The world outside the Veil shimmered with newfound clarity. The once-broken skies above Eldros now held hues of soft azure and amber. For a brief moment, it seemed as if peace had finally returned.
But peace, Kael knew, was often the silence before thunder.
As they traveled back through the forested outskirts of Valdris, Lysara paused. Her hand brushed the glowing Seed of Aether nestled in a silver locket. "It's reacting," she whispered. "Something's wrong."
Riven crouched beside a dying tree. Its bark had blackened—twisted and scorched. "Not natural. This isn't decay. It's corruption."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "We destroyed the Veil. What could still carry its poison?"
Lysara's voice was grim. "Not what. Who."
A gust of wind swept through the clearing, and with it, a new presence. Cloaked in ash-gray robes, a figure stepped into the open. His eyes burned with a crimson light that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"I see the veil is no more," the stranger said. "How… inconvenient."
Kael instinctively reached for his blade. "Who are you?"
"I am the Echo," the figure replied. "Born from the final scream of the Veil. You killed its body. I am its memory."
Riven stepped forward, daggers drawn. "We've beaten worse."
The Echo smiled. "You haven't faced truth yet."
Without warning, the ground split beneath their feet, revealing runes etched in ancient blood. The forest twisted, becoming a maze of shifting shadows.
Kael shouted, "Fall back!"
But the shadows grabbed Riven, dragging him into the dark.
Lysara reached out, screaming his name—but he was gone.
The Echo's voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere. "You freed the world, yes. But you also woke what sleeps beneath it."
Kael clenched his fists. "We'll bring him back."
The Echo only laughed.
As the forest closed in, Kael and Lysara braced themselves—knowing that their real war had only just begun.