THE RACE FOR THE FORGOTTEN RELIC

The air in the Temple of Echoes was heavy with tension.

Kieran's mind raced. Rebel's message had been cryptic, but his **actions** were not—he was making a move, and if they didn't stop him, Natuka's fate might be sealed before they even had a chance to fight back.

Elara leaned over the shifting map, eyes locked on the pulsating red glow in the northern reaches. "How far is it?"

Callan exhaled, his expression grim. "Too far to reach before him—if we take the usual paths."

Kieran looked up. "Then we don't take the usual paths."

Callan studied him for a moment, then nodded. "There may be another way."

He turned and gestured toward a section of the temple floor. The stone beneath them shimmered, then **split apart**, revealing a staircase leading deep underground.

"This will take you through the Echoing Veil," Callan said. "A shortcut, but not without dangers."

Elara squared her shoulders. "Dangers seem to be a theme here."

Kieran stepped forward. "We don't have a choice. If Rebel gets that artifact…"

Callan placed a hand on Kieran's shoulder. "Then be prepared for what comes next."

With that, Kieran and Elara descended into the unknown.

---

### **The Echoing Veil**

The underground passage pulsed with an eerie blue light, the walls shifting like liquid stone.

Kieran could **hear** the echoes of voices—whispers from another time, fragments of memories long lost. It was unsettling, but he kept moving.

Elara, walking beside him, glanced at the walls. "It's like this place is… alive."

Kieran swallowed. "Maybe it is."

As they walked deeper, the air grew **colder**. The whispers turned into distorted murmurs, and Kieran's **vision blurred**.

Then—

A **flash**.

He saw **Rebel**, standing at the edge of a great chasm, holding a shattered artifact in his hands. His face was **torn with emotion**, his eyes dark with something unreadable.

Kieran gasped and stumbled.

Elara caught him. "Kieran?"

He shook his head, forcing himself back to reality. "I saw something. A… a memory?"

Callan's voice echoed in his mind: *Your powers are tied to his.*

Kieran clenched his fists.

He didn't know what Rebel had lost. He didn't know what he was trying to fix.

But he knew one thing.

They had to stop him.

---

### **The Ruins of the Ancients**

They emerged from the Echoing Veil just as the sky darkened.

The ruins were massive—**crumbling towers**, bridges shattered by time, and in the center, a **stone pedestal** where the artifact pulsed with an eerie golden light.

But they weren't alone.

Figures moved through the ruins—Rebel's **forces**.

Elara cursed under her breath. "We're too late."

Kieran shook his head. "No. We still have a chance."

Because Rebel wasn't here. Not yet.

Which meant they had a few minutes to act.

Elara's eyes glowed as she **shifted**—her form melting into a sleek, shadowed beast, slipping into the ruins unseen.

Kieran exhaled and focused. **The future wasn't fixed.** He could see glimpses, flashes. He had to find the path that worked.

Then—

A **vision** struck him.

Rebel was coming. **Fast.**

And if they didn't move now… they would lose everything.

---

### **The First Battle**

The fight erupted in an instant.

Elara, in her beast form, struck first—leaping from the shadows, **tearing through Rebel's soldiers** before they could react.

Kieran followed, dodging attacks before they could even land, using his glimpses of the future to **stay a step ahead**.

They cut through the battlefield, reaching the pedestal—

And then—

A shadow **descended**.

The air **cracked** with power.

Rebel had arrived.

He landed gracefully, his cloak billowing as his golden eyes locked onto them. The battle seemed to still around him, his presence a **gravity** neither side could ignore.

For a moment, no one moved.

Then, Rebel sighed. "You're making this difficult."

Kieran's fists clenched. "You're trying to take something that isn't yours."

Rebel tilted his head. "And do you even know what it is?"

Elara growled. "Enough. We're stopping you here."

Rebel exhaled. "Then let's see if you're ready."

And with a flick of his wrist, the **real battle** began.

---