The First Echoes of Change

The descent into the depths of Obsidian Canyon should have felt like progress. It should have filled Kael Thorn with the usual rush of adrenaline—the excitement that always came with uncovering lost knowledge, with stepping closer to eternity. But this time, something was different.

This time, he felt nothing.

It wasn't an absence of purpose. That still burned within him, bright and unwavering. But the sacrifice—the price the guardian had extracted—had carved something out of him that he wasn't sure he could ever reclaim.

And worse?

It didn't bother him.

Behind him, Liana Sevier walked with measured caution. She had been with Kael long enough to recognize subtle changes in his demeanor. And this wasn't subtle.

Kael moved differently now—his steps were purposeful, but lacked hesitation in a way that unsettled her. His reactions were precise, calculated, yet somehow detached, as if instincts had replaced emotions. As if the memory of who he had been was now a distant echo, too faint to be heard.

The thought chilled her.

"We need to talk," Liana said finally, breaking the silence.

Kael barely glanced at her as he continued forward, studying the shifting runic inscriptions that twisted along the walls of the canyon. "About?"

Liana narrowed her eyes. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"That thing where you act like nothing has changed." She quickened her pace, forcing him to meet her gaze. "You just gave up your memories, Kael. And you're walking around like it doesn't mean a damn thing."

Kael smirked, though there was no warmth in the expression. "Maybe it doesn't."

Liana exhaled sharply, frustration creeping into her voice. "That's not how this works."

Kael didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached out, pressing his fingers against a series of spiraling symbols carved into the canyon wall. They pulsed faintly, shifting at his touch, responding to him in a way they hadn't before.

"I see it now," Kael murmured, more to himself than to her. "This wasn't just about unlocking power. It was about understanding it."

Liana watched him carefully. "And what, exactly, do you understand?"

Kael turned to face her fully, his gaze sharp—almost unnatural. "That everything I was before... was irrelevant."

Her breath caught.

Kael tilted his head slightly, as if considering something. "It's not regret, Liana. It's efficiency. Without distractions, without the weight of the past, I can focus. The Eternals understood this. That's why they made sacrifice part of their trials."

Liana stared at him, a mixture of disbelief and unease flickering in her expression. "And what happens when there's nothing left of you to give?"

Kael chuckled softly. "Then I will have transcended."

She took a step back, gripping the hilt of her weapon. It wasn't that she feared him—at least, not yet—but she feared what he was becoming.

And deep down, she wasn't sure if she could stop it.

The Call of the Shard

Before Liana could argue further, the symbols ahead erupted in light, forming a path toward a chamber hidden deep within the canyon. The shard pulsed violently, a reaction so strong that Kael actually felt it within his chest—as though it had become a part of him, an extension of his very being.

This wasn't just another relic waiting to be claimed.

This was the core of the canyon's secret.

Kael stepped forward without hesitation, his movements fluid, instinctive. Liana cursed under her breath but followed, unwilling to let him wander into another trial without her watching his back.

The chamber beyond was unlike anything they had encountered before.

The walls were smooth obsidian, etched with towering inscriptions that spiraled toward the domed ceiling. At the center of the room, a colossal construct of dark metal hovered, surrounded by swirling veins of raw energy.

And within its core—

Another shard.

Kael exhaled slowly, excitement flickering through him.

This was it. The next piece of eternity.

But before he could approach, the air shifted, and the shadows along the walls came alive.

From the edges of the chamber, guardians emerged—twisted beings of blackened steel and flickering light, their hollow eyes locking onto Kael and Liana with unmistakable intent.

Another test.

Another sacrifice.

Kael smirked, lifting his dagger.

"Let's begin."