Shattered Fragments of Eternity

The weight of the abyss clung to Daniel's mind like an unyielding shroud—a presence so pervasive that every thought, every heartbeat, seemed to resonate with its dark echo. Even as he and Mira advanced deeper into the twisting, ever-changing corridors of the Citadel, the faint, insidious murmur of forgotten voices seeped into his consciousness. An omnipresent whisper, barely discernible yet impossibly persistent, drifted through the air: "You are ready."

Ready for what, Daniel wondered, his mind a turbulent sea of uncertainty and suppressed dread? The words, uttered in a tone that was neither wholly menacing nor entirely benign, resonated with a haunting familiarity. They awakened something deep within him—an echo of a memory he couldn't quite grasp, like a half-remembered dream dissolving at the edge of wakefulness.