The Shifting Expanse lay quiet in the aftermath of the storm. The air, once alive with whispers and howling winds, was now still. Each step the group took seemed to echo in the silence as they moved away from the battle’s site, their breaths heavy with exhaustion but their spirits resolute.

Cassia walked near the front, the newly acquired shard nestled in her pouch. Its energy was faint now, subdued by her touch. She still felt its presence, a subtle hum in the back of her mind. Beside her, Kaelen walked in quiet thought, their eyes scanning the desert as if anticipating the next threat.

“So, what happens now?” Asterion asked, breaking the silence. He had been unusually quiet since the battle, his normally sharp gaze softened. “That thing nearly killed us. Are we going to keep finding shards and fighting guardians until we’re all…”

“We knew this wouldn’t be easy,” Alaric interrupted, his tone firm. “The Veil’s fragments aren’t going to surrender themselves without a fight. We’ve made it this far because we’ve worked together. That’s how we’ll keep going.”

Kaelen nodded, their voice calm. “Alaric’s right. Every shard we collect brings us closer to restoring the Veil. But the Tempest Warden was just one of many trials. We’ll need to prepare for worse.”

“I’m starting to hate the word ‘worse,’” Asterion muttered, though a faint smile touched his lips.

As they pressed on, the terrain began to change. The shifting sands of the desert gave way to a hardened expanse of cracked, glass-like rock. Strange patterns etched themselves across the ground, glowing faintly in the dimming sunlight. It was as though the desert itself bore scars of ancient battles.

Cassia slowed her pace, her eyes drawn to the patterns. “These markings… they feel familiar,” she said, her voice tinged with curiosity. “Kaelen, do you know what they are?”

Kaelen knelt to inspect the markings. “These are remnants of Veil energy,” they explained. “When the Veil collapsed, its fragments left imprints on the world. This area must have been a focal point for its power. Be careful—the energy here could be unstable.”

“Unstable how?” Alaric asked, his hand instinctively moving to the hilt of his sword.

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Kaelen glanced up, their expression serious. “It could manifest in unpredictable ways. Illusions, traps, even echoes of the past.”

The group exchanged uneasy glances before continuing. The light began to fade, and the patterns on the ground grew brighter, casting an eerie glow. Shadows danced around them, their shapes shifting and twisting unnaturally.

A sudden flash of light erupted ahead, and the group froze. The glow coalesced into a figure—a translucent image of a woman clad in ancient armor, her eyes glowing with the same faint light as the patterns on the ground.

“Who goes there?” the figure demanded, her voice echoing with authority. Though her form was ghostly, there was no mistaking the power in her presence.

Kaelen stepped forward cautiously. “We mean no harm,” they said, their tone measured. “We’re travelers, seeking to restore the Veil.”

The woman’s gaze swept over them, lingering on Cassia. “You carry a shard,” she said. “Do you know the weight of what you hold? The lives it cost, the worlds it fractured?”

Cassia’s grip tightened on the pouch. “I don’t fully understand it yet,” she admitted. “But I’m trying. We’re trying to fix what’s broken.”

The woman’s expression softened, though sorrow lingered in her eyes. “The Veil’s collapse was no accident,” she said. “It was a choice, a sacrifice to save what could not be protected. Those who seek to restore it must tread carefully. The Veil is as much a curse as it is a blessing.”

“A curse?” Alaric asked, his brow furrowing. “What do you mean?”

“The Veil does not distinguish between the worthy and the unworthy,” the woman replied. “Its power reflects the will of those who wield it. Restore it without understanding its nature, and you risk unleashing a force that could destroy more than it saves.”

Cassia stepped forward, her voice steady. “Then help us understand. If you know so much about the Veil, tell us what we need to do.”

The woman regarded her for a long moment before nodding. “Seek the Hall of Echoes,” she said. “It lies beyond the Expanse, hidden within the mountains of Aether’s Edge. There, you will find answers—and the truth of the Veil’s collapse.”

As she spoke, her form began to fade, the light dimming. “But be warned,” she said, her voice growing faint. “The Hall will test you, as will the forces that guard it. Your journey is far from over.”

With that, the figure vanished, leaving the group in silence. The glow of the patterns on the ground began to fade, and the desert’s stillness returned.

“The Hall of Echoes,” Kaelen said, their voice thoughtful. “If what she said is true, we’ll find more than answers there. We’ll find the next shard.”

“Then we keep moving,” Cassia said, determination shining in her eyes. “No matter what it takes, we’ll finish this.”

The group pressed onward, the distant mountains of Aether’s Edge barely visible on the horizon. Though the path ahead was uncertain, their resolve burned brighter than ever, lighting their way through the encroaching darkness.