The plains stretched out before us, a desolate expanse of frost-covered grass and jagged rocks that seemed to stretch endlessly into the horizon. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth, and the wind whispered faintly, carrying with it the weight of distant storms.

We moved quickly, the ruins of the Nexus fortress fading into the distance behind us. Every step felt heavier than the last, the implications of what we had seen—and what we had stopped—pressing against my thoughts like an iron weight.

“This traveler of yours,” Farron said, breaking the uneasy silence. “You really think he’s just going to show up again and spill all his secrets? Because that didn’t go so well last time.”

“He’ll show up,” Jessa said, her voice sharp. “People like him always do. It’s just a matter of when—and whether we’re ready for it.”

“Great,” Farron muttered. “I love vague threats and cryptic timelines. Really keeps the morale up.”

The humor was forced, but I couldn’t fault him for trying. The tension in the group was palpable, each of us carrying our own doubts and fears as we pressed forward.

Ryla moved ahead of the group, her sharp eyes scanning the terrain for any sign of danger. “We’re being followed,” she said quietly, her voice carrying just enough for the rest of us to hear.

“How far back?” Orin asked, his tone calm but his grip tightening on his blade.

“Not far,” she replied. “Two, maybe three figures. They’re keeping their distance, but they’re not hiding.”

“Ecclesion?” Jessa asked.

Ryla shook her head. “If it were Ecclesion, they’d have struck by now. This feels... different.”

We picked up the pace, the group falling into a tighter formation as the shadows of our pursuers loomed closer. The terrain offered little in the way of cover, but we veered toward a rocky outcrop that jutted out of the earth like the spine of some long-dead beast.

It was a natural bottleneck, the narrow passage between the rocks forcing anyone following us to approach directly.

“Perfect for an ambush,” Farron said with a grin, pulling an arrow from his quiver.

“Let’s make it quick,” Jessa said, her voice low but commanding.

We waited in silence, the shadows of the outcrop stretching long as the sun dipped lower in the sky. The wind carried faint whispers of movement—soft footfalls, the shuffle of fabric against stone.

“They’re close,” Ryla murmured, her bow drawn and ready.

The first figure appeared at the edge of the outcrop, stepping into view with deliberate, measured movements. He was tall and cloaked in dark fabric, his face obscured by a mask etched with faintly glowing runes.

Behind him, two more figures emerged, each similarly cloaked and masked, their movements synchronized and unnerving.

“The Echoed,” Jessa said, her blade glinting in the dim light.

The lead figure raised a hand, the air around him rippling faintly as if responding to his presence. His voice, layered and resonant, echoed across the outcrop.

“You continue to walk the path, though you were warned not to.”

“We don’t take orders from ghosts,” Jessa shot back, stepping forward.

The figure tilted his head slightly, his mask glowing brighter. “You misunderstand. We do not seek to harm you. The barrier weakens, and your actions hasten its collapse. Turn back, or you will bear witness to its fall.”

I stepped forward, the dagger humming faintly in my hand. “What is the barrier? What are you trying to protect?”

The figure’s gaze locked onto me, his presence suddenly oppressive. “The barrier is all that holds the void at bay. It is the wall between this world and the infinite.”

The infinite. The word sent a chill down my spine, its implications vast and terrifying.

Jessa wasn’t fazed. “If the barrier is so important, why let Ecclesion get this far? Why warn us instead of stopping them yourself?”

The figure’s voice remained steady, almost condescending. “We have done what is necessary. Ecclesion’s ambitions are dangerous, but they do not yet threaten the integrity of the barrier.”

He turned his masked gaze to me. “You, however, are an anomaly. The energy you carry destabilizes the balance. The Nexuses call to you, and the echoes of their power ripple through the void.”

“What do you mean, anomaly?” I asked, my voice tight.

The figure stepped closer, his movements deliberate but slow, as though testing the limits of our patience. “You were not meant to walk this path. The Nexuses should not have chosen you, and yet they did. Their call disrupted the cycle.”

“Cycle?” Ryla repeated, her bow still trained on the figure. “What cycle?”

The figure didn’t answer. Instead, he raised his hand again, the rippling energy around him growing stronger. “You must leave this place. The barrier cannot endure your presence.”

“We’re not leaving,” I said firmly. “Not until we understand what’s happening—and what Ecclesion is planning.”

The air grew colder, the oppressive weight of the Echoed’s presence pressing down on us like a physical force.

“You seek answers,” the figure said, his voice now layered with something darker, more menacing. “But you will only find ruin.”

With a sharp motion, he lowered his hand, and the other two Echoed moved forward, their glowing masks flaring with energy.

The fight was immediate and brutal.

Ryla’s arrows flew first, striking true but barely slowing the Echoed as they advanced. Jessa and Orin met them head-on, their blades flashing in the dim light as they deflected strikes that came faster than humanly possible.

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I activated Shadow Veil, the familiar hum cloaking me in darkness as I moved to flank the lead figure. The energy around him pulsed in time with his movements, each strike of his glowing weapon sending shockwaves through the air.

“Careful!” Farron shouted, loosing an arrow that ricocheted off the figure’s armor. “They’re faster than they look!”

“They’re not just fast,” Jessa grunted, parrying a blow that nearly knocked her off balance. “They’re coordinated.”

The Echoed moved as if they shared a single mind, their attacks synchronized and relentless.

I lunged at the lead figure, my dagger striking toward the glowing runes on his mask. He blocked with inhuman precision, his weapon colliding with mine in a burst of light that sent me staggering back.

“You cannot win,” he said, his voice cold and unyielding. “The path is not yours to walk.”

“Watch me,” I spat, activating Resonance Strike. The dagger flared with Nexus energy, and I drove it forward with all the force I could muster.

The blade struck the mask, the runes flaring brightly before shattering in a burst of light. The figure recoiled, a distorted scream tearing from his throat as he staggered backward.

The other Echoed faltered, their movements momentarily disjointed as if the loss of their leader had disrupted their rhythm.

“Now!” Jessa shouted, pressing the advantage.

Ryla’s arrows found their marks, striking the remaining Echoed with precision as Orin and Jessa closed in for the final blows.

Within moments, the fight was over. The Echoed lay still, their masks shattered and their glowing energy dissipating into the air.

I stood over the lead figure, his mask broken and his body motionless. The oppressive energy that had filled the air was gone, replaced by a heavy, lingering silence.

“We need to keep moving,” Jessa said, her voice firm but strained. “Whatever they were, there are more of them out there—and they’ll know what we’ve done.”

I nodded, though my thoughts were elsewhere.

The Echoed had called me an anomaly. A disruption to the cycle.

But what cycle?

And what had the Nexuses seen in me that even the Echoed couldn’t understand?

As we left the outcrop, the shadows of the path ahead seemed darker than ever.

The barrier was weakening.

And we were running out of time.

The trail ahead was eerily quiet as we left the outcrop behind, the wind brushing faintly against the frost-covered grass. The battle with the Echoed had left its mark, not just on the ground but in the air itself. The oppressive hum of their energy still lingered, fading gradually but never fully disappearing.

I glanced back at the rocky formation, its jagged edges casting long shadows in the dimming light. The lead figure’s words echoed in my mind, heavy with unanswered questions.

You are an anomaly. The path is not yours to walk.

“What do you think they meant?” Ryla asked, breaking the silence as she fell into step beside me.

“They’re not fans of Ash. That much is obvious,” Farron said, his usual sarcasm tinged with unease. “But why? What makes you different from anyone else the Nexuses could’ve chosen?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, gripping the dagger tighter. The faint hum of Nexus Resonance pulsed faintly through the blade, its presence both comforting and unnerving. “But it’s not just about me. The Echoed said the barrier weakens, and whatever Ecclesion is doing is making it worse.”

Jessa glanced over her shoulder, her sharp eyes scanning the horizon. “Then we focus on what we do know. Ecclesion’s working with something—or someone—they don’t fully understand. If they break this barrier, it won’t just be their problem. It’ll be everyone’s.”

The idea of a barrier holding back some greater threat made sense in theory, but the vagueness of it gnawed at me. The Echoed’s warnings had been cryptic, and the traveler’s words hadn’t been much better.

I clenched my fists, frustration bubbling under the surface. “If the Nexuses are connected, then we’ll figure it out at the next one. Every step we take gets us closer to understanding what’s really going on.”

“And closer to whatever the Echoed and Ecclesion are trying to stop—or unleash,” Orin said grimly.

We pressed on, the faint glow of the setting sun painting the sky in streaks of orange and crimson. The landscape shifted as we moved further south, the rolling plains giving way to patches of dense forest and uneven terrain.

Ryla stopped suddenly, holding up a hand. “Tracks,” she said, crouching near the ground.

I moved closer, kneeling beside her as she pointed to the faint impressions in the dirt. They were deep and uneven, the kind left by armored boots.

“Ecclesion?” Jessa asked, her tone sharp.

Ryla nodded. “A small group. Maybe scouts. They’re heading in the same direction we are.”

Farron groaned softly. “Great. More friends to play with. Can’t wait.”

“We follow them,” I said. “If Ecclesion has a lead on the next Nexus, we need to know what they’re planning.”

Jessa nodded, her jaw tight. “Keep it quiet. If they spot us, we lose our advantage.”

We moved cautiously, our steps muffled by the soft earth and the cover of the trees. The tracks wound deeper into the forest, the trail growing more erratic as the terrain became rougher.

Ryla signaled for us to stop, her hand resting on her bow. “They’re close,” she whispered.

The faint sound of voices reached us, carried on the wind. We crept forward, staying low as the forest thinned, revealing a clearing ahead.

A small group of Ecclesion soldiers stood near a campfire, their golden armor gleaming faintly in the fading light. There were five of them, each armed and alert, their movements efficient but tense.

“They’re not here by accident,” Orin muttered, his blade already in hand.

“They’re scouting,” Jessa said. “Probably looking for the next Nexus.”

“What do we do?” Farron asked. “Sneak around them, or...?”

Before I could answer, one of the soldiers stepped away from the group, holding a glowing crystal in his hand. The energy from the crystal was faint but familiar, its hum sending a prickle of recognition through me.

“That’s Nexus energy,” I whispered.

“They’re tracking it,” Jessa said, her voice sharp. “They have a way to find the next site.”

“Then we can’t let them leave,” Ryla said.

I nodded, gripping the dagger tightly. “We take them out. Quickly and quietly.”

The plan unfolded in moments. Ryla and Farron took up positions in the trees, their bows drawn and ready. Orin and Jessa moved to flank the group, their blades glinting faintly in the dim light.

I activated Shadow Veil, the familiar hum cloaking me in darkness as I crept closer to the camp.

The first arrow flew, striking one of the soldiers in the neck before he could react. The second arrow followed, hitting another squarely in the chest.

Chaos erupted as the remaining soldiers scrambled for their weapons, their shouts cutting through the stillness of the forest.

I moved like a shadow, the dagger finding its mark in the back of a soldier’s armor. The hum of Resonance Strike flared briefly, the energy tearing through the steel as he collapsed.

Jessa and Orin engaged the last two, their blades flashing in the firelight. The soldiers were skilled, but their movements were defensive, unprepared for an ambush.

Within moments, it was over.

We stood in the clearing, the soldiers’ bodies slumped around the extinguished campfire. The glow of the crystal still pulsed faintly in the fallen soldier’s hand, its energy drawing my attention like a beacon.

“What is it?” Jessa asked, stepping beside me.

I knelt, carefully picking up the crystal. The energy within it was faint but unmistakable—a fragment of the Nexus, humming with residual power.

“They’re using this to track the Nexuses,” I said, holding it up. “If we can figure out how it works, it’ll lead us to the next site.”

“And Ecclesion’s next move,” Ryla added.

Farron glanced at the bodies, his expression uneasy. “So what now? We play scavenger and hope this thing doesn’t blow up in our faces?”

“It’s not just about finding the next Nexus,” I said, my voice firm. “It’s about getting there first. If Ecclesion finds it before we do, they’ll make sure we never have a chance to stop them.”

Jessa nodded, her gaze hard. “Then we don’t waste time. We move now.”

As we left the clearing, the weight of the crystal in my hand felt heavier than its size should have allowed.

The Echoed. The traveler. The barrier.

All of it pointed toward something larger, something I couldn’t yet see.

But if this crystal could lead us to the answers, then I was willing to follow it—no matter where it took us.

The forest closed in around us, the faint hum of the crystal our only guide.

And in the growing darkness, I felt the shadows of the path ahead deepen, stretching toward a truth none of us were ready to face.