The hidden chamber welcomed them with silence—a silence so absolute it felt like even time hesitated at the threshold. Kael stepped in first, followed closely by Saerin, both their eyes adjusting to the dim glow of flickering torches that ignited on their own along the walls.
The room was vast, circular, and carved entirely of obsidian stone. In the center stood a pedestal surrounded by a ring of ancient glyphs, all glowing in a dull crimson light. Atop the pedestal floated the next shard—this one shaped like a sliver of flame, pulsing with dormant power.
Saerin moved cautiously. "This place… it feels older than the city above. Like it predates Eldros itself."
Kael knelt near the glyphs, studying their patterns. "They're warnings. A trial… no, a purification."
Suddenly, the room trembled. From the black stone beneath them, molten cracks split open, forming a circle around the pedestal. The flame shard flared to life, and an incorporeal figure emerged—a guardian forged of living fire, cloaked in ash and sorrow.
"You who seek the Flame of Memory," the guardian boomed, "must confront the fire of what was lost. Only those who endure their deepest regrets may wield its truth."
Kael gritted his teeth. "I'm ready."
Without warning, the fire surged—and Kael was engulfed.
He found himself standing in a ghostly replica of the Citadel, the place where he had once made a fatal choice. Faces from his past emerged: allies lost, battles abandoned, promises broken.
Saerin's voice called out to him distantly, but he couldn't move. The guilt clawed at him, whispering that he was unworthy.
But then—another voice. Not one of judgment, but of hope.
"You cannot undo the past, Kael. But you can choose who you become now."
His pendant pulsed. His heart steadied.
The vision shattered. Kael stood once more in the obsidian chamber, the guardian's fire now subdued.
"You have faced your fire," the guardian said, bowing slightly. "The shard is yours."
Kael reached out and took the shard. It merged with the pendant, adding a new layer of warmth and light to the ancient artifact.
As the flame dimmed and the guardian vanished, a path revealed itself—leading deeper into the forgotten foundations of Eldros.
"We're not done yet," Saerin said softly.
Kael nodded, his eyes hard but clear. "No. But now, we burn with purpose."
And so they stepped forward—into more trials, more memories, and toward the truth that waited in the heart of the world.