The chamber blazed with unearthly light, the clash of magic illuminating the jagged walls in bursts of blue and gold. Rannah and Hannah stood at the center of the chaos, their bodies taut with the strain of containing the shards’ power. The guardians closed in, their cloaked forms phasing in and out of solidity, the air around them rippling with menace.
Rannah tightened her grip on the shards, feeling their energies surge through her veins like molten fire. “Hannah, cover me!” she shouted, her voice barely audible over the deafening roar of magic colliding with shadow.
Hannah, her bow still drawn, fired a volley of arrows toward the advancing guardians. Each arrow shimmered with an enchantment, slowing the beings just enough to buy Rannah the time she needed.
“Don’t take all day!” Hannah yelled, her voice edged with both frustration and fear.
Rannah ignored her, focusing instead on the shard atop the pedestal. Its light pulsed in sync with the shards she held, as though it was calling to them. She reached out, the shards in her hands glowing brighter with each step closer to the pedestal.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled violently. Cracks splintered across the chamber floor, and a deep, guttural voice echoed through the space, reverberating in their very bones.
“You dare disturb the balance?”
The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, a disembodied force that carried with it an overwhelming sense of ancient authority. The guardians froze in place, their glowing eyes fixed on the sisters.
Hannah’s eyes darted around the chamber. “Please tell me that’s not who I think it is.”
Rannah’s heart sank. She had read about this voice in the forbidden texts, whispered about in legends. “The Keeper,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
From the shadows at the far end of the chamber, a massive figure emerged. It towered over the guardians, its form draped in an intricately woven cloak of midnight black, stitched with threads of silver light. Its face was hidden behind a mask of shimmering obsidian, but the intensity of its presence was undeniable.
“The shards are not yours to claim,” the Keeper said, its voice resonating with a power that seemed to warp reality itself.
Rannah took a step forward, her resolve hardening. “We’re not here to steal them. We’re here to protect them—from those who would abuse their power.”
Rannah seemed not herself anymore. She needed to protect the shards at all cost. That's what must be done. And it must be done!
The Keeper tilted its head slightly, as if considering her words. “And yet, you wield them, disrupting the balance you claim to defend. Do you truly understand what you carry?”
Rannah hesitated, the weight of the question pressing down on her. She glanced at the shards in her hands, their light now flickering as though uncertain. “I... I know they’re part of something larger. Something that could either save or destroy our world.”
The Keeper’s gaze shifted to Hannah, who still held her bow, its string taut. “And you? Do you share your sister’s conviction?”
Hannah lowered her bow slightly but kept her stance defensive. “I don’t know about conviction, but I know we’re not the bad guys here. If we don’t take the shards, someone worse will.”
And they both knew they're right on one thing.
The Keeper was silent for a long moment, the tension in the chamber thick enough to cut with a blade. Finally, it raised a hand, and the shards in Rannah’s grasp flared brightly, their light merging into a single, brilliant beam that connected with the shard on the pedestal.
“The shards are fragments of the Eterna Core,” the Keeper said, its voice solemn. “A power older than the gods, older than time itself. To unite them is to awaken the Core, but doing so comes at a price. The balance of the world will be irrevocably altered.”
Rannah’s breath caught in her throat. “What kind of price?”
The Keeper’s gaze seemed to pierce through her, seeing every fear, every doubt. “The Core does not serve mortals. Its power will either purge the world of all corruption or consume it entirely, leaving nothing but silence.”
Hannah let out a low whistle. “Great. So we’re either saving the world or ending it. No pressure.”
Rannah stepped closer to the pedestal, the shards in her hands trembling with intensity. “If we leave the shards scattered, they’ll fall into the wrong hands. We’ve seen what even one shard can do when corrupted. We can’t let that happen.”
The Keeper remained still, its voice a rumble of distant thunder. “You speak of protection, yet your understanding is incomplete. Will you take responsibility for what follows, no matter the outcome?”
Rannah nodded, her resolve unwavering. “Yes. We will.”
The Keeper raised its hand again, and the shard on the pedestal lifted into the air, hovering between them. The three shards began to spin, their light growing brighter and brighter until the chamber was bathed in blinding radiance.
Hannah shielded her eyes. “Rannah, if this goes sideways, I’m holding you personally responsible!”
The light intensified, and an explosion of energy knocked them both off their feet. When the light faded, the chamber was silent once more.
The pedestal was empty, the three shards now fused into a single, larger fragment. It floated in the air before Rannah, its surface glowing with an otherworldly brilliance.
“The Fragment of Unity,” the Keeper said, its tone softer now. “You have taken the first step. But the journey ahead will test you beyond anything you have faced.”
Rannah reached out, her fingers brushing the shard. It was warm to the touch, its energy coursing through her like a heartbeat. She looked at the Keeper, her voice steady. “We’ll face whatever comes.”
The Keeper inclined its head, a faint glow emanating from its mask. “So be it. The fate of the world rests in your hands, Rannah and Hannah of the North. Do not falter.”
With that, the Keeper and the guardians dissolved into mist, leaving the sisters alone in the chamber.
Hannah exhaled loudly, slumping against the wall. “Well, that was... something.”
Rannah held the Fragment of Unity tightly, its light reflecting in her determined eyes. “This isn’t the end,” she said quietly. “It’s just the beginning.”
And as the sisters stepped out of the chamber and into the freezing winds of the mountains, they knew the Keeper was right. And they must keep their promise or else it is the world's destruction. And the humanity won't be saved.