The ruins were quiet now.
The eerie glow of corrupted magic had faded with the enemy's fall, leaving behind only smoldering stones and the metallic scent of scorched earth. Shadows flickered lazily as the group caught their breath inside a broken archway, its cracked frame offering no real protection, but somehow giving them a moment of stillness.
Liam leaned back against the wall, cradling his arm, which had been grazed by the dark lieutenant's final strike. Blood seeped slowly through the cloth, but he didn't seem to notice. His mind was elsewhere — lost in the vision they had just seen. Or rather, almost seen.
"Elira…" he whispered, almost too softly for the others to hear.
Aeris sat across from him, her expression unreadable. Her cloak was torn, her cheek marked with a streak of ash, and yet her eyes were sharp. Watching him. Measuring him.
"You saw her too," she finally said, breaking the silence.
Nyra nodded weakly, wiping her brow. "A vision… but it was blurry. Like it was locked behind glass. And her voice — it echoed inside my head like… like a memory trying to scream."
"I couldn't summon properly," she added with a hint of shame. "Again. I tried to call back my serpent but—"
Kael, sitting nearby with his sword laid across his lap, shook his head. "Don't blame yourself, Nyra. That wasn't a normal battlefield. That place… it was cursed. A trap designed to drain us, confuse us."
Liam lowered his head, brows furrowed. "But we came all this way thinking the third fragment was here."
"It wasn't," Aeris replied sharply. "At least, not yet."
"What does that mean?" Kael asked, frowning.
"It means…" Aeris stood slowly, brushing dust off her cloak. "What we found was a piece of something else. A sealed memory. A hidden message."
Nyra looked up. "You think Elira left it?"
"I know she did," Liam said quietly. "Her voice… it wasn't trying to guide us to the fragment. It was warning us."
A shiver passed through the group.
He continued, voice low. "She said we weren't ready. That we needed more. That… this isn't just about collecting pieces. It's about understanding them."
"And she mentioned the human world," Nyra added. "Or something like it. She said… 'He must return where it began.'"
They all turned to Liam.
He blinked. "What? I don't—"
"Your memories," Kael said. "The visions. The voice in the mirror. It's all tied to you, Liam. This started with you."
Liam stood abruptly, pacing. "But I don't remember anything! I didn't ask for this. I was just—"
"You were chosen," Aeris cut in, eyes intense. "Maybe not by fate. Maybe not by the gods. But someone — something — bound you to this. And we all felt it the moment you touched the first fragment."
The silence stretched. Only the crackling of dying magic remained in the air.
Kael finally broke it. "So, what now?"
Liam met their eyes, and for a moment, the uncertain boy he had been was replaced by someone… older. Wiser. Or perhaps, simply more determined.
"We go to the human world," he said.
Nyra's eyes widened. "We're not ready—"
"We're never going to be ready if we wait," he replied. "If part of the spellbook is there — if Elira is there, then we can't stay in the realm pretending this war isn't bigger than us."
"But how do we even get there?" Kael asked. "Portals are unstable. The last one—"
"We won't use a portal," Aeris interrupted.
Everyone looked at her.
She reached into her satchel and pulled out a small, shimmering crystal — pulsing faintly with violet light.
"This… was given to me by someone long ago. A realmwalker. It's a one-way ticket. A tear in the veil between worlds." Her voice softened. "I never thought I'd use it. Until now."
Liam stepped forward. "Will it take us where we need to go?"
She looked at him, then nodded. "It will take us close. But once we cross, we're on our own. No realm magic. No guardian protections. We'll be vulnerable. And we'll have to find the protectors who remain hidden."
Nyra swallowed. "You mean… people from the realm who never returned?"
"Exactly," Aeris confirmed. "They're in the human world — likely forgotten, scattered. But if Elira entrusted them with anything… it's our best chance."
Kael let out a long breath. "Then we better rest tonight. We might not have peace again for a while."
As they settled around the dying embers of the ruin, sleep came slow and uneasy. Liam turned on his side, staring into the shadows beyond the broken stones. And then…
The whisper came again.
"Return to where it all began... before the dark remembers you first."
Liam sat upright, heart pounding. The voice was female. Familiar. And this time — there was no doubt.
It was Elira.
But there was something wrong. Something cold in her tone. Was she warning him… or luring him?
He didn't know.