The morning sun rose sluggishly over the horizon, casting a pale light over the dense forest that surrounded the group. Every muscle in Lia’s body ached as if time itself had worn her down to the bone. She leaned against a nearby tree, watching the morning mist swirl around their campsite. The creatures were gone—for now—but she couldn’t shake the sensation that they were still being watched, stalked by something far greater and more menacing.

Kellan and Arren sat nearby, quietly tending to the remains of the fire. Their faces were gaunt, marked by exhaustion and the weight of their last battle. Lia noticed Kellan's injured arm, still wrapped in bloodied cloth, and guilt gnawed at her. They had been fighting for their lives since the moment they stepped into this forsaken wilderness, and she knew it was only going to get worse.

"How’s the arm?" Lia asked softly, breaking the silence.

Kellan looked up, giving her a faint smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "I’ve had worse," he replied, though his wince betrayed him as he adjusted the bandage.

Arren, ever the pragmatist, remained focused on sharpening his blades. "We need to keep moving," he said without looking up. "The creatures aren’t going to give up just because we survived the night."

Lia nodded, but something kept her from moving right away. She stared down at the keystone in her hand, feeling its strange pulse beneath her fingers. The stone was becoming more unpredictable, more alive, almost as if it were a living thing that fed on the chaos around them. Each time she used it, the energy inside felt wilder, less controllable. And the toll it took on her mind and body was increasing with each use.

"We need answers," Lia said at last. "We can’t keep running without knowing what’s really going on. There has to be a way to figure out who’s controlling these creatures and why they’re after the keystone."

Arren sheathed his blade and finally met her gaze. "You’re right, but where do we even start? Every time we get close to something, another threat shows up. If we keep chasing shadows, we’re going to get ourselves killed."

Kellan, despite his injury, pushed himself to his feet and dusted off his cloak. "There’s one place we haven’t looked," he said, his tone heavy with implication. "The ruins."

Lia blinked. "The ruins? You mean the old city that was swallowed by the forest?"

Kellan nodded grimly. "It’s dangerous, but it’s the only lead we have left. The old city was said to have been home to the ancient scholars who knew about the fractures in time. If there’s any information left about the keystone, or about what’s been happening, it’ll be there."

Arren snorted. "If the creatures don’t kill us first."

Lia stood, her legs unsteady beneath her, but she knew Kellan was right. "Then that’s where we go," she said. "The longer we wait, the more the fractures will grow. The more dangerous this world becomes."

The trio packed up their belongings and set out once more, the forest around them dense and oppressive. The air was thick with tension, each rustling leaf making their nerves jump. Lia could feel the keystone growing colder in her hand as they walked, as if reacting to the change in the atmosphere. It wasn’t long before the trees began to thin, revealing glimpses of crumbling stone structures in the distance.

The ruins of the old city were a haunting sight. Vines and moss crept over what remained of the stone buildings, and the ground was littered with broken statues and weathered inscriptions. The air felt heavy with centuries of forgotten history, and the silence was eerie, as if the very fabric of time had been stretched thin in this place.

"This is it," Kellan said, his voice low. "Whatever we’re looking for, it’s here."

Lia felt a chill run down her spine as they crossed the threshold into the heart of the ruins. The keystone pulsed in her hand, almost like it was alive—hungry. She tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the task at hand. There had to be something here that could explain the fractures, the creatures, and why they were being hunted.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

The group moved cautiously through the crumbling streets, their footsteps echoing off the ancient walls. They passed what looked like an old marketplace, long abandoned and overgrown with weeds. Lia’s eyes scanned the area, looking for any sign of a library or a temple, some place where knowledge might still be hidden.

"It’s too quiet," Arren muttered under his breath, his hand hovering near his weapon. "I don’t like it."

Neither did Lia. The stillness of the place felt unnatural, as if the city itself were holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. And then she saw it—a massive stone archway, half-collapsed but still standing, at the end of the street. Carved into the archway were symbols she didn’t recognize, but they pulsed faintly with a light that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

"Over there," she whispered, pointing toward the archway. "That looks like our best chance."

They approached the archway cautiously, their every sense on high alert. As they passed beneath the ancient stone, the temperature seemed to drop, and the light around them dimmed, as if they had stepped into another world entirely. The keystone thrummed more intensely now, reacting to the energy in the air.

Beyond the archway was a massive chamber, its walls lined with shelves that had long since collapsed under the weight of time. Scrolls and books lay scattered across the floor, their pages brittle and unreadable. But at the center of the room was something that made Lia’s heart skip a beat—a pedestal, on which rested a second keystone, glowing faintly with the same eerie light as her own.

Kellan took a step forward, but Lia grabbed his arm. "Wait," she said, her voice tight with caution. "This doesn’t feel right."

Arren crouched down, examining the floor around the pedestal. "There’s something off about this place," he said. "Look at the patterns on the ground. It’s like a trap… or a seal."

Lia’s eyes followed the lines etched into the stone floor, forming intricate designs that spiraled outward from the pedestal. They pulsed faintly, just like the keystone. "It’s a containment," she realized, her breath catching in her throat. "This isn’t just another keystone. It’s been sealed here for a reason."

Kellan frowned. "Sealed against what?"

Before Lia could answer, the ground beneath them rumbled, and the chamber seemed to come alive with an ancient power. The keystone on the pedestal flared brightly, casting the room in a harsh white light. And then, with a deafening crack, the seal broke.

A force unlike anything Lia had ever felt surged through the room, knocking them all to the ground. The second keystone shot into the air, spinning wildly as the very fabric of time seemed to warp around it. The fractures that Lia had been sensing, the ones that had been small and barely noticeable before, now tore open in violent bursts, ripping through the air with the sound of shattering glass.

"Get back!" Lia screamed, but it was too late. The fractures expanded rapidly, engulfing the chamber in chaos.

Through the cracks in reality, Lia saw glimpses of other worlds, other times. Battles long past, cities that had yet to be built, futures where everything had been destroyed. The sheer scale of it overwhelmed her senses, and for a moment, she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Time itself was unraveling before her eyes.

Kellan grabbed her arm, pulling her back to her feet. "We need to close it!" he shouted over the roar of the fractures. "Whatever you did, you have to reverse it!"

Lia’s mind raced. How could she reverse this? She had no control over what was happening, no understanding of the power that had been unleashed. The keystone in her hand pulsed wildly, feeding off the chaos, but it wasn’t enough. She needed more.

Without thinking, she reached out toward the second keystone, now floating in the center of the room, caught in the eye of the storm. If she could combine their power, maybe—just maybe—she could close the fractures before they consumed everything.

With a deep breath, Lia focused all her energy on the keystones, feeling the flow of time bend and twist around her. The fractures screamed in protest, but she pushed harder, pulling the two stones together with the force of her will.

As the keystones touched, the world around them exploded into light, and for a moment, everything went still. The fractures stopped growing, the roar of chaos faded, and the room was bathed in a warm, golden glow.

But the danger wasn’t over yet. Lia could feel the keystones trembling in her hands, their power unstable. She had only moments before they would tear apart again, and this time, there would be no fixing it.

"Go!" she shouted to Kellan and Arren, her voice hoarse with strain. "Get out of here! I’ll hold it as long as I can!"

Kellan hesitated, his eyes wide with fear. "Lia, you can’t—"

"Go!" she repeated, her body trembling under the weight of the keystones' power. "I’ll find you. Just go!"

Arren didn’t wait. He grabbed Kellan by the arm and dragged him toward the exit, leaving Lia alone in the center of the chamber, the keystones glowing fiercely in her hands.

As the fractures began to close, Lia felt the world around her blur and shift. Time was slipping away, faster than she could hold onto it. But she couldn’t give up now. Not when they were so close to the answers they needed.

With one final surge of energy, Lia forced the keystones together, sealing the fractures once and for all. The room went dark, and the power in her hands faded.

But as the world returned to silence, Lia collapsed to the ground, unconscious.