"What do you think Voss is looking for at the Crystal Chasms?" Kale asked.

Liliana exhaled. "If I had to guess, it's tied to the shards. Voss appears to move with purpose, and Xandria… well, it's not exactly a casual stop on the way to destruction."

Rika glanced at her, frowning. "But what could he possibly want here? The shards? The shard-touched?"

"Power," Namara said simply. "It's always power."

"Power to do what, though?" Sadek asked. "He already works for Xeroth. He's already stronger than most of us could hope to be."

"There's more to Voss than meets the eye," Liliana said, her voice quieter now, as if speaking more to herself than the group. "We know he was—or is—a bladeweaver. And he didn't just learn those skills out of nowhere. From what Ikareia said I guess he fought with Aeloria. Maybe for her. Surely not now, but they were connected once."

Rika glanced at her. "You think he turned on her?"

"Something happened," Liliana said. "Something that severed their bond. Ikareia made it sound like Aeloria was the one that broke it, maybe even betrayed him. But why? Was it ambition? Was he in her way? I don't know. But it's clear he wasn't always the creature we see now. He's tied to all this in ways we don't understand yet."

Namara smiled faintly. "Tortured past, fallen hero, some old drama with the goddess herself. Oh, this just keeps getting juicier."

"Juicy isn't the word I'd use," Sadek muttered. "Whatever his story is, he's dangerous. That much is certain."

Kale's mind churned with the possibilities as they neared the entrance to the chasms. What could turn a bladeweaver—a warrior trained to protect, to uphold the balance—into something like Voss? What could push someone so far into darkness?

"You think we're walking into a trap?" Kale asked.

"Aren't we always?" Rika replied. She rolled her shoulder, adjusting her grip on Guts as Eryxis stalked close beside her.

"Good," Namara said with a grin, flipping her hair over one shoulder. "Maybe we'll finally get some action, then. I mean, not that you guys are boring, but…" She trailed off, giving a playful shrug.

Sadek shot her a flat look. "You might not find it so amusing if that action gets us all killed."

Namara's grin didn't falter. "Oh, please. You're all so dramatic. I've seen enough doom and gloom for one lifetime… well, maybe two. Let me enjoy the foreplay before the carnage starts, will you?"

"Foreplay?" Liliana said, raising an eyebrow. "Is that what you call it?"

"Isn't it?" Namara countered with a wink. "The tension, the build-up, the suspense. It's thrilling."

Rika shook her head. "Namara, I swear…"

"Alright, enough," Kale interrupted. "Let's focus. Whatever's waiting down there, we're dealing with it together. Keep your heads on straight."

The group fell into a cautious silence as they arrived at the entrance to the chasms. The ground beneath their feet seemed to vibrate faintly.

Kale glanced at the others. "Everyone ready?"

They nodded in unison.

The group stepped into the chasms, the air shifting immediately around them, heavier and charged, as though the crystalline walls themselves were alive. The ground beneath their boots transitioned from packed earth to a shimmering surface that looked almost like fractured glass, faint light refracting through countless veins of crystal embedded in the rock.

Kale took in the vast expanse before them. The chasms were not simple crevices—they were labyrinthine, with towering walls that seemed to stretch endlessly upward. Massive crystalline shards jutted from every surface, their sharp edges gleaming like blades caught in an eternal sunrise. Light filtered through the shards in an intricate dance, breaking into cascading rainbows that shifted as they moved.

Some parts of the chasm walls were so polished they looked like mirrors, perfectly reflecting the group's wary expressions and the faint, ghostly image of the shards themselves. The reflections weren't entirely accurate; they seemed to shimmer and distort, as though the shards were showing possibilities rather than truths.

In other places, the shards refracted the light into dazzling patterns that scattered across the ground and walls, turning the chasms into a kaleidoscope of color. The effect was disorienting—beautiful, but almost too much to take in. Every step seemed to alter the interplay of light, creating new patterns and strange shadows that danced along the surfaces.

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The deeper they ventured, the more otherworldly the environment became. Shards protruding from the ground glowed faintly, their inner cores pulsing with an almost heartbeat-like rhythm. The air smelled faintly of ozone and something sweeter, something floral, as if the shards themselves exhaled a breath of life.

Liliana ran her hand along one of the shard walls, her fingers brushing against its cool, smooth surface. "Incredible," she murmured. "It's like the shards are alive."

"They might be," Namara said, her voice uncharacteristically quiet as she gazed at her distorted reflection in one of the mirrored surfaces. Her face looked fractured, almost alien. "Or they're something in between. Not quite alive, not quite dead. Just… here."

Rika slowed her pace, her gaze drawn to a particularly large shard that jutted out of the ground like a frozen wave. She tilted her head, narrowing her eye. "Does anyone else feel like they're being watched?"

Kale glanced around. "Not really. Feels… quiet. Too quiet, maybe."

"Not helpful," Rika muttered, her eye still fixed on the shard.

Kale shrugged. "You made this place sound scarier than it is, Liliana." He gestured to the strange, shimmering surroundings. "Sure, it looks weird, but I don't feel anything. Maybe Voss is already gone."

Liliana smacked the back of Kale's head.

"Ow!" Kale rubbed the spot, glaring at her. "What was that for?"

"Haven't you learned anything by now?" Rika interjected, shaking her head. "You say stuff like that, and it's like inviting the weirdness. Now weird stuff is guaranteed to happen."

Namara clapped her hands excitedly, her eyes gleaming. "Oh, goodie! Please, Kale, tell me more about how mundane this place is and how absolutely nothing will happen. I could use a little excitement."

Kale scowled at her. "You know, sometimes things don't happen. Not everything's a setup for disaster."

"Sure," Rika said. "And when the freaky crystal monster jumps out at us, don't say I didn't warn you."

Sadek let out a low sigh, adjusting his grip on his weapon. "Focus. We're not here for banter."

"Relax, Sadek," Namara quipped. "Let the tension build. Drama's good for morale."

Sadek looked like he wanted to slap her, but Namara just winked and kept walking. Kale sighed as they continued deeper into the chasm. His unease grew despite his words. He didn't want to admit it, but Rika's instincts were usually right, and Namara was right about one thing: Weird stuff always happened.

From the corner of his eye, Kale caught a flicker of movement. Slowly, he turned his head toward the source.

There, emerging from behind a particularly pointy shard, was a figure—twisted, elongated, and shimmering faintly like the shards themselves. Its limbs were unnaturally long, bending in ways that defied logic, as though it were part of the chasm itself. Its crystalline features refracted the light, making its edges seem both solid and intangible. It moved with an eerie grace, its head tilting curiously as it stepped closer.

"Uh…" Kale whispered. "Guys?"

The others turned, following his gaze. The fractured didn't seem hostile. It stopped a few paces away, its diamond-like eyes shifting between the group, curious rather than threatening.

"It's… watching us," Liliana said, her voice low.

"Maybe it's deciding whether or not we're worth killing," Namara offered cheerfully, earning a glare from Sadek.

Kale hesitated, his blade half-drawn. "It doesn't look hostile. Not yet, anyway."

The fractured tilted its head again and reached out one elongated hand. The shards around them seemed to hum in response, as though it were connected to the chasm itself.

"Is it… trying to communicate?" Rika asked, her voice tinged with unease.

Liliana stepped forward cautiously, her hand raised in a gesture of peace. "You're not like the others, are you?" she murmured, addressing the fractured directly. "You're not here to hurt us."

The fractured blinked—or at least, Kale thought it blinked, the facets of its crystalline eyes shifting subtly. Then, to their collective surprise, it spoke.

"Bound by the song," it said, its voice a fragmented melody, like several tones weaving together into a single sentence. "You carry the echoes. The blade hums for him. For her. For the severed."

The group exchanged bewildered looks.

"What the hell does that mean?" Kale asked.

The fractured tilted its head again, as if amused by their confusion. It stepped closer to Kale, its shimmering form reflecting his image in broken fragments. "You walk in the shadow of the severing. Beware the choice, bladeweaver."

"Choice?" Kale repeated, frowning. "What choice?"

But the fractured didn't answer. Instead, it reached out a single elongated finger, gently tapping the shard nearest to them. The sound reverberated through the air like a bell, and then, with an unsettling fluidity, the fractured receded into the reflections of the shard, disappearing as though it had never been there.

The group stood in stunned silence for a moment.

"Well," Namara said finally, breaking the tension with a wry grin. "That wasn't creepy at all."

Kale shook his head, confused. "What was that?"

Liliana stepped forward, her gaze fixed on the shard where the fractured had vanished. "It wasn't hostile. It was... aware. Like it understood us, or at least understood you."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't exactly clear," Kale said, running a hand through his hair. "What did it mean? Bound by the song? The blade hums for him? For her? For the severed? What does that even mean?"

Rika shifted uncomfortably. "It sounded like it knew something about us. About you, specifically."

Namara clapped her hands together, her grin sharp and amused. "It's all very cryptic, isn't it? I love it. A humming blade, an ominous choice. It's like we're in the middle of some divine mystery. Very theatrical."

Sadek, however, wasn't smiling. He stepped closer to Kale. "It mentioned a choice. That wasn't just rambling. It was a warning."

Kale exhaled, frustration mingling with unease. "A warning about what? Voss? The shards? This whole damn place?"

Liliana's gaze didn't leave the shard. "It's hard to say. Everyone around here sure likes talking in riddles."

Namara shrugged. "Probably the shards. All that divine energy humming through your skull can't be good for mortal brains. I'm amazed they're not all drooling in corners."

Kale looked down at Aeloria's Promise. "Whatever it meant, we can't let it distract us. Voss is here for something, and we have to stop him."

Rika nodded, though her expression remained troubled. "Right. Let's keep moving."

Kale turned to lead the way, but his steps faltered as something caught his eye—a shadow in the shard beside him. He froze, staring at the crystalline surface. The reflection wasn't his own.

The dark figure in the shard seemed to shift, its outline blurred by the refracted light. Kale's pulse quickened as the image grew clearer. Hollow eyes stared back at him, set within the cold, angular contours of pitch-black armor. Sickly green gems dotted the armor's surface, their dull glow almost pulsing in rhythm with the shard's faint hum.

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