Chapter 6: The Trial of the Forgotten Ruins

Elliot steadied his breath as the cold wind of the fractured world howled through the desolate ruins. The eerie glow of the shard in his hand pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat, its warmth providing little comfort against the encroaching uncertainty. Seris, the enigmatic rogue scholar who had saved him from the Hollow Legion, studied the walls of the ruined temple they had taken shelter in.

"This place... it's ancient, older than the Collapse itself," Seris murmured, running her fingers along the faded carvings. "These symbols, they're not just writing. They're warnings."

Elliot stepped closer, brushing off some of the dust to reveal more of the inscriptions. The glyphs depicted a battle—figures wreathed in light, clashing against twisted, shadowed entities. In the center of the chaos stood a lone warrior holding a fragment of glowing crystal, much like the shard Elliot possessed.

"The Keybearer?" Elliot asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Seris exhaled sharply. "Possibly. Or another who walked the same path before you. This world has known many heroes, Elliot. Most have been forgotten."

A chill crawled up his spine, and he clenched the shard tighter. "Then let's make sure I'm not one of them."

Before Seris could reply, a deep tremor shook the ground beneath them. The ancient temple groaned in protest as dust and loose stones cascaded from the ceiling. A guttural growl echoed from the depths of the ruins.

Seris' hand went to her dagger. "We're not alone."

From the shadows emerged a monstrous figure, an amalgamation of stone and corrupted flesh. Its hollow eyes glowed with an eerie blue light, and in its chest was embedded a fragment similar to Elliot's shard. It let out a guttural, otherworldly screech, its massive limbs shifting as though it were awakening from an eon-long slumber.

"A Veilguard," Seris cursed. "A sentry left behind to protect something important."

Elliot barely had time to react before the creature lunged, its colossal arm crashing down where he had been standing moments before. He rolled to the side, his instincts sharper than they had ever been before arriving in this world. The shard in his hand reacted, glowing fiercely as a surge of energy pulsed through his veins.

"We can't fight this thing head-on!" Seris shouted, ducking behind a collapsed pillar as the Veilguard's second strike shattered the stone.

Elliot's mind raced. If the creature was guarding something, then there had to be a reason it had awoken now. He glanced at the carvings on the walls—there had to be a clue. His eyes landed on a depiction of a warrior holding their shard high, a beam of energy striking down an opposing force.

"Seris, the shard! It's a key, not just a relic!" he called out.

She nodded, already understanding. "Then we need to get close enough to use it."

The Veilguard roared again, lunging forward, but this time, Elliot stood his ground. As its massive fist came down, he raised the shard. The moment it made contact, a shockwave burst from the crystal, sending the monster staggering back. The blue light in its eyes flickered, and for a moment, it hesitated.

Seris took the opening, dashing forward and slashing at the exposed core with her dagger. The blade barely made a dent, but the act was enough to make the Veilguard reel in pain. Elliot pressed forward, channeling the strange energy flowing through him. He instinctively pointed the shard at the creature's core, and a surge of light erupted from it, striking true.

The Veilguard let out a final, anguished roar before collapsing, its body crumbling into dust and stone. The cavernous temple fell silent once more.

Elliot panted, staring at the shard in his hand. "That was… something else."

Seris sheathed her dagger and studied him carefully. "You're getting stronger. The shard is reacting to you. But that was just the first test."

The temple trembled once more, but this time, it wasn't an attack. The ground beneath them shifted, and an ancient staircase emerged from the rubble, spiraling downward into the depths of the ruins.

Elliot glanced at Seris. "Looks like we're going deeper."

She smirked. "Then let's see what other secrets the Forgotten Ruins hold."

Unbeknownst to them, in the lingering darkness of the temple's upper levels, the shadow that had moved at the end of their last battle stirred once more. Eyes, gleaming like twin embers, observed them from afar. Then, with the silence of a wraith, it slipped away, disappearing deeper into the ruins, as if waiting for the right moment to strike.