just a long, slow spiral downward through rings of broken memories. Scenes played around him—half remembered, half imagined.
A war.
A hand reaching out through flame.
A woman screaming his name.
Then darkness.
He landed hard on black marble.
Groaning, Kael pushed himself up. He was in a circular chamber. Runes crawled along the walls like spiders made of light.
> "Core Sync Stable. Environment: Illusory-Reflective."
He gritted his teeth. "What now?"
A figure stepped from the shadows.
It was Seris.
But not.
This Seris wore regal armor, gleaming with gold and black. Her expression was cold. Eyes like knives.
"You left me," she said.
Kael blinked. "You're not her."
She didn't move. "You promised we'd fight together. And when the flames came… you ran."
Kael's mark blazed with heat.
Another illusion.
Another lie wrapped in truth.
"You're not real," he said.
"Then why do you feel guilty?" she asked.
Kael gritted his teeth. "Because maybe I did leave someone behind. But not her. Not this version."
He stepped forward. She didn't move.
Kael reached out—
—and she vanished.
He stood alone again.
---
The chamber shifted.
Walls unfolded like petals. New symbols formed. Light dimmed to twilight hues.
Kael staggered, mind spinning.
"This place is going to tear me apart."
"Only if you let it," said a voice.
He turned. Seris—real Seris—stood on a platform across a broken bridge. Her blade was drawn. She looked worn, sweaty, but whole.
"Seris?"
She nodded. "You made it."
"Barely."
"Good."
The bridge rebuilt itself as she stepped forward. With a low hum, runes lit the stones beneath her boots.
Kael crossed too. When they met in the center, neither spoke at first.
Then Seris asked, "What did you see?"
"Me," Kael replied. "Or what I was."
She looked away. "It's different for everyone. The Spire doesn't show you the truth. Just what you're afraid might be true."
"I don't know which is worse."
She gave him a tired smile. "That's how it tests you."
He glanced upward. "We're not done yet."
"No. That was the veil."
"What's next?"
"The heart."
---
Together, they walked forward.
The final hallway was lined with flickering lanterns, their flames whispering in tongues Kael couldn't understand. The runes here glowed deep violet, pulsing like a heartbeat.
At the end stood a door.
Circular.
Sealed with three interlocked marks.
Kael stepped forward. The mark on his wrist responded, flaring with synchronized heat and light. One of the seals melted into mist.
Seris touched the second. Her own mark shimmered with ice and smoke. The second seal vanished.
They both looked at the third.
It didn't respond.
Kael frowned. "Isn't this supposed to open?"
Seris stepped closer. "It only opens to those who carry knowledge. The Echo doesn't open for strength. Only truth."
Kael closed his eyes.
Truth.
He thought back—to the boy. The broken promise. The fire.
He spoke quietly. "I left my brother to die."
Silence.
"I promised I'd protect him. I failed."
The third seal pulsed… then vanished.
The door opened.
---
Inside was darkness. Not empty—but waiting.
A voice echoed from beyond.
"Enter, Kael. The Keeper awaits."