eclipsed Fate

Kaito and Lysaria moved swiftly through the dense forest, the silver light of the twin moons guiding their way. The night air was thick with the scent of damp earth and moss, the sound of nocturnal creatures rustling in the underbrush. Every step felt heavier, burdened by the weight of Varian's warning.

"The last crescent," Lysaria murmured, glancing up at the sky. "How much time do we have?"

Kaito followed her gaze. One of the twin moons had already begun to wane, its crescent thinner than before. "Not enough," he said grimly. "We need to keep moving."

As they pushed forward, the forest grew darker, the trees towering like silent sentinels. Strange whispers drifted through the air, voices just beyond recognition. The deeper they went, the more reality itself seemed to waver. The world felt stretched, like it was shifting between moments, teetering on the edge of something unnatural.

Lysaria tensed. "Do you hear that?"

Kaito nodded. "We're not alone."

From the shadows ahead, figures began to emerge. Not soldiers. Not beasts. But echoes—faint, translucent specters of people long gone. Their hollow eyes shimmered with ghostly light as they turned toward Kaito and Lysaria, their mouths moving in silent cries.

Lysaria gripped his arm. "What are they?"

Kaito's heartbeat quickened. He had seen many horrors since falling into this cycle, but this was new. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I don't think they want us here."

One of the echoes reached toward him, its form distorting like ripples in water. The moment its fingers brushed his skin, a vision slammed into Kaito's mind.

Flashes of a ruined kingdom. A sky burning red. A throne shattered into pieces. And a name whispered in the wind—a name he had never heard before but somehow recognized.

A searing pain shot through his skull, and Kaito staggered back, gasping for breath. The vision faded, but its weight remained heavy on his chest. Lysaria steadied him, concern flickering in her gaze.

"What did you see?" she asked.

Kaito swallowed hard. "The kingdom… it wasn't just lost. It was erased."

The echoes began to wail, their cries reverberating through the trees. The air itself trembled as the specters swarmed closer, their translucent forms flickering in and out of existence.

Lysaria pulled him forward. "We have to go. Now."

Kaito forced himself to move, his legs sluggish as if the vision had drained something from him. As they ran, the echoes followed, their cries growing louder, their outstretched hands reaching for something neither of them could yet understand.

And behind them, deep in the heart of the forest, something else stirred.