A pale dawn wind swept through the plains as Cedric and Lynne approached the Shattered Reliquary. Once a grand chapel to the Threadkeepers, it now lay in ruins—fallen buttresses, shattered stained glass, and skeletal pews half-buried in earth. Moonlight still glinted off fractured runes carved into the stone floor.
> SYSTEM NOTICE
Location: Shattered Reliquary Ruins
Ambient Mana: Low–Moderate
Nearest Thread Fragments: 0/∞
Lynne brushed ash from a glyph near the entrance. "This place was meant to store memories—recorded not on scrolls, but on living crystal."
Cedric nodded, fingers tracing a fissure in the floor. "If there's another fragment or insight here, we'll find it."
They stepped inside. Dust motes danced in the weak light. Every footstep echoed through the cavernous nave. Cedric's ribs ached in the silence, a reminder of the Ember Warden's final blow.
In the center of the hall stood a half-collapsed crystal tree—its branches shattered, shards littering the ground like tears. At its base lay a pedestal carved with an eye in a web of threads.
Lynne knelt beside it. "The Eye of the Weave," she whispered. "A memory archive. If we can restore it…"
She examined her tools. "We'll need a spark of pure mana."
Cedric unslung his pack. "I have a crystal from the failed resurrection." He withdrew the ash-filled pouch from their encounter in the Blackened Grove. "This came from that host."
Lynne inhaled sharply. "A corrupted thread—dangerous."
He nodded. "But maybe that impurity will jump-start the archive."
She hesitated, then pried open the pouch. The gray ash scattered into the pedastal's eye. Cedric placed the final shard—the Weaver's Heart—atop the web of carved threads.
> SYSTEM ALERT
Unstable Mana Interaction Detected
Status: Archive Activation
A low hum filled the air. The crystal tree shuddered. Then, with a crack like breaking glass, the shards around them floated, rising to reweave the tree's branches. A soft light pulsed at the Eye of the Weave.
Suddenly, a sharp hiss erupted. From the reformed branches poured dozens of Crystal Wraiths—spirits born of Threadkeeper memory. Each floated on glistening shards, blades of crystal for hands, eyes hollow with ancient sorrow.
> Threat Scan: Red
Level: 7–9
Host Level: 6
Cedric drew his sword. The Wraiths moved in unison, circling. Their voices rang like brittle glass, chanting in a lost tongue.
He glanced at Lynne. "We can't kill them all."
She raised her staff. "We don't have to."
As the wraiths lunged, Lynne began a counter-chant, her hands weaving sigils in midair. Threads of pure white mana burst forth, forming a barrier of light. The first wraith struck it, shattering into harmless motes.
Cedric took advantage of the pause. He dipped his blade into the glowing Eye, the Weaver's Heart's power flaring along the edge. He slashed the pedestal's web of threads, severing its connection.
The wraiths wailed and recoiled, then dissolved into drifting crystal dust.
> XP +138 (Crystal Wraiths Dispelled)
Current XP: 182/300
The tree's branches stilled. The Eye of the Weave sank into the pedestal, revealing a hidden compartment. Cedric pried it open to find a slender crystal cylinder inscribed with weaving runes.
Lynne lifted it reverently. "A Memory Core—it holds the recorded wisdom of the first Threadkeepers."
He pocketed it. "And another key to the system's root."
As they turned to leave, the reliquary rumbled. The archway above them cracked, shards of crystal raining down. Cedric raised an arm to shield Lynne.
> SYSTEM WARNING
Structural Collapse Imminent
They sprinted for the exit as walls buckled. A final beam slammed behind them, sealing the chamber forever.
Outside, Cedric exhaled, chest tight with relief. Lynne's hand found his.
"Another fragment," she said softly. "And another piece of the truth."
He met her gaze. "We're one step closer—to the seal, to the system, and to the reckoning it demands."
Together, they vanished into the waning light, the Shattered Reliquary collapsing into memory once more.