Chapter 22: Echoes of the Lost Era

Darkness.

For a moment, Kael felt like he was falling through nothingness.

Then—light.

He hit solid ground, staggering as the world around him settled. His breath came fast, his mind reeling from the sudden shift.

Aelyth stood beside him, completely composed. "We made it."

Kael's pulse slowed as he took in their surroundings.

They weren't in the ruins anymore.

Instead, they stood in the middle of a city.

Not a broken, desolate ruin—a living, breathing civilization.

Kael turned, his gaze sweeping across towering structures made of obsidian and silver. The streets were lined with strange floating sigils, their energy humming softly. The sky above wasn't blue or gray—it was a deep violet, filled with swirling constellations.

Veyrith.

Not the ruins.

The city before its fall.

Kael's chest tightened.

They had actually traveled back in time.

Aelyth exhaled. "This… this is farther back than I thought."

Kael barely heard them. His Mark was reacting violently, pulsing with an intensity he had never felt before.

He wasn't just an observer here.

He was connected to this place.

Then—a voice.

Not Aelyth's.

Not his own thoughts.

A whisper in the air. Faint, yet undeniable.

"You returned."

Kael froze. Aelyth stiffened.

The world around them shifted—and suddenly, they were not alone.

Figures emerged from the shadows of the city streets, their gazes locked onto Kael.

Their eyes glowed with the same energy as his Mark.

Aelyth swore under their breath. "They can see us."

Kael's throat went dry. "Who are they?"

One of the figures stepped forward. Their voice was quiet, but it carried a weight that sent a chill down Kael's spine.

"We are the Forsaken."

The air grew heavy. The city around them seemed to darken, as if the past itself was reacting.

And Kael understood.

This wasn't just Veyrith.

This was the moment before its erasure.