The spectral figures made no move to answer Ebonheim, their ghostly robes rustling as though touched by an unfelt wind. Their silence, punctuated only by the distant roar of the waterfall, heightened the anticipation in the cavern, making Ebonheim feel like an intruder in a hallowed sanctuary.

Then, as if in response to a signal Ebonheim could not see or hear, one of the figures floated forward, a hazy form emerging from the collective. It glided towards Ebonheim and stopped just before her. Ebonheim stepped back but slipped on the slippery surface of the pond, landing on her behind with an audible splash.

She stared up at the apparition in front of her as she attempted to get back to her feet, her gaze lingering on its featureless face that seemed to be made of starlight and shadow.

"Greetings, great goddess," the figure said, its voice echoing like a murmur through a valley, filling the chamber with an eerie resonance.

Ebonheim gave the figure a stiff nod in acknowledgment but remained silent as she adjusted her sodden dress. "Um...hello," she said. "And how do you know that I'm a goddess?"

"You bear the divine spark within you," the figure replied as the others moved to gather behind it. "It is faint—your essence still in its infancy—yet you are certainly no mortal."

Ebonheim gave them all a quick glance and rubbed her arm sheepishly. "That's... true," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I am Ebonheim, a goddess of the village called Ebonheim."

Silence filled the chamber again as the figure stared at Ebonheim with its hazy gaze. "Ebonheim..." the figure repeated slowly, the others echoed in its wake. "Fate has been generous to us, then, to hear it spoken once more."

Ebonheim shifted on her feet. "Do you know me?" she asked, peering into the featureless face of the figure before her. "Am I supposed to know you?" What did it mean? They'd heard my name spoken before?

The figure said nothing for a moment, floating on the surface of the water as the others murmured. Then, slowly, as if reluctantly, it nodded. "We've known of your coming, but that does not mean you remember us," the figure said quietly, its voice no longer echoing. "That is well—it was not meant to be."

Ebonheim blinked at the figure. "Okay..." she said slowly. These figures seemed oddly cryptic. What were they talking about? "I'm sorry, I'm a little confused...Who or what exactly are you all?"

The spectral figures seemed to regard each other before turning their gazes to Ebonheim once more. "We have no name," one of the figures said, its voice almost inaudible, "save for the title our founder bestowed upon us."

Huh. That was a bit odd. They had no name except the title they'd been given? That didn't exactly give her a lot of information to work with. Maybe they were just being secretive, but at least they weren't being hostile. Yet.

She thought for a moment, then remembered what Elmsworth had mentioned to her about the ones that created the Elemental Keystone. "Are you Ancients that created the Keystone?"

The figures seemed to shift at her question, their gazes dimming slightly. "We are...simply its guardians."

Ebonheim tilted her head as she watched them. "Guardians?" she repeated with a frown. "You're the ones that keep watch over this place, then?"

One of the figures drifted closer to Ebonheim, its features hidden beneath its hood. "We have guarded the Elemental Keystone since its inception, great goddess, and we will continue to do so until one with privileged access to its power arrives to claim it."

Her gaze lingered on the figure for a moment before shifting to the crystal hovering over the pool of water, its glittering surface reflecting her features. It sounded like she needed to prove herself worthy of using the Keystone, but how long would that take? What if she wasn't qualified? If they were its guardians, would she have to defeat them as part of some trial? She didn't have time for that.

"There's a lot going on in this valley right now," she muttered. "I really need to use that Keystone, so...how will you know if I'm worthy?"

Silence met her question for a moment, the only sound filling the chamber being the distant roar of the waterfall. Then, one of the figures spoke up, its voice once again echoing through the cavern. "Our dialogue is proof of your worth," it said. "We were tasked to guide you by the creator of the Keystone itself. Any others would have met their end before coming within arms reach of the Elemental Keystone."

Ebonheim sighed in relief, giving the figure a sheepish smile. "That's comforting. I was afraid that you guys would end up getting in my way. Oh! Not that I would want to fight you, but I get what you mean."

The figure drifted closer to her and tilted its head slightly, making a vague sound like a chuckle in the back of its throat. Before she could ask further questions, one of the other figures drifted closer to the crystal and gazed at it with its indistinct face. "A great undertaking lies before you, great goddess," it said, its voice muffled and hushed as though speaking from underwater.

The hooded figures moved again, shifting in place as if anticipating some kind of response from her. "You seek to realign the elemental planes," one of them said, its voice echoing through the chamber.

She nodded in response. "Yes. There's an unnatural storm occurring and I have to realign the planes to stop it. An Ent named Elmsworth said that the storm is caused by an Elemental Conflux. Do you know of it?"

"The Conflux... a grave predicament indeed," the figure to the right of the first murmured with its ethereal voice. "Such alignments of the planes have caused cataclysms in past epochs, upending the equilibrium and allowing elementals to encroach upon your realm."

Ebonheim nodded again, her expression grim as she watched the hooded figures in front of her. "If you don't mind," she began, raising her arms into the air in a gesture of peace, "can you tell me how to align the planes? What do I do with the Elemental Keystone?"

The central figure, who had remained silent thus far, moved to stand in front of the large crystal before responding to Ebonheim's query. "The Keystone is a conduit, a gateway, and a seal. It is the fulcrum upon which the Elemental Planes find their balance."

It waved its ethereal hand over the hovering crystal. In response, the Keystone shone brighter, its pulsing light reflecting off the still pool beneath it, casting dancing shadows on the cavern walls.

"To wield it, you must understand it. Each facet of the Keystone represents a plane - Fire, Water, Earth, and Air," the figure continued. "The planes now bleed into your realm due to the Conflux, causing upheaval. The Keystone must be used to realign them, to seal the rift that has opened."

"How?" Ebonheim asked, her gaze fixed on the now luminescent crystal. Her mind buzzed with questions, but she chose to focus on the Keystone for now. "How do I do that?"

The spectral figure that had first spoken moved forward, reaching its hand out towards Ebonheim. "It is a task that requires both power and knowledge, goddess Ebonheim. Are you prepared for what is to come?"

Ebonheim swallowed hard, her gaze shifting from the crystal to the spectral figures before her. Somehow, the trial she had to go through to save Aelindra came to mind. Power, she probably had enough of—but knowledge was something she was still lacking in. Despite increasing her Intelligence stat and spending time under Engin's tutelage, she was still rather ignorant about the world at large.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

But she had an important task to accomplish. She straightened her back and met the apparition's gaze. "Yes," she replied, her tone resolute. "I need to realign the planes—to save my village."

The figures nodded approvingly. Then, the central figure, with a wave of its hand, began to weave an intricate pattern of light in the air. "Watch closely, goddess Ebonheim," it intoned. "The fate of the valley rests in your hands."

And as Ebonheim watched, the glow from the spectral figure's hand grew brighter, the pattern more intricate, until the air was filled with a mesmerizing dance of luminosity and shadow. The light pulsed and moved, shaping itself into an elaborate diagram in front of the spectral figure. It was a representation of the Prime Elemental Planes, four interlocking circles with the Keystone in the center.

"Each plane is a world unto itself," the spectral figure said, gesturing to the four circles. "The Conflux is the result of their alignment, a powerful gravitational pull that disrupts the equilibrium."

Ebonheim watched as the circles began to overlap, the center growing chaotic and vibrant with fluctuating energy. The spectral figure continued, "The Keystone serves as an anchor, keeping the planes separate. It absorbs the energies of the Conflux, preventing them from spilling into your realm."

"But when the Conflux is too powerful, the Keystone cannot hold the planes apart," a different spectral figure added. Its voice was soft like the whisper of a gentle breeze. "The planes bleed into each other, and your world becomes a stage for elemental chaos."

Ebonheim's eyes moved back to the diagram, the overlapping circles pulsating with a disconcerting intensity. She imagined the world consumed by fires that would not quench, storms that would not abate, earths that moved of their own accord, and winds that cut like blades.

"But the Keystone was created to prevent such a catastrophe," the third figure interjected, its voice raspy and low as though spoken from the bottom of a well. "It has the ability to reset the alignment and seal the rift between the planes. The Conflux ends, and the chaos with it."

"How do I activate it?" Ebonheim asked.

"At the origin point of the Conflux, the Keystone needs to absorb the essence of each element to realign the planes," the figure continued. "Each facet must be charged with its corresponding elemental energy."

The spectral figure waved its hand, and the diagram changed. Each circle now had a bright point that corresponded to a facet on the Keystone.

Ebonheim bit her lip, her gaze intensely focused on the diagram. "How do I charge the facets?"

The first spectral figure spoke again. "With a ritual. A sacred Arcane ritual that binds the energies of the Elements to the Keystone. A ritual we will teach you."

The other figures stepped back, and the first figure moved to the center, its form becoming even more ethereal, shimmering in the light from the Keystone. Its hands began to move, weaving an intricate dance in the air as it began to chant in a language older than the Eldergrove itself.

Ebonheim watched in silence, committing each movement, each syllable to memory. As she watched, she felt the quintessence within her begin to stir, as though awakening after slumbering for ages.

The spectral figure's voice echoed off the cavern walls, filling the chamber with its reverberating chant. The other figures joined in the chant, their voices harmonizing and amplifying until the whole chamber vibrated with their unified song.

As the last word of the chant echoed into silence, the central figure lowered its hands, and the spectral light slowly dissipated, leaving only the glow of the Elemental Keystone. The diagram of the planes evaporated, and the figure turned its gaze back to Ebonheim.

"Remember the ritual, goddess Ebonheim," the ancient intoned. "Perform it correctly, and the Elemental Keystone will absorb the disruptive energies, severing the connection with the elemental planes, and returning stability to your realm."

Ebonheim nodded, her throat dry. She replayed their chants and movements over in her mind and repeated them slowly to commit them to memory. The spectral figures watched her, as though gauging her reaction, until Ebonheim finally straightened and turned to face them with a decisive nod.

"I got it," she said, her voice firm and confident. Still, she couldn't help but bite her lip as her brow furrowed in worry. "But what if I fail?"

The first figure answered, its voice a mere whisper in the cavern. "Then your world will be subjected to the whims of the elements until the Conflux ends naturally... If it ends at all."

Ebonheim took a deep breath, steeling herself. The stakes were even higher than she had first thought. Failure was not an option.

"But you will not fail," the second figure said with a somber voice, as if sensing her thoughts. "You are Ebonheim, the goddess of this world. This time...and always."

With a final nod from the spectral figures, they began to fade, their forms growing less distinct. The figures were gone as swiftly as they had appeared, leaving Ebonheim alone with the Elemental Keystone.

Their last words lingered in her mind, though she didn't bother to dwell on them.

After taking a deep breath, Ebonheim waded through the water and approached the Keystone, its radiant glow casting long shadows in the cavern. The crystal floated just above the surface of the still pond.

Ebonheim reached out, her hand coming to rest on its shimmering surface. It hummed under her fingertips, the energy pulsating through it resonating with the quintessence within her.

The crystal began to splinter into tiny fragments that flowed into her hand, filling her with a rush of elemental energies that permeated through every fiber of her being. An intoxicating sensation washed over her, drowning out everything in her senses as a flood of powerful new abilities flooded into her mind.

[You have acquired the legendary artifact ‘Elemental Keystone']

[500 Quintessence has been subtracted from your total in order to bond with the artifact]

[Quintessence] 1822/16000 -> 1322/16000

[Name] Elemental Keystone

[Item Type] Legendary Artifact

[Apperance] The Elemental Keystone is a large, multifaceted crystal of resplendent design, standing about two feet tall and one foot wide. The crystal boasts a myriad of colors, each facet flickering with hues that correspond to one of the elemental planes - azure for water, ember-red for fire, stone-grey for earth, and zephyr-white for air.

[Effects] The Elemental Keystone has two primary effects:

When absorbed into the user, it grants the following bonuses: +10 INT, +10 RES, +5 PER, +200 Health, +200 Essence, +32 Arcane/Divine Defense vs Fire/Cold/Kinetic/Electric Damage, +5% Crit Chance.

When not absorbed, the Elemental Keystone can be activated to manipulate the alignment of the elemental planes and mend any tears in the fabric of their connection to the mortal world. It has the power to absorb and redirect elemental energies, effectively dispelling any elemental anomalies or infestations from the world.

[Prerequisites] Activating the Keystone requires knowledge of an ancient arcane ritual, known only to a select few. If the ritual is conducted correctly, the Elemental Keystone pulses with energy and projects an ethereal light that is capable of drawing elementals towards it before sending them back to their respective planes.

[Durability] The Elemental Keystone is indestructible under normal conditions. However, its power can be depleted if used excessively, requiring a period of recharge that varies depending on the severity of the elemental disruptions it has resolved.

[You have acquired a Legendary Ability ‘Elemental Admixture’ (granted by the Elemental Keystone)]

[Name] Elemental Admixture (Rank I)

[Description] Elemental Admixture allows the user to temporarily harness and combine the raw energies of the elemental planes, forging them into a unique, mixed-element ability. This ability presents itself differently for each user, depending on their individual connection with the elements and their personal skills and attributes. The Elemental Keystone allows the user to cycle between these abilities, although they can only harness one at a time.

[Starting Abilities]

Flamegale Slash (Fire + Air): The user conjures a blade of roaring fire wrapped in a whirlwind, launching a ferocious aerial attack on their enemies. This attack inflicts 30-40 fire damage while also tossing enemies into the air, disorienting them. Cost: 10 Essence

Stoneflood Wave (Earth + Water): The user slams the ground, causing a wave of rock-hard water to erupt from the earth and surge forward, damaging and knocking back enemies in its path. This attack deals 20-30 kinetic and 20-30 cold damage and has a high chance of causing enemies to lose their balance. Cost: 10 Essence

Fiery Lightning Quake (Air + Fire + Earth): The user smashes the ground, creating a fiery earthquake that sends electrically charged fissures towards their enemies. This attack deals a combination of 20-30 fire, 20-30 kinetic, and 20-30 electric damage and may cause enemies to become paralyzed. Cost: 15 Essence

Frostwind Gust (Air + Water): The user conjures a chilling wind that envelops enemies in a blizzard. This attack inflicts 30-40 cold damage and slows down enemies, reducing their attack and movement speed. Cost: 10 Essence

[Limitations] Each admixture ability comes with a cooldown period. The exact duration of the cooldown period varies depending on the consecutive use of each other ability.

Ebonheim closed her eyes and let out a long, deep breath, releasing all thoughts and emotions as she let the new powers settle into her. Then, with a snap, she opened her eyes and stepped out of the pond, her body glowing with an ethereal light as the powers within her stirred to life.

A long moment of silence hung over the cavern before she turned to face the exit. A thin smile played on her lips. "Time to save my village."