Eliana stared at the shifting surface of the water, her heart pounding fiercely. What she saw was not her own reflection, but Kairen's face—not as she knew him, but as a very small child, no more than a few days old.
"What is this?" she whispered, her hand instinctively reaching out toward the water's surface, stopping just before touching it.
"A reflection of the truth," Cyril said, now standing beside her. "Every crystal hides a truth, and the Eighth City holds the greatest secret of all."
The image in the water shifted, showing a young woman holding the child. She was beautiful, with dark hair and green eyes—eyes identical to Kairen's human ones.
"Who is she?" Eliana asked.
"Mira," Cyril replied in a calm voice. "She was the last bearer of the Seventh Crystal, the Crystal of Light. And also… Kairen's mother."
Eliana gasped, the black crystal on her chest trembling. The image in the water began to move now, as though a living story was being told.
"In our first age, we were seven guardians," Cyril continued. "Seven entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the Eighth City and preventing the end of the world. Each of us was responsible for an aspect of human existence—pain, fear, love, sorrow, dreams, knowledge, and light."
The images in the water shifted again, revealing seven individuals standing in a circle, each holding a glowing crystal of a different color.
"But there was an eighth…" Cyril added. "The Eternal Shadow. It was not of our world, but an older, more powerful entity. It was the guardian of the Eighth City itself."
A mysterious, dark figure appeared, its eyes glowing like tiny stars in a vast void.
"Over time, the Eternal Shadow fell in love with Mira, the bearer of the Crystal of Light. From their union, a child was born…"
"Kairen," Eliana whispered, finally grasping the impossible.
"Yes, but not as an ordinary child. He was the firstborn to carry parts of both worlds—human and shadow. Yet his birth unleashed a chain of events that nearly destroyed reality itself."
The images changed again, showing massive explosions of light, the earth cracking open, and the sky splitting to reveal other realms.
"We were forced to make an impossible decision. We separated the child from both his parents and divided the power of the Eternal Shadow into seven crystals. Then, we buried the Eighth City outside of time, hoping its doors would never be opened again."
"And what happened to Kairen?" Eliana asked.
"He grew up as an ordinary human, unaware of his origins. But every time the Great Eclipse occurs, his true nature awakens, and he begins to remember who he is… and seeks to return to the Eighth City."
The image shifted to show repetitive cycles—Kairen growing up, discovering his abilities, finding the crystals, and each cycle ending in disaster.
"And that's why the Pact of Forgetting was created?" Eliana whispered.
"Yes. Forgetting was a mercy, not a punishment. Every time we failed to stop him from reaching the Eighth City, we had to reset the memories, restart the cycle. Seven times we've done this, and each time, we lost one of us until I was the only one left."
"And this time? What's different?"
"This time, there are two of him," Cyril said, his mismatched eyes meeting Eliana's. "Kairen of this timeline, and Kairen from a ruined future. And now, one faces the other at the heart of the Eighth City."
The images in the water stilled, the fountain's surface calming once more, now reflecting Eliana's face.
"And why did Kairen give me this crystal?" she asked, clutching the black crystal around her neck.
"That is no ordinary crystal," Cyril said. "It is a shard of the Eternal Shadow's very soul—the last fragment of the part that wasn't divided. Kairen created it from the essence of his being before he left this world."
"And what does it do?"
"It gives you the only power that can save the world… the power to remember what everyone else will forget."
Eliana stepped back, trying to process the weight of the truths revealed to her.
"You're saying… Kairen… is the son of the Eternal Shadow? And that he'll open the Eighth City? And then what?"
Cyril closed his eyes for a moment. "If Kairen of this timeline succeeds, he may be able to rewrite the laws of reality in a way that protects the world instead of destroying it. If he fails… you will be the only one who remembers the truth, and we'll have to begin the cycle again."
Eliana felt the weight of responsibility settle on her shoulders. "What am I supposed to do now?"
"Wait," Cyril said. "The outcome will be decided in the Eighth City. When it happens, you'll know what to do with the crystal."
Eliana looked out through the transparent barrier, where her companions waited, anxious and confused. "And what do I tell them?"
"The truth," Cyril replied. "Or at least, the part of it they can bear."
Deep within the Eighth City, Shadow-Kairen and Future-Kairen reached the end of a spiraling staircase. Before them was a vast circular chamber, its walls made of pure black crystal, reflecting countless shifting images—memories of every soul that had ever lived.
At the center of the room stood a colossal entity, its form undulating, resembling a cloud of black mist interwoven with starlight. As they entered, the cloud shifted, taking on a more human-like shape, and from within it, two enormous black eyes emerged, glowing with countless stars.
"The Eternal Shadow…" Shadow-Kairen whispered. "Father…"
"Yes…" the entity replied, its voice a whisper of countless voices combined. "My son… and you too… my son from another time."
"I've waited for you for so long," Future-Kairen said. "Through seven cycles, seven failed attempts."
"Eight," the Eternal Shadow corrected. "This is the eighth and final attempt."
Shadow-Kairen stepped forward. "Why have you brought us here? What do you want?"
"Salvation," the Eternal Shadow replied. "Eons ago, when I loved Mira and you were born, we unleashed a power beyond human comprehension. When you were born, existence itself nearly unraveled. Because what we created together… was not just a child."
"It was a key," Future-Kairen interjected. "A key to rewriting reality itself."
"The seven guardians tried to stop me from reaching you," the Eternal Shadow continued. "They divided my power, sealed away the Eighth City, and created the Pact of Forgetting. Seven times we've tried to break this cycle, and each time, we've failed."
"Because you weren't ready," Future-Kairen said, looking at Shadow-Kairen. "But now… now we have a chance."
Shadow-Kairen felt turmoil rising within him, the conflict between his human and shadow natures intensifying. "And what is that chance?"
"To become what you were born to be," the Eternal Shadow said. "The key that reshapes reality."
"And if I refuse?"
Future-Kairen gave him a faint, bitter smile. "You won't refuse… because you will become me in the end. This is an endless loop. In every cycle, you reject your destiny, then regret it, and return as the White Shadow, trying to change your past self. And every time, you fail."
From Future-Kairen's hand, a strange sword appeared, its blade resembling shattered black glass. "I've come to end this cycle. Either you accept your destiny and become the key we need, or I'll kill you and seal the door forever." Kairn-the-Shadow stepped back, his hand reaching to his side, where a transparent memory sword materialized from nothingness. "I will not let anyone decide my fate. Not even myself."
The Eternal Shadow moved between them, its cloud expanding. "You are both my children... and you are both wrong. The choice is not between you. It is mine."
With a sudden movement, the Eternal Shadow extended its hands, and tendrils of rippling darkness pierced through the bodies of both Kairn-the-Shadow and Future Kairn. They froze in place, their swords falling to the ground.
"Now," the Eternal Shadow said, "the cycle will be corrected."
When Aliana returned to her friends outside the village barrier, they were all waiting anxiously. The barrier parted before her, and she emerged pale-faced, her eyes red as if she had been crying.
"What happened in there?" Selene asked, rushing to her. "Who is he? What did he tell you?"
Aliana looked at the group as a whole. "I learned the truth... about Kairn, about the Eighth City, and about the crystals."
"And...?" Lemon urged her.
"Kairn is not human... not entirely. He is the son of the Eternal Shadow—the entity that rules the Eighth City. And now, after obtaining the seven crystals, he will attempt to do what he failed to achieve seven times before... to reshape reality."
A heavy silence fell over them before Orin spoke: "Cyril told you all this?"
Aliana nodded. "Yes. He was the last remaining guardian of the original wardens who created the crystals to contain the Eternal Shadow's power."
"And what happens now?" Icarus asked.
"We can do nothing but wait. The real battle is happening in the Eighth City. Between Kairn and his future self... and the Eternal Shadow."
The group exchanged worried glances. "And if Kairn fails?" Saril asked.
Aliana touched the black crystal on her chest. "If he fails, reality will reset again. We will forget everything, and a new cycle will begin. It will be my responsibility to remember the truth and find Kairn once more."
Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled violently, and the sky above them cracked, revealing a massive black rift—the gateway to the Eighth City—widening once again.
"It has begun!" Thorin shouted. "The Eighth City is fully awakening!"
A massive column of white light erupted from the peak of the Mountain of Light, piercing the sky and ascending toward the rift. The ground shook again, stronger this time, and cracks began forming in the earth itself.
"Fall back!" Lemon shouted, pointing to the hill behind them. "We need to move away!"
But Aliana did not move. Her eyes were fixed on the scene above them, where the rift in the sky began shifting from black to a spectrum of multicolored light.
"It's time..." she whispered to herself.
The black crystal on her chest, for the first time, began to glow intensely, emitting a deep blue radiance that enveloped her entire body.
At the heart of the Eighth City, the Eternal Shadow had lifted both Kairn-the-Shadow and Future Kairn high into the air, tendrils of darkness piercing their bodies, extracting the essence of their existence.
"Seven cycles," the Eternal Shadow said. "Seven failed attempts to reclaim you, my son. But each time, humans interfered, severing your connection to me and forcing me to start again."
Kairn-the-Shadow struggled, trying to break free from the grip of the darkness. "This... is not... my destiny!"
"It is your destiny!" Future Kairn shouted. "You don't understand... I've seen what happens if you refuse. A world torn apart, the innocent suffering. If you accept your fate now, we can save them all."
The Eternal Shadow continued: "When you were born, you carried a power this world had never known. A blend of my boundless nature and your mother's humanity. You were the key that could open or close the door to reality itself."
The chamber began to tremble, the reflected images on the walls distorting and overlapping.
"What... are you... doing?" Kairn-the-Shadow asked with difficulty.
"Reuniting what was divided," the Eternal Shadow replied. "Merging the past and the future. You and your future self. I will forge you into the ultimate key."
At that moment, something strange occurred—the seven crystals, which had been placed elsewhere in the chamber, suddenly flew into the air, circling around the three figures and glowing more brightly than ever before.
"What's happening?" Future Kairn shouted.
"The crystals... they're responding..." the Eternal Shadow said, and for the first time, he seemed uncertain. "But they... are not responding to me!"
The seven crystals spun faster and faster, forming a ring of light around Kairn-the-Shadow and Future Kairn. Suddenly, they exploded in a blinding white light, forcing even the Eternal Shadow to retreat, releasing both Kairns.
When the light faded, a third figure stood in the chamber—a woman holding a black crystal, glowing with a deep blue light.
"Aliana...?" Kairn-the-Shadow whispered in astonishment.
Aliana's companions watched in horror as she vanished before their eyes, drawn into the column of light that pierced the sky toward the Eighth City.
"Aliana!" Selene cried, trying to run after her, but Lemon held her back.
"She's gone..." he said simply. "She's gone to the Eighth City."
As they looked to the sky, a massive flash of multicolored light erupted from within the rift, and then everything began to fade—the rift, the column of light, and the tremors.
"What's happening?" Saril whispered.
"It's the end," Orin said, gazing at the sky with quiet conviction. "Or the beginning. Aliana is there now... with Kairn."
Gradually, the sky returned to its natural color, and the rift vanished completely. Peace returned to the area, and the barrier around the Village of Spires dissolved. The villagers emerged from their homes, finally awake, wondering what had transpired.
Among them, Cyril, the hermit, approached the group slowly.
"It has happened," he said in a calm voice. "The eighth cycle is complete."
"What happened to Aliana? And Kairn?" Selene asked urgently.
Cyril stopped and looked up at the sky where the rift had been. "They are writing the end... or a new beginning."
At the heart of the Eighth City, Aliana now stood between Kairn-the-Shadow and Future Kairn, the black crystal glowing in her hands.
"How... how did you get here?" Kairn-the-Shadow asked, astonished.
"The crystal you gave me," Aliana replied. "It was my key to reaching the Eighth City."
The Eternal Shadow advanced toward her, its black cloud rippling with anger. "Who are you to interfere with my plan? This is the moment to reshape reality!"
"I know who you are," Aliana said, raising the black crystal before her like a shield. "I know the truth. About Kairn, about you, about the seven cycles."
"And yet, you're here to stop me!" the Eternal Shadow roared.
"No... I'm here to end the cycle. But not in the way you expect."
Aliana turned to Kairn-the-Shadow, extending her hand toward him. "Kairn... you are not just a key. You are human, despite everything. And you have the right to choose."
Then she turned to Future Kairn. "And you... you've seen the dark future, but that doesn't mean it's the only possible future."
"What do you mean?" Kairn-the-Shadow asked.
"The real choice isn't between accepting your fate or rejecting it," Aliana said. "It's in realizing that you can create a new fate." She raised the black crystal, which began to pulse more intensely. "This shard of the Eternal Shadow's soul... you gave it to me for a reason, Cairn. Not just to remember the truth, but to create a new one."
With a sudden motion, Aliana placed the black crystal in the hand of Cairn-the-Shadow, then grasped the hand of Future Cairn, bringing their hands together around the crystal.
"What you need is neither merging nor division," she said, looking at the Eternal Shadow. "But reconciliation. With yourself, with your past, with your future."
The black crystal glowed between their hands, beginning to absorb light from the seven crystals surrounding them. A beam of mixed light—seven different colors—merged with the dark blue light of the black crystal.
"No!" cried the Eternal Shadow, attempting to intervene, but the power of the crystals held him back.
"Together," Aliana whispered to Cairn. "We can write a different ending."
Cairn-the-Shadow and Future Cairn looked at each other, and for a moment, they both understood. Both nodded, tightening their hands firmly around the black crystal.
From the crystal, a light more powerful than any they had ever witnessed burst forth, flooding the entire room and extending to every corner of the Eighth City. The crystal walls around the room trembled, cracked, and the memories reflected on them began to overlap and shift.
"What are you doing?!" the Eternal Shadow roared, trying to resist the light, but his strength faltered against it.
"We're making a new choice," said Cairn-the-Shadow, his features beginning to change, gradually merging with those of Future Cairn, but in a way different from the fusion the Eternal Shadow had sought. This was a voluntary, conscious, balanced union.
"Seven cycles of failure," said Future Cairn, his voice now harmonizing with that of Cairn-the-Shadow, "because we were always in conflict with ourselves. The past against the future. The human against the shadow."
"But the solution..." Cairn-the-Shadow continued, "is not in victory or defeat, but in reconciliation."
The light intensified until every feature of the room was erased, leaving only pure white. Aliana closed her eyes, unable to bear the brilliance.
When she opened them again, she found herself standing in a strange space—not in the room, but in a void-like place, its ground made of still water reflecting the sky above, like an infinite mirror.
Before her stood a single figure—not Cairn-the-Shadow nor Future Cairn, but a new entity. A man bearing Cairn's features, but more mature, more wise. His eyes were different—one green and human, the other as dark and starry as the Eternal Shadow. On his forehead, a strange glowing mark shone, a dark blue like the black crystal.
"Cairn...?" Aliana whispered hesitantly.
The figure smiled a calm smile. "Yes... and no. I am what Cairn chose to become. Not fully human, not entirely shadow, but a balance between the two."
"What happened? Where are we?"
"In a liminal space between worlds... between truths," the transformed Cairn replied. "We succeeded, Aliana. We broke the cycle."
"And the Eternal Shadow?"
"He finally understood what he was truly seeking," Cairn said, gesturing to the sky above them. "Look."
Aliana raised her gaze to see a vast entity, resembling a stellar cloud stretching across the entire sky. It was the Eternal Shadow, but now it seemed different—more peaceful, less hostile.
"He, too, reconciled with the truth," Cairn explained. "In every previous cycle, he tried to remake me in his image. To turn me into a complete shadow, to open for him the door to creation anew. But he didn't realize that my true power lay in the balance of the two natures within me."
"And now?" Aliana asked. "What will happen to the world?"
"It will begin anew... but not as it did before. Not with total forgetting, but with selective remembering. Humans will return to their lives, remembering what heals their souls, forgetting what harms them."
"And the seven crystals?"
"They will return to their original places, but without the power to compel or forbid. They will become beacons of knowledge and balance, not tools of division and control."
Aliana looked down at the still water beneath her feet, where she saw her reflection, though it appeared slightly different—stronger, wiser. "And what about me? And my companions?"
Cairn smiled. "You will remember, Aliana. The black crystal granted you this gift. You will be the witness to what happened, the guardian of the truth. As for your companions... they will remember only as much as they need to continue their lives in peace."
Cairn extended his hand, gently placing it on Aliana's face. "And we will meet again... in a new world."
The light began to fade gradually, the space around them shifting. Aliana felt herself being drawn away, returning to the world.
"Wait!" she cried. "What will happen to you?"
"I will be the bridge between worlds," Cairn said, his voice fading like an echo. "The guardian of balance. But I will return... when the world needs me again."
In a fleeting moment, light engulfed everything, and Aliana felt herself falling through the veil of reality.
At the foot of Mount Noor, the group watched the sky, now clear as if nothing had happened. The column of light had vanished, and the rift was completely gone. Silence enveloped the place, broken only by a gentle breeze rustling the trees.
"What happened?" whispered Limon, looking at Cyril, who appeared strangely calm.
"The end," replied the old hermit, "or the beginning, depending on how you choose to see it."
"And Aliana?" asked Selene anxiously. "And Cairn?"
Before Cyril could respond, a flash of light appeared in the center of the group, forming into Aliana, who fell to her knees, exhausted and disoriented. Selene rushed to her friend, helping her to her feet.
"Aliana! What happened? Where were you?"
Aliana looked at them all, then at the sky, then at her right hand, which held the black crystal, now dormant but still dark and mysterious.
"We broke the cycle," she said simply. "Cairn... made a new choice."
"And what happened to him?" asked Icarus.
"He became... what he was meant to be," Aliana replied. "The bridge between worlds. The guardian of balance."
Cyril stepped forward, bending to examine the crystal in her hand. "You changed it," he said in amazement. "It is now... the Crystal of Balance. The eighth crystal that never existed before."
"What do you mean?" Aliana asked.
"The seven crystals represented aspects of human existence—pain, fear, dreams, love, sorrow, light, and knowledge. But they were never balanced, because they lacked the eighth... balance itself."
Aliana nodded in understanding. "And this crystal now... will be my anchor to the truth."
"And perhaps more than that," Cyril added, a mysterious smile on his face.
The group fell silent for a moment, each processing what had happened. Then, something strange began to occur—stillness enveloped them, and their memories began to blur.
"What is happening?" Sariel whispered in confusion. "I feel... I feel like I'm forgetting something."
"The world is being remade," Cyril said calmly. "Memories are being reshaped. What must be forgotten will be forgotten. What must be remembered will remain." He looked directly at Aliana. "But you will remember everything. This is your responsibility now."
Aliana nodded, clutching the black crystal tightly. "I will remember... and I will wait."
Slowly, the world around them began to change. The light took on a strange, surreal quality, as if reality itself was being rewritten. Cyril started to fade before their eyes.
"The new world awaits," he said, his voice turning into a whisper. "Be a witness, Aliana. Be the guardian of the new covenant."
Then, in a dazzling flash of light, everything disappeared.
Aliana woke to find herself in her bed, in her small room in Idoleth. Dawn was breaking through her window, and the sounds of the awakening city rose from outside.
She sat up in her bed, trying to gather her thoughts, recalling the memories. They were all there—clear and vivid. Cairn, the crystals, the eighth city, the eternal shadow, everything.
Her hand instinctively went to her neck, where she found the black crystal still hanging on a silver chain.
"It was real," she whispered to herself. "It was all real."
She got out of bed and walked to the window, looking out at the bright city of Idoleth in the morning light. The city seemed different now—more vibrant, with colors more vivid. On the open windowsill, she noticed something unusual—a small, strange flower, dark blue, almost the same color as the crystal, something she had never seen before.
She picked up the flower carefully, and as she touched it, she felt a faint pulse from the crystal on her chest. She smiled and whispered:
"I will wait, Cairn. I will wait for your return."
A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. She opened it to find Selene standing there, as cheerful as ever. "Good morning, sleepyhead! Come on, the council meeting is waiting for us!"
Aliana looked at her friend curiously, wondering how much she remembered of the epic journey they had shared. "Selene... do you remember... anything strange?"
"Like what?" Selene asked, smiling in confusion.
"Like... crystals, seven cities, a quest to gather..."
She stopped when she saw the puzzled look in Selene's eyes. Clearly, she remembered nothing. Or perhaps just fragments, blurry and indistinct, like a distant dream.
"Never mind," Aliana said with a smile. "Just a strange dream."
As they left the room together, Aliana noticed small differences in the city she thought she knew so well. Tiny details—different colors on the doors of houses, new trees, familiar faces in unexpected places.
On their way, they passed the tall library tower where the ancient books were kept. To her surprise, she saw someone standing there—an old man with long white hair, wearing a gray cloak. When their eyes met, he nodded to her slightly, offering a faint, knowing smile.
"Cyril..." she whispered to herself.
The world had changed, but some things remained the same. Some people remembered, and some truths endured.
And somewhere, beyond the bounds of time and space, Cairn watched, waited, maintaining the balance, protecting the new world.
A world built not on forgetting, but on choice.