ECHOES OF THE PAST

Chapter 16

The moment the stone cracked, Aya felt it, a shift in the air, a weight pressing against her chest, a whisper curling through her thoughts. The voice from beneath the earth was not like the others. It wasn't a warning. It wasn't even a threat.

It was a promise.

"The Third Seal awaits."

Aya's breath hitched as the last echoes of that voice faded into silence. She forced herself to look at the splintered stone at the center of the oasis. The cracks were deep, glowing with dim, golden light as if something was struggling to stay contained within it.

Beside her, Idris tightened his grip on his dagger. "I don't like this."

Neither did she.

Kael, however, was watching the broken stone with an intensity that unnerved her. His scholar's mind was already trying to unravel the mystery, trying to grasp what they had uncovered.

Varos, the armored figure who had risen from the depths, turned his glowing gaze to Aya. "You must understand," he said, his voice low, measured. "The seals were never meant to be disturbed."

Aya exhaled slowly, fighting the frustration curling in her chest. "Then why was I the one to awaken them?"

Varos was silent for a long moment. Then, finally, he answered:

"Because you carry the echoes."

Aya frowned. "Echoes?"

Varos stepped toward her, and as he did, the golden symbols on his armor pulsed faintly, as if responding to her presence.

"You have felt them, haven't you?" he asked. "The visions. The voices. The feeling that something ancient calls to you."

Aya hesitated. She had.

From the moment she had first set foot in the oasis, she had sensed something… watching. Something waiting.

Kael, ever the scholar, studied her closely. "What are these 'echoes'?"

Varos glanced at him, then back to Aya. "The past never truly dies," he said. "It lingers, waiting to be remembered. The Forgotten were erased from history, but their memories remain, buried within the seals, waiting for someone to listen."

Aya's grip on the black stone tightened.

So that was it. The whispers, the visions, they weren't dreams.

They were memories.

Memories of something long forgotten.

And for some reason, she was the one who could hear them.

The Warning of the Past

The wind shifted, carrying the scent of the coming storm. The oasis, once a place of stillness, now felt alive, as if something beneath it was stirring once more.

Aya turned back to Varos. "If I carry these 'echoes,' then tell me, what do they want from me?"

Varos studied her carefully before answering. "They want you to remember."

Aya's pulse quickened.

She had already seen glimpses, the vision of the seal breaking, the warning to keep it closed. But there was more, wasn't there?

Something deeper.

Something buried.

Kael took a cautious step forward. "And what happens if she remembers?"

Varos's glowing eyes locked onto him. "Then she will know the truth."

Aya swallowed hard. "And if I don't?"

Varos's expression darkened. "Then the Forgotten will rise once more."

A gust of wind swept through the oasis, rustling the leaves of the ancient trees. Aya didn't know if it was just her imagination, but for a moment, she thought she heard voices in the wind.

Soft. Distant.

Calling to her.

She turned her gaze back to the fractured stone. The light within it pulsed, and for a brief second, Aya thought she saw a shape within the cracks, a silhouette, a figure trapped in the glow.

And then, just as quickly, it was gone.

Aya's breath came unevenly. "How do I remember?"

Varos hesitated. "The third seal is the key. But be warned, the memories you seek may not be what you expect."

Aya exhaled, steadying herself. "I don't care."

Varos watched her for a moment longer, then nodded. "Then follow me."

The Forgotten Chamber

Aya, Idris, Kael, and Eshra followed Varos through the oasis, weaving through the ancient ruins that had remained untouched for centuries. The deeper they went, the more Aya felt the weight of time pressing down on her.

Finally, they reached a hidden passage, concealed beneath the twisting roots of an ancient tree.

Varos placed a hand against the stone wall beside it. Golden inscriptions flared to life.

The ground rumbled.

Then, slowly, the passage opened.

A staircase descended into the earth.

Aya swallowed hard. She knew, deep in her bones, that once she stepped inside, there would be no turning back.

Kael, however, looked awestruck. "A lost chamber," he breathed. "This wasn't in any historical record."

"Because it wasn't meant to be," Varos said.

Aya met Idris's gaze. He nodded. "We do this together."

She nodded back, then turned to Kael and Eshra. "Stay close."

Then, without another word, she stepped into the darkness.

The air was cool and thick with dust. As they descended, torches along the walls flared to life, ignited by some unseen force.

Aya ran her fingers along the stone, feeling the ancient symbols carved into it. They glowed softly at her touch.

She shivered.

This place… it recognized her.

At the bottom of the stairs, they entered a vast chamber, lined with towering stone pillars. At its center stood a massive altar, covered in golden inscriptions.

And behind it

Aya's breath caught.

A door.

Or at least, what had once been a door. Now, it was little more than a crumbling archway, its surface covered in deep cracks, the golden light inside it flickering weakly.

Varos's voice was grave. "The third seal."

Aya stepped closer, drawn to it, the whispers growing louder in her mind.

Remember.

She reached out

And the moment her fingers brushed the surface

She was no longer in the chamber.

The Memory of the Forgotten

A city stretched before her.

Unlike anything she had ever seen, tall spires of golden stone, streets lined with glowing symbols, people moving through the marketplace, their voices filled with laughter and song.

It was beautiful. Ancient. Alive.

And then

The sky cracked open.

Aya watched, horror filling her chest as a shadow spilled from the heavens, consuming the city in darkness. Screams filled the air. People ran, but there was nowhere to go.

The light of the symbols faded.

The spires crumbled.

And at the city's center stood a woman

Her face was hidden, but Aya knew her.

She had been here before.

The woman raised her hands, golden light surging from her fingertips. The darkness recoiled, but it was too late.

The city was already falling.

And Aya knew

This was the day the Forgotten were erased.

This was the day they were sealed away.

And the woman at the center of it all…

Had been her.

Aya gasped, stumbling backward.

She was back in the chamber, her heart racing.

Idris caught her. "Aya, what happened?"

Aya barely heard him.

She lifted her gaze to Varos.

"I remember," she whispered.

Varos nodded, solemnly. "Then you know what must be done."

Aya clenched her fists.

The seals weren't meant to be broken.

They were meant to keep the Forgotten buried.

But if that was true

Then why had she sealed them away in the first place?

And more importantly

Why was she starting to doubt if they were truly the villains at all?

What's Next?

What did Aya's past self know that she does not?

Were the Forgotten truly sealed away for destruction… or protection?