Chapter 60: Whispers from the Rift
The glow from the Cradle faded behind them as Elias, Sera, Kael, and Arin emerged into the open — not a cavern this time, but a vast open rift stretching beneath the surface. Jagged cliffs surrounded them on all sides, and at the center of the chasm stood a spiraling tower of black stone, rising like a wound against the sky.
The wind howled through the rift, sharp and cold.
Kael stared at the tower in the distance. "That's the place from my vision… I'm sure of it."
Elias nodded. The pendant he received at the Cradle still pulsed faintly around his neck, like it was drawn toward something unseen.
They had barely stepped forward when the ground beneath them shuddered.
Crack…
A fissure opened behind them — and from the shadows crawled things that didn't belong to this world.
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Shades of the Rift
They looked like silhouettes — humans without features, bodies composed of smoke and darkness. Their fingers elongated into claws, and from where eyes should've been, pale blue light glowed.
"They're not Echoborn," Arin said, drawing his radiant chains. "They're something else…"
"They're corrupted," Sera muttered. "Twisted by something ancient."
The first shade lunged.
Elias met it with his blade, but it passed through — reforming instantly behind him. Arin whipped his chains, grabbing it mid-air and pinning it to the rocks.
Kael focused, a wave of force exploding from his palm — scattering the creatures for a moment.
"They don't die," he said, breathless. "We can't fight like this."
"We don't have to," Elias said. "Just reach the bridge — move!"
They sprinted toward the narrow stone path leading to the tower. The shades followed like a storm.
The path crumbled behind them with every step, but just as the last piece gave way, Elias leapt forward, pulling Kael with him. The others made it across — just barely.
The shades stopped at the edge.
Watching.
Waiting.
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The Tower's Guardian
The door at the base of the spire opened without touch. Inside was dark — darker than the rift itself.
They entered.
The moment they stepped in, torches flared to life with pale blue flame. Ancient symbols lined the walls — some of which matched the ones on their marks.
"This is… familiar," Elias whispered.
Then the air shifted.
At the center of the chamber stood a figure — unmoving, draped in white robes. A mask covered its face, and its hands were wrapped in golden thread.
"I am the Keeper of the Rift," it said without moving. "You have touched the Echo. The Cradle has accepted you. But the path ahead is not yet open."
Sera stepped forward. "We've come for the relic. The truth."
The Keeper turned its masked face toward her. "Then you must confront the first Guardian — the one who betrayed the Balance. The Harrowed King."
The room darkened.
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A Vision of the Past
Light exploded around them — not from the room, but from within their minds.
A city of silver towers burning.
A king, cloaked in gold, raising a relic above his head.
A scream — not of pain, but betrayal.
The world cracked.
"The Harrowed King sought to claim all Echoes for himself," the Keeper's voice echoed. "He tore the world open. And he left a scar."
Elias clutched his head as images flooded him.
A girl with white hair.
A battlefield.
His own face — older, bloodied, shouting a name he couldn't remember.
When the vision faded, he dropped to one knee.
"Why show us this?" Kael asked, dazed.
"Because he lives again," the Keeper said. "And he seeks the same relic you do."
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The First Map
From the base of the spire, a platform rose, holding a circular stone disk inscribed with shifting runes.
"Three seals protect the relic," the Keeper explained. "One lies beyond the forest of dead time. One within the stormless sea. One deep beneath the sleeping city."
The disk glowed, embedding itself into Elias's mark.
"You must awaken all three. Only then can the relic be reclaimed."
The tower rumbled.
The Keeper vanished.
And behind the wall, a new passage opened — leading upward, toward the surface.
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A Moment Beneath the Stars
That night, they camped on a high ledge overlooking the Rift. Stars pierced the night sky, the moon hanging impossibly large above them.
Elias sat apart from the others, staring at his pendant.
Sera joined him. "You saw something… in that vision, didn't you?"
He nodded. "A girl. White hair. She said my name… but I don't remember her."
Sera hesitated. "Maybe the past is calling us back for a reason."
"Or maybe it's warning us."
Behind them, Kael and Arin bickered quietly — about firewood, of all things.
It was strangely comforting.
But in Elias's heart, something stirred.
A whisper from the Rift.
"Your name was not always Elias…"
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