Fractured Seconds (2)

They set out. The Wastes' wind howled, sharp as razors, the shard's energy a constant pull in Liam's hand. Beneath their boots, the cracked earth shifted, restless after the Spire's collapse. Faint violet glows pulsed through the fissures—traces of power refusing to fade. Then—a cry, sharp and unnatural, shattered the silence.

Liam stiffened. Something was out there.

The fractured sky cast jagged shadows across the landscape, the pale light flickering as clouds of ash drifted overhead. The shard's whispers grew louder in his mind, a cold insistence: "You are already caught in its current." He tightened his grip, forcing the voice down, but its weight lingered—a reminder of the power he held. And the danger it posed.

He glanced at Mara and Elise. Their faces were set with determination, but the Spire's scars still lingered behind their eyes.