As I reached out to touch the crystal, it began to glow with an intense, warning light. Aethera's eyes snapped open, and she grasped my arm, pulling me back.
"Wait," she said, her voice urgent. "Do not touch the crystal."
I felt a surge of confusion and frustration. "Why not?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Aethera's grip on my arm tightened. "The crystal is not for mortals," she said. "It holds power beyond your understanding. If you touch it, you risk unleashing a power that could destroy this world."
Ethan's eyes were fixed on the crystal, his face filled with a mixture of fascination and fear. "What kind of power?" he asked, his voice cautious.
Aethera's eyes seemed to bore into our souls. "The crystal holds the secrets of creation," she said. "It can manipulate reality itself. But it is not a power to be trifled with."
As Aethera's words hung in the air, I felt a sense of trepidation. We had stumbled into something much bigger than ourselves. The crystal's power was beyond our understanding, and we were playing with forces beyond our control.
Suddenly, the crystal's glow intensified, and the air around us began to distort. Aethera's grip on my arm tightened. "We must leave," she said. "Now."
As we turned to flee, I felt a sense of urgency. What was happening? And what would be the consequences of our actions?