Chapter 12: Crystal Echoes, a Weaver's Despair, and the Tyrant's Sacrifice - A Reckoning of Souls

The chamber spun, the pulsing light of the crystals blurring into a dizzying kaleidoscope of color and energy. Ling Chen, his senses still reeling from the sensory assault, struggled to regain his footing, his mind struggling to grasp the shocking revelation that had just been thrust upon him. Hua Lian, the charming bard, the seeker of truth, was a traitor. But even worse, it seemed that it was the tyrant, who has been kind to him, was part of some play that has been planned.

As he gasped for breath, dizziness, and weakness, something whispered directly to his heart. It was the souls of the crystals, and what they said was this time to act. And their death are at the hands of someone, that are trying to stop him. What a tragedy, they said.

It wasn't to kill, he knew, but to leave the world to its balance. To ensure, so that every soul in the world feels equal and respected.

It wasn't so far away. All of what they asked.

"This can't be real," Ling Chen gasped, his voice a strained whisper that barely carried above the hum of the crystals. He reached out a hand, his fingers trembling as he struggled to make sense of the chaotic scene unfolding before him. "Hua Lian, what are you doing? Why are you doing this?"

In front of him, Hua Lian stood rigid, his face a mask of conflicted emotions. His eyes, once sparkling with intelligence and warmth, were now clouded with a haunted grief, a desperate sadness that tore at Ling Chen's heart. He was alive, but at what cost? But his body didn't align at all with thoughts running in his mind, the only person that had control here was his. He was also confused. Is there a way to see more than just the truth? What I'm the heavens had to do with all of this?

What did they need him for?

"Master Ling Chen," Hua Lian said, his voice barely audible, each word laced with a palpable sorrow. "I never wanted this. Please believe me. But they gave me no choice.

They threatened to destroy everything I hold dear."

"Who are they?" Ling Chen demanded, his mind racing, trying to piece together the fragments of information, all he had seen was one person at the front. "Who is controlling you, Hua Lian? Tell me!"

Hua Lian hesitated, his gaze darting nervously around the chamber. "It doesn't matter, Master Ling Chen. It's too late. There's nothing you can do to stop them now. I have to kill you now."

Before Ling Chen could react, Hua Lian raised his hand, revealing a small, intricate device that hummed with an ominous energy.

He pressed a small button on its surface, and the device emitted a high-pitched whine that sent a jolt of pain through Ling Chen's skull.

"This will destroy me," he was mouthing.

Then why aren't he stopping.

Suddenly the hands started moving to do what it had to do. The same puppet that he heard over and over again now had no heart, was not at all that was showing at all. There were so many strings being pulled, it made the picture look like a tangled string.

He heard a loud roar,

"Hua Lian! What the hell are you doing to him"", he said.

He wanted to push the thoughts to come again, to take away all the bad thoughts that it might make someone sad, but they never came. The thoughts were gone.

Ling Chen felt a surge of nausea, a wave of dizziness that threatened to knock him off his feet. His vision blurred, his senses amplified to an unbearable level. He could hear the faint hum of the crystals, the skittering of unseen creatures in the darkness beyond the chamber, the frantic beating of his own heart.

Everything was too much, too intense, threatening to shatter his mind into a million fragments.

He struggled to maintain his focus, to resist the overwhelming tide of sensory input. He knew that he couldn't afford to lose control.

He had to find a way to stop Hua Lian, to protect himself and Zhan Yi from whatever dark forces were at play.

But as he focused, he saw that Zhan Yi was lost, as if he was looking for an answer.

"Zhan Yi"", he said barely audibly. As tears started rolling down his cheeks. All of that came back to his head. Why did all of that make him so that he did not have to be in charge of what was there!

Ling Chen's power started acting by itself

The world seemed to shift, then went dark.

Before he can understand anything, someone was on his way

"It's okay now.", he was mouthing before the scene changes

Before he could think about anything, the world changed for him.

They found the location with everything, but what was about to come

Before the new world was accepted fully, came what had been there before.

""Master, a lot is about to happen, there isn't much time""""

What do you think, Master Ling Chen what is really going on. A voice whispered in his head before he could do it.

There would be something that happens. It will all come down, to do or to be. And when to will there be great power. I trust that you know all of that, right?

That's all it took before the world disappeared once again, but those voices were so kind and generous, it gave a feeling of trust that could have never had more.

Ling Chen took a look around, then realized something bad.

Zhan Yi is gone.