They wasted no time deliberating. Amidst the city awakening from its long slumber, Aliana gathered the now-expanded group—twelve warriors, six of whom bore glowing crystals around their necks.
"No time for lengthy introductions," she said firmly. "The White Shadow has already beaten us to the Mount of Light. We have a long journey ahead, and we must begin now."
Orin, the leader of the previous expedition, nodded in agreement. He was tall, his facial features chiseled as though sculpted from stone, and his green eyes gleamed with the weight of unspeakable horrors he had witnessed.
"We have one advantage," he said, brushing a long scar on the side of his face. "We know the path to the Mount of Light. We reached its foothills before we were forced to turn back and face Orlean."
Meredith, standing beside him, added, "And the White Shadow cannot open the gate to the Upper Temple without the six crystals. What we're witnessing now is his attempt to open a side gate... the Gate of Shadow."
"Can he do that?" Selene asked, her hand instinctively touching the new crystal on her chest.
"Not entirely," replied a third man from the freed group, short in stature, his sharp features resembling a predatory bird, and his eyes as dark as midnight ink. "My name is Thorin. I was the Bearer of the Crystal of Mind. The Gate of Shadow can only partially open without the crystals. But even that is enough to unleash immense powers from the Other World."
"The Other World?" Sariel asked, his eyebrows arching in surprise.
But Aliana interrupted firmly, "We'll talk while we walk. Every passing minute tilts the balance in our enemy's favor."
Under Orin's swift guidance, the group set out from the city, heading eastward along a path that wound through the towering mountains. In the distance, the white column of light still rose, piercing the sky like a luminous sword.
"The White Shadow... who is he, really?" Nayari asked as they advanced along the narrow rocky trail.
"An ancient being," Orin replied, his voice heavy with painful knowledge. "He assumes a central form, but he is older than the Crystals themselves. He is... something from the time before the Great Forgetting. From the age before the Day of Remembrance."
"We believe he was part of the original group that established the Seven Crystal System," Meredith added. "But he broke away from them, seeking to use the Crystals to open the Eighth City in a different way."
Two of the freed group—a slender woman with short red hair named Lina, and a massive man with a thick black beard named Bron—walked ahead, scouting the path, while the others continued their climb, exchanging words as they ascended the mountain slope.
"The Eighth City..." Icarus murmured. "In Brochard Tower, I glimpsed it in a vision... but something prevented me from seeing it clearly."
Thorin looked at him intently. "What you encountered was the Veil of Concealment. The Eighth City is protected by a force older than time itself. No one can perceive it clearly, not even those with vision abilities like yours. But the truth is... the Eighth City—"
His words were abruptly cut off as the ground beneath them trembled violently. The white column of light in the distance widened, and additional beams of light erupted from it, zigzagging across the sky like giant lightning bolts.
"He's advancing quickly!" Lina shouted from the front. "If he succeeds in partially opening the Gate of Shadow..."
"We'll move faster," Aliana declared with determination. "Lemon, you and the physically stronger ones assist those who need help. We can't afford to stop for rest now."
As night fell, everyone was exhausted, but they pressed on under the light of the moon and stars. The path grew more rugged, cutting through a forest of strange white trees—trees that had grown under the influence of the radiant energy emanating from the Mount of Light.
"These are Lumin Trees," Orin explained, pointing to the trees that began to glow faintly with a silvery light in the darkness. "They grow only around the Mount of Light. Their roots absorb residual energy leaking from the Seventh Crystal."
"How far is the mountain?" Sariel asked, leaning on his sword from exhaustion.
"At our current pace, we'll reach its foothills by dawn," Thorin replied. "But... ascending to the Upper Temple will be another challenge."
"The Upper Temple?" Marissa asked, who had been walking silently all along, cautiously watching the path behind them.
"Where the Crystal of Light resides," Meredith answered. "At the mountain's summit, there's a circular structure made of white crystal. It's said that when sunlight passes through it at a specific moment of the year—the moment of the Great Eclipse—it reveals the location of the Eighth City."
After hours of relentless marching, the group paused briefly at a small spring flowing from a rocky outcrop. Everyone was drained, but fear and anticipation kept them from succumbing to exhaustion.
Aliana sat beside Selene, both gazing at the glowing crystals on their chests.
"Was it difficult?" Aliana whispered. "To... let go of your memory with Orlean?"
Selene smiled gently. "I didn't truly let go of anything. I realized that memories aren't private possessions—that sharing them doesn't diminish them, but rather strengthens them."
"Orlean..." Aliana mused. "Did he know anything about the Eighth City?"
"He never mentioned anything specific," Selene replied. "But he was afraid of the White Shadow. I think all of them—the original Crystal Bearers—know something we don't."
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Orin and Meredith, who sat down beside them.
"We owe you our lives," Meredith said, her gaze shifting between Aliana and Selene. "That's why you deserve to know the full truth... before we face the Mount of Light."
"What truth?" Aliana asked, a vague sense of unease creeping into her heart.
Orin glanced around to ensure the others were preoccupied, then lowered his voice. "The Eighth City is not just a place. It is... a being. A sentient entity, older than creation itself. It's said to have been the home of the primordial beings who created the Crystal System."
"And what's inside it?" Selene asked.
"Absolute power over memories," Orin replied in a voice barely above a whisper. "Whoever controls the Eighth City can rewrite reality itself. They can alter the memories of the entire world... and thus change the past, the present, and the future."
A heavy silence enveloped them. Aliana felt an immense weight settle on her shoulders. This was what the White Shadow was after. And this was what Cairn-the-Shadow had warned her about before they parted ways.
"And Cairn?" Aliana finally asked. "What's Cairn-the-Shadow's role in all of this?"
Orin and Meredith exchanged uneasy glances. "Cairn-the-Shadow... is the final key," Meredith said. "The Seven Crystals open the door... but Cairn is the key that unlocks the lock."
"Why?" Aliana asked, her heart pounding.
"Because... he is descended from the original creators of the Crystals," Orin answered. "The eternal shadow that inhabits him... was one of the first guardians of the Eighth City."
Aliana was about to ask more questions, but a warning whistle from the lookout interrupted them. Bron was pointing his sword upward.
"Lights on the mountain!" he shouted. "Many of them! They're moving!" Everyone stood up, tense. On the distant mountain slopes, they could now see dozens of glowing dots moving like scattered torches along the mountainside.
"New Axials," Thorin said, his eyes narrowing in focus. "The White Shadow has gathered his followers."
"We have another problem," Lina added, pointing to the path they had come from. "Someone is following us. I saw movement among the trees."
A quick decision was necessary. Aliana looked at Orin, then at Lemon and Selene, and finally at the rest of the group.
"We'll split up," she said firmly. "Two groups. The first, with Lemon, Marissa, Saril, Nyari, and Bron, will confront those following us and prevent them from catching up. The second, with me, Selene, Icarus, Orin, Meredith, Thorin, and Lina, will sneak up the mountain from the western side to avoid a confrontation with the Axials."
"But that means we'll separate from the Fear Crystal," Icarus said, pointing to the crystal he was holding.
"We'll take five crystals," Aliana said. "That will be enough to reach the seventh crystal. Once we have it, we can regroup before heading to the eighth city."
Despite their objections, everyone knew that Aliana's plan was the best under the current circumstances. After a quick exchange of supplies and instructions, the two groups parted ways. Lemon led his team back a short distance along the path to set up an ambush for their pursuers, while Aliana led her group through a narrow side trail Orin had discovered on a previous journey.
It was midnight when Aliana's group began ascending the western slopes of the Mountain of Light. The path was treacherous, barely a trail at all, but it was far from the view of the Axials who had spread out on the eastern side of the mountain.
"How did you discover this path?" Aliana whispered to Orin as they moved slowly along the edge of a rocky cliff.
"Out of necessity," Orin replied, gesturing for her to place her foot in a specific spot to avoid slipping. "The first time the Axials chased us, we were all injured. We lost two of our companions here. We had to hide in a small cave for several days, and during that time, I found this route."
"What's stopping the White Shadow from opening the gate to the eighth city?" Selene asked as she helped Meredith across a crumbling rock.
"The double lock," Thorin, who was walking behind them, answered. "You need all seven crystals combined, and then a special bearer—a descendant of the original crystal makers, the Cairn of Shadow. Trying to open the gate any other way would destroy the city itself... and anyone attempting to open it."
"Then why is the White Shadow taking the risk?" Aliana asked.
"Because he thinks he's found a loophole in the system," Meredith answered. "The Shadow Gate—an incomplete entrance that can be used to infiltrate the eighth city without fully opening it."
"Is that even possible?" Icarus asked anxiously.
"Theoretically, yes," Thorin replied. "But at a great cost. He would have to sacrifice his Axial followers... turning them into... spiritual fuel, so to speak."
A heavy silence fell over them as they continued their climb. The slope became steeper, and the rocks beneath them occasionally crumbled, sliding into the distant valley below. Above them, strange clouds appeared, reflecting the white light emanating from the mountain's peak.
After two hours of arduous climbing, they reached a natural ledge on the side of the mountain. From this vantage point, they could see their destination—the Upper Temple, a towering circular structure made of white crystal, crowning the peak of the Mountain of Light.
But what caught their attention was what was happening around it. Dozens of Axials stood in a circle around the temple, their bodies glowing with a radiant white light. At the center stood a larger figure—the White Shadow—his arms raised toward the sky, surrounded by swirling forms of dancing light.
"He's started the ritual!" Orin whispered in alarm. "The Shadow Gate ritual. If he completes it..."
"What exactly is happening?" Aliana asked, watching the strange scene with concern.
"He's draining the life force of his followers, converting it into raw power," Thorin explained. "Then he uses that power to create a temporary rift in the barrier protecting the eighth city."
"Can we stop him?" Selene asked, the crystals on her chest beginning to glow more intensely, resonating with the rising energy in the area.
"Only if we reach the Crystal of Light before he does," Meredith said. "The seventh crystal is the key. Even if he manages to create a small rift, whoever holds the seven crystals can seal it permanently."
"Then we must sneak behind them..." Icarus said, his eyes scanning the scene intently. "Look over there, at the back of the temple. There's a small entrance. Everyone is focused on the main ritual at the front."
Orin nodded. "Good plan, but we need to move now. With every Axial that loses their life, the rift gets closer to forming."
They began to move cautiously, taking a winding path between large rocks and glowing white trees, trying to approach the back of the temple. The air around them grew heavy, charged with a strange energy that made breathing difficult and vision hazy. The five crystals—Love, Sorrow, Mind, Pain, and Dreams—began to pulse with a quickening rhythm, as if communicating with the nearby Crystal of Light.
Aliana ran her fingers over the crystals around her neck and exchanged a worried glance with Selene. "Do you feel that?" she whispered. "The crystals... it's like they're trying to tell us something."
Selene nodded. "My Love and Sorrow crystals are pulsing with a strength I've never felt before. It's like they're... anxious."
"Careful!" Thorin suddenly whispered, pointing ahead. About twenty meters away, a lone Axial emerged from behind a large rock, his back turned to them, seemingly guarding the rear path to the temple.
Meredith motioned for the group to stop, then drew a small dagger from her belt. With practiced skill and complete silence, she took a deep breath and threw the dagger. It sliced through the air with precision, striking the Axial at the base of his neck. He fell without a sound, his body dissolving into particles of light that scattered into the air before vanishing.
"I see three more," Lina whispered, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. "One directly at the rear entrance and two patrolling the western side."
Aliana thought quickly. "We'll move in two teams. Meredith, you and Icarus will handle the guard at the entrance. Lina, you go with Orin and Thorin to distract the patrols. Selene and I will wait for your signal to advance toward the entrance."
The group split according to the plan. Meredith and Icarus crept low, weaving between rocks until they were close to the rear entrance. There stood a tall Axial, dressed in a slightly different white robe and wearing a crystal mask that covered half his face.
Icarus glanced at Meredith and gestured with his hand in a questioning motion. "Leader?" Meredith whispered. "Possibly. The crystal... use it." Icarus nodded, and slowly raised his hand toward the crystal he was holding. He recalled the teachings of Cairn-the-Shadow—how to use the crystal to connect his mind to the minds of others. Closing his eyes for a moment, he opened his consciousness, focusing on the Sentinel.
The Sentinel trembled slightly, as if sensing something. He turned slowly, tense, glancing around. Then suddenly, he saw something—or thought he saw something—in the exact opposite direction of where Icarus was hiding. The Sentinel cautiously stepped toward the illusion, moving several meters away from the entrance.
Meredith seized the opportunity. Swiftly and silently, she moved behind him and plunged her dagger into his neck. For a moment, their eyes met, and the Sentinel faced his death with a look filled with confusion and fear. Then, like those before him, his body dissolved into particles of light and vanished into the air.
Meanwhile, Orin, Lina, and Thorin had succeeded in diverting the attention of the other patrols by creating the sound of a minor rockslide on the opposite side.
Meredith signaled to Aliana and Selene, who quickly advanced toward the rear entrance. It was a small door, carved into the white crystal, adorned with strange engravings in an ancient, forgotten language.
"How do we open it?" Selene whispered, touching the cold crystal surface.
Aliana stared at the engravings, trying to decipher them. Seven small circles were etched in a specific arrangement. "The crystals..." she murmured, bringing her hand holding the crystals closer to the door.
Something extraordinary happened—the crystals began to glow in a harmonious rhythm, and the engraved circles on the door responded, glowing in the same rhythm. Slowly, the door began to open, emitting a faint whispering sound like flowing water.
"Quickly!" Aliana urged. "I don't know how long it will stay open."
She and Selene entered, followed by Icarus and Meredith. The door closed behind them with the same faint whisper, leaving Orin, Lina, and Thorin outside, dealing with the remaining Sentinels.
Inside the temple, they found themselves in a long corridor illuminated by glowing light columns emanating directly from the ground. The air here was denser, saturated with the energy of the Seventh Crystal, whose presence they could now feel distinctly.
"This path leads to the central hall," Meredith whispered. "The Crystal of Light is there, at the highest point of the temple."
They advanced cautiously, the crystals around their necks pulsating with increasing intensity. Each step made the air heavier, the pressure on their chests more intense. Aliana felt a slight dizziness, her vision blurring slightly, but she was determined to press on.
After some distance, they reached a vast circular hall, its ceiling a dome of transparent crystal that offered a view of the sky above, where the black rift was expanding ominously. At the center of the hall, on an elevated platform, the Seventh Crystal—the Crystal of Light—glowed. It floated slowly, spinning on its axis, radiating pure white light interwoven with the colors of the rainbow.
"There it is..." Selene whispered in awe. "The Crystal of Light!"
But before they could approach it, a voice echoed from the opposite side of the hall:
"You're late... as always."
The White Shadow emerged from the darkness, advancing slowly toward the platform. He wasn't alone—behind him, six Sentinels followed, larger and more powerful than those outside the temple.
"The Black Wardens," Meredith whispered in horror. "The elite of the Sentinels... I haven't seen them since the First Forgotten Age!"
"You have the crystals," the White Shadow said, his voice deep and cold. "I need them... and I need you."
Icarus stepped forward, drawing his weapon. "You'll get none of them. And you won't have the Crystal of Light either."
The White Shadow let out a cold laugh. "I don't need to take them, fool. The Crystal of Light has always been here, waiting for me. All I needed was for the path to be opened. And now..." He gestured toward the sky above, where the sun was beginning to align with the moon in an eclipse. "Now the time has come."
Before anyone could act, the White Shadow unleashed a massive wave of white light, striking Aliana and her companions with enough force to send them flying toward the back wall. They landed hard, stunned by the sheer power he wielded.
"Selene... the crystals... together!" Aliana shouted, struggling to rise.
Selene immediately understood. She raised her hand, directing the Crystals of Love and Sorrow toward the White Shadow, while Aliana aimed the other three crystals. Five beams of multicolored light shot toward the Sentinels and the White Shadow, colliding with a white shield he had formed around them.
"Keep going!" Meredith shouted, joining the attack with her glowing sword, followed by Icarus. A fierce battle erupted, the crystals unleashing their energy relentlessly.
But the Black Wardens were stronger than expected. Two of them managed to reach Selene, and before she could defend herself, they knocked her to the ground. The two crystals fell from her grasp, rolling away.
"Selene!" Aliana cried, trying to reach her, but another Sentinel blocked her path.
Amid the chaos, the White Shadow advanced toward the central platform, his hand outstretched toward the Crystal of Light. No one noticed the other figure that suddenly appeared, descending rapidly from the ceiling and landing directly on the platform, standing between the White Shadow and the Crystal of Light.
"Cairn!" Aliana shouted in shock and horror.
It was indeed him—Cairn-the-Shadow, standing there, half of his face human, the other half shrouded in black shadows as dark as night. One eye was green, the other black, glowing with tiny stars. His black cloak rippled around him like waves of liquid darkness.
"You cannot touch it," Cairn-the-Shadow said with his dual-toned voice. "Not before you tell us the truth."
The battle came to a complete halt. Everyone, even the Sentinels, froze, watching the confrontation between the two greatest forces in the hall.
The White Shadow stood silent for a moment, then slowly raised his hands to his mask. "The truth?" he said, his voice now more human. "The truth is, I've been waiting for you... for ages."
And he removed the white mask, revealing a face no one expected—Cairn's face, but older, wearier, his features marked by exhaustion, his eyes entirely black, like two lakes of liquid night.
"I am you," said the future Cairn—the true White Shadow. "From another future. A future we must prevent together."
Aliana cried out, trying to reach them, but a wall of white light suddenly appeared, separating the central platform from the rest of the hall, isolating Cairn-the-Shadow and the future Cairn with the Crystal of Light.
"The eclipse begins," Cairn-the-Shadow said, looking up at the transparent dome above, where the sun was disappearing behind the moon. "Now you must tell me... what happened? Why did you become... this?"
The future Cairn slowly reached out, touching Cairn-the-Shadow's face as if examining his reflection in a mirror. "I tried to open the Eighth City... and realized too late that the Eighth City is not a place... but an entity. And this entity..."
His words were cut off as the eclipse reached its totality. The light of the seven crystals erupted, converging into a giant white beam that shot toward the sky, piercing the temple's dome and forming a gateway of light in the darkened heavens. "The time has come to correct the mistakes," said Future Cairn, extending his hand toward the Light Crystal. "Together."
Shadow-Cairn hesitated for a moment, then extended his hand as well. The crystal floated between them, glowing with an intensity they had never seen before.
"Don't do it, Cairn!" Aliana screamed, pounding desperately against the barrier of light. "There's something... something wrong!"
But it was too late. In a pivotal moment, Shadow-Cairn and Future Cairn touched the crystal together, speaking in unison:
"In the name of the Eighth City, the City of Eternal Memories... we open the gate!"
A massive explosion of white light engulfed the entire hall. Aliana and her friends collapsed to the ground, unconscious from the overwhelming energy. The gate in the sky widened and fully formed, revealing a breathtaking sight—a vast city suspended in space, built of crystal and light, defying the laws of gravity.
The Eighth City, the City of Eternal Memories, had finally appeared.
In the fleeting moment before she completely lost consciousness, Aliana saw Shadow-Cairn lean toward her, placing something in her palm and whispering words she couldn't quite hear. Then he and Future Cairn vanished into a pillar of light, ascending toward the city suspended above the mountain.
And the world around her plunged into darkness.
When Aliana regained consciousness, she found herself lying on the shattered floor of the temple. The crystalline dome was completely destroyed, and the sky above was clear, as though the eclipse and the glowing gate had never existed. Beside her, Selene, Icarus, and Meredith were slowly coming to their senses.
"What... what happened?" Selene asked, propping herself up on her elbows as she tried to stand.
Aliana looked around in confusion. The temple was partially destroyed, but there was no sign of the Axis Guardians, the White Shadow... or Cairn. Yet something else was missing too.
"The crystals..." she whispered in panic, her hand reaching for her now-empty neck. "They're gone!"
Indeed, the six crystals they had carried, along with the seventh Light Crystal, had all disappeared. The only thing left was a small object in Aliana's palm—a tiny black crystal, glowing faintly with an inner blue light.
"What is that?" Meredith asked, moving closer to examine the strange crystal.
Aliana stared at the black crystal, now recalling Shadow-Cairn's final words to her: "The Crystal of Truth... when things become worse than you can imagine... use it."
"We need to get back to the others," Icarus said, standing despite his injuries. "Limon and the rest... we have to tell them what happened."
They stepped out of the ruined temple into the open air. The entire mountain was now eerily quiet, with no sign of the Axis Guardians or the White Shadow's followers. In the distance, the sun was rising once more, as though the eclipse-filled night had been nothing but a dream.
But Aliana, gazing out at the far horizon, knew the real battle was only beginning. Shadow-Cairn had vanished into the Eighth City, along with a future version of himself and the seven crystals. All she had left was the small Crystal of Truth and an endless cascade of unanswered questions.
Somewhere, beyond the boundaries of time and space, the Eighth City was waiting. And within it, the fate of the entire world was being rewritten.