Chapter 6. The Red Sky of Veyrin

Red — that was the first color Liara saw when the portal dissipated around them. Not scarlet or crimson, but a deep, rich ruby, like ripe cherries or blood on snow. The sky above them seemed to burn, though there were neither clouds nor fire — only an endless dome the color of garnet, under which stretched a strange, alien world.

Liara's first breath in Veyrin's atmosphere scorched her lungs with unexpected dryness and a pungent aroma reminiscent of a mixture of cinnamon, metal, and something indefinable, ancient. The air here seemed to have a taste — bitter, but strangely alluring, like a particularly aged wine.

"Veyrin," she whispered, and the word itself slipped from her lips, as if the golem's body remembered what had not yet fully returned to her consciousness.

Beside her, Daren took a deep breath, his shoulders noticeably tensing. She could see how difficult it was for him to return here, to the place of his greatest defeat and loss.

"We're on the western slope of the Crimson Mountains," he said, looking around. "The temple should be about a day's journey from here, if... if it still stands."

Liara looked around. They were on a rocky plateau that offered an impressive view of the valley below. The vegetation here differed greatly from the lush greenery of Verdantis — dominated by low, gnarled trees with silvery bark and burgundy leaves that resembled tiny stars. Among the stones grew strange crystal-like formations which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be living organisms, slowly pulsating in rhythm with an invisible heartbeat.

But something was wrong. Liara couldn't precisely determine what it was, but she sensed it with some sixth sense that had awakened after contact with the silver tree in Verdantis. As if the very fabric of the world had been thinned, torn.

"Daren," she called, pointing to the valley below. "What happened to this place?"

There, where there should have been fields or forests, the earth was riddled with strange patterns — concentric circles and spirals burned into the soil, like gigantic writings in an unknown language. Some areas of land looked as if they had been torn from within, leaving gaping wounds, in the depths of which something flickered that resembled tiny stars.

Daren nodded grimly.

"Consequences of the ritual," he answered quietly. "When the portal... tore you apart, some of the energy was released into the surrounding world. These patterns are traces of space-time distortion. Scars on Veyrin's body."

Liara felt a strange sense of guilt. Not rational — she knew she couldn't control what had happened — but deep, instinctive. As if a part of her, which had been a priestess of this world, mourned the damage done to it.

"We must go," Daren said, interrupting her thoughts. "Night in Veyrin can be... unpredictable. Especially in places affected by distortion."

He pointed to the sun — a strange, pale golden luminary, much larger and closer than the sun of Alkarion or Verdantis. It hung low on the horizon but seemed in no hurry to set.

"There are no true sunsets here," Daren explained, noticing her gaze. "The sun glides along the horizon, descending almost to the line of mountains, and then begins to rise again. True night comes only during eclipses."

They began to descend along a narrow path that curved around the mountainside. As they descended, Liara increasingly felt a strange duality in her perception. Part of her was seeing this world for the first time — wild, unusual, alien. But another part, deeper, at the very core of her being, recognized it. Recognized the special shade of red in the sky, the specific aroma of the air, the unique forms of plants.

"I remember this place," she said when they stopped by a small stream with water of a surprising golden color. "Not everything and not completely, but..."

She reached her hand toward the water, and when her fingers touched the surface, a slight ripple ran across the stream, as if it recognized her touch.

"These waters are called the Tears of the Elders," she said, not knowing where this knowledge came from. "They contain tiny particles of stardust that enter Veyrin's atmosphere during celestial storms."

Daren looked at her in surprise.

"You're right. That's exactly what you told me — the you who was a priestess."

Liara scooped water with her palms and brought it to her lips. The liquid had a metallic taste with notes of something sweet, like honey from the wild desert. When she swallowed the water, a shiver ran through her golem body, and for a moment, it seemed that the seams on her skin glowed from within with a golden light.

"What's happening?" she asked quietly, looking at her hands where the glow was already fading.

"The golem's body is responding to the energy of this world," Daren explained. "But more importantly, your memory is beginning to awaken. This is a good sign. Perhaps in the temple, you will remember more."

They continued their journey, descending deeper into the valley. As they approached one of the burned patterns, Liara noticed that the stones around the path began to shimmer with a faint purple light, and the crystalline plants turned toward them, as if listening.

"Reality is thinner here," Daren warned, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Stay close to me and don't leave the path."

Passing by an especially large spiral burned into the earth, Liara felt a strange dizziness. For a moment, the world around her split in two, and she saw ghostly images — people in garments similar to those worn by priests in the temple of Alkarion, only with red and gold embroidery instead of blue. They walked in procession, carrying some glowing artifacts, and seemed not to notice Liara and Daren.

"Do you see them?" she whispered, grabbing Daren's arm.

He tensed, peering into the place she was pointing, but shook his head.

"No. But I feel a disturbance in the energy flows. What do you see?"

"People. Priests or... servants of something. They're going to..."

She fell silent because the ghostly procession disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.

"To the temple," she finished. "They were going to the temple."

Daren frowned.

"Perhaps this is an echo of the past. Or a projection from another time. The boundaries between past, present, and future are blurred in such places." He squeezed her hand tighter. "Come. We'd better not linger here."

They quickened their pace, leaving the distortion zone behind. When they finally emerged into a more open area, Liara felt the tension, which she hadn't even been aware of, beginning to release her.

In the distance, on the slope of the opposite mountain, she saw a white dot that seemed to shine in the rays of the eternal sunset. Liara knew what it was even before Daren pointed to it.

"The temple," she said. "I can feel its... pull."

She touched the silver pendant gifted by Silva and felt it warm up, pulsing in time with the beating of her heart. The Echo-stone that Daren had given her also reacted, beginning to glow almost imperceptibly.

"Part of you is still there," Daren nodded. "And it's calling to you."

By the time dusk fell — a special state when Veyrin's sun was at the lowest point of its trajectory — they had managed to cover about half the distance to the temple. Daren decided to set up a small camp in a protected spot between two large boulders that resembled frozen guardians.

While he retrieved the necessary supplies from the bag that Moss had prepared for them, Liara observed the changing light. The sun, without setting completely, colored the sky in an even deeper, almost burgundy hue. And when its rays became slanted and long, something amazing appeared in the air — thousands of tiny golden particles, hovering and swirling in air currents, like living stardust.

"Glowing dust," Daren said, noticing her fascinated gaze. "In Veyrin, it appears every dusk. The locals consider it a blessing from the stars."

He lit a small fire using dry branches from the silver trees. The flame was an unusual purple color and gave more heat than light.

"The wood here contains minerals that burn differently," he explained, noticing her surprise. "In the temple, you... she... was taught that the color of the flame indicates the state of balance between worlds. The closer to purple, the more stable the boundary."

Liara extended her hands to the fire, watching how the light played on the artificial skin of her palms.

"And if the flame is a different color?"

"Green or blue indicates imbalance," Daren replied, sitting next to her. "Red... red means danger. A tear in the fabric of reality."

They sat silently, watching the dance of the purple flame. In the darkness of dusk, images began to appear in its depths — forms and silhouettes, too unclear to identify, but distinct enough to understand: this was not a play of imagination.

"Visions in fire," Liara whispered. "The priestesses used them for divination."

Daren looked at her in surprise.

"You remember this?"

She frowned, trying to catch the elusive thought.

"I don't exactly remember... rather, I know. As if this knowledge had always been in me, just... dormant."

She peered into the flame, and gradually the images became clearer. She saw the temple — snow-white, with golden domes, but not as it was now, but at the peak of its glory, surrounded by gardens with trees laden with crystalline fruits. She saw herself — not in the golem's body, but in the body of a priestess, with long dark hair braided in a complex plait with golden threads woven into it. And she saw...

"Korun," she pronounced the name that came from nowhere.

"What?" Daren turned sharply toward her.

"Korun," Liara repeated. "He was... the guardian of the gates. A young priest who had just taken his vows. He..." she fell silent, trying to capture the fleeting images. "Was he there when the catastrophe happened?"

Daren slowly nodded, his face becoming tense.

"Yes. Korun was one of the junior priests of the temple. He tried to help after... after you disappeared." He looked away. "I didn't know what became of him afterward. I left Veyrin almost as soon as I could regain my strength. I couldn't... couldn't stay here."

There was so much pain in his voice that Liara, without thinking, reached out and touched his shoulder. Daren flinched slightly in surprise but didn't pull away.

"We'll fix this," she said softly. "We'll find that part of me that remained here, and everything will be..."

She didn't finish the phrase because she didn't know what exactly it would be. Better? Clearer? More whole?

Daren covered her hand with his, and they sat like that for some time, not saying a word, just existing in this strange moment of connection that seemed to bridge centuries and lives.

The night — or what substituted for night in Veyrin — passed peacefully. Liara discovered that her golem body indeed did not need sleep, though it could enter a state of rest similar to meditation. Daren, however, did sleep, though lightly, often waking up and checking their surroundings.

When the sun began to rise again, coloring the sky in a lighter, almost pink shade, they continued their journey to the temple. Now that the goal was closer, Liara felt an increasingly strong attraction. The silver pendant on her neck had become warmer, almost hot, and the Echo-stone pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat.

As they approached the temple, the landscape changed. There was more vegetation — strange, curved trees with branches thin as fingers, crowned with tiny golden flowers. The soil beneath their feet became softer, richer, with crystalline structures growing on it that resembled small stars.

"This is still alive," Liara noted with surprise. "These lands... are they recovering?"

Daren looked around with no less amazement.

"When I left this place, it was almost lifeless. As if the very life force had been sucked out of it. But now..." he bent down and touched one of the crystalline flowers, which immediately responded with a soft glow. "This is amazing. As if the world is healing itself."

The temple was getting closer, and now Liara could make out details. It was built of white stone, which seemed to glow slightly in the sunlight. Seven golden domes crowned it, each decorated with a symbol resembling a star or snowflake. A wide staircase, carved directly into the rock, led to the main entrance, framed by columns with intricate carvings.

But it was noticeable that the temple had suffered. One of the domes was partially destroyed, the walls were covered with cracks, and some columns were tilted, as if from a strong blow. Nevertheless, it still stood, majestic and ancient, like a guardian at the border between worlds.

When they approached the foot of the staircase, Liara suddenly froze. Something had changed. The air had become thicker, filled with almost tangible tension. The silver pendant on her neck glowed brighter, and the surface of the Echo-stone was covered with a thin network of glowing lines.

"Daren," she whispered. "Someone is watching us."

He tensed, his hand instinctively reaching for the weapon at his belt.

"Where?"

Liara couldn't precisely indicate the direction. The sensation of presence was everywhere — in the air, in the stones, in the very earth beneath their feet.

And then she saw him — a figure at the top of the staircase, tall and motionless, like a statue. A man in long robes the color of dried blood stood, leaning on a staff crowned with a crystal that sparkled in the sunlight.

"Greetings, travelers," the voice carried across the temple square, deep and resonating, like the sound of a temple bell. "Especially you... Liara. It's been a long time since you returned home."

Liara felt something stir inside her at this voice — a voice she knew, though she couldn't remember. She stepped forward, peering at the figure above.

"Korun?" she called uncertainly.

The man slowly began to descend the stairs, and with each step, his figure became clearer. He was tall, with long gray hair, braided into multiple thin plaits with crystals woven into them. His face, once probably young and handsome, was now furrowed with wrinkles and strange lines resembling ritual scars. But his eyes — his eyes were the same ones Liara had seen in her visions: clear, piercing blue, like fragments of summer sky.

"I had stopped believing I would see you again," he said, stopping a few steps away from them. His gaze slid over Liara, studying her artificial body with an expression that mixed surprise, sadness, and some strange relief. "Though, I must admit, I didn't expect you to return... in such a form."

His gaze shifted to Daren, and his expression hardened.

"And you, Walker Between Worlds... you dared to return. After everything that happened."

Daren held his gaze, but Liara noticed how his shoulders tensed.

"I didn't return by my own will, Korun," he answered in an even voice. "But out of necessity."

Korun studied them for another moment, then slowly nodded, as if having made some decision.

"Enter," he said, pointing with his staff toward the temple. "In these lands, it is unsafe to talk under the open sky. And it seems to me we have much to discuss."

He turned and began to climb back up the stairs. Liara and Daren exchanged quick glances, and she saw a warning in his eyes.

"Be careful," he said quietly. "This world has changed. And so has Korun."

Liara nodded, but something inside her was drawn to the temple, to the guardian, to what remained of her past life here. And so, together they began to ascend the ancient staircase, not knowing what awaited them in the temple at the mountain's peak, under the eternal red sky of Veyrin.