The winds howled across the desolate plains of the Forgotten Expanse, a lifeless stretch of land untouched by the elemental balance the Guardians had fought so hard to restore. Here, the earth was barren, the air stale, and the skies perpetually cloaked in a muted gray. In the heart of this wasteland stood an ancient, crumbling temple—a remnant of a time before the elements were divided, when unity reigned and darkness dared not tread.
But now, the darkness had returned.
Within the temple’s crumbling walls, faint whispers echoed, growing louder as if summoned by an unseen force. A shadow moved across the cracked stone floor, its form amorphous yet unnervingly human. It paused before a pedestal carved from obsidian, where a faintly glowing shard of black crystal pulsed with unnatural energy.
A voice emerged from the shadow, low and venomous. “You think you’ve won. You’ve merely delayed the inevitable.”
The crystal’s light flared, casting eerie shadows across the room. The figure stepped closer, its features flickering between light and dark. The whispers grew more insistent, their dissonant tones converging into words.
“They are young, untested. Their bonds are new and fragile. The balance is... vulnerable.”
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The shadow’s form began to solidify, revealing the faint outline of a man. His eyes burned with an unearthly light, his hands crackling with energy stolen from the very elements themselves. “Let them have their peace,” he murmured, a sinister smile spreading across his face. “For soon, I will remind the world what true power looks like.”
The man extended a hand toward the crystal, and with a burst of dark energy, the temple trembled. Cracks spread across the walls, and the ground beneath him began to shift. From the fissures rose black tendrils of smoke, coiling and writhing as if alive. The whispers became a deafening roar.
The man closed his eyes, letting the power flow through him. “Sarlon thought she could bury her mistakes. But I am no ghost of the past—I am the reckoning she feared.”
With a final surge of energy, the crystal shattered, its shards dissolving into the air. The temple crumbled, the shadowy figure vanishing into the darkness as the whispers faded into silence.
Far away, in the elemental realm of Fire, Amaya awoke with a start. Her heart pounded as the faint echo of the whispers lingered in her mind. She clutched her necklace, the crimson stone warm against her palm. The flame within flickered uneasily.
Something was wrong.
And it was only the beginning.