Chapter 34: The Path of Echoes
The spectral Keepers faded into the mist, their judgment complete. The air grew still, heavy with the weight of what Tara had seen in her vision—the First was not merely stirring. It was awake.
Emrick helped her to her feet. "What do we do now?"
Tara steadied herself, glancing toward the newly revealed path winding through the ruins of the Forgotten Vale. It stretched into the distance, disappearing into swirling shadows. "We follow the path. The Keepers allowed us through, which means there's something ahead—something we need."
Kael let out a breath, glancing warily at the mist. "Let's hope it's not another test."
They moved cautiously, their footsteps muffled by the thick fog curling around the ancient stones. The Forgotten Vale was unlike any place they had been before—it felt like a memory, a place untouched by time. Strange symbols pulsed faintly on the crumbling walls, flickering between existence and nothingness.
As they walked, whispers began to rise from the mist.
"The gods betrayed us…"
"The Seal is a lie…"
"We were meant to be free…"
Tara clenched her jaw. The voices weren't random—they were memories of those who had once lived here. The people who had created the Seal. But something in their tone sent a shiver through her.
Kael glanced around. "I don't like this. These aren't just echoes… something wants us to hear this."
Emrick gripped his sword. "Stay sharp."
The further they walked, the more the voices spoke—telling of a time before the gods, before the Seal was placed. The mist thickened, shifting around them, and suddenly, the ruins changed.
The broken walls were whole again. The sky, once dark and shattered, turned golden with sunlight. Instead of emptiness, the city of the Forgotten Vale stood in its full splendor.
People walked the streets—beings of light and shadow, dressed in robes of woven starlight. The Ancients.
Tara's breath caught in her throat. "We're in the past."
"No," Emrick said, eyes narrowing. "Something's showing it to us."
A grand temple stood ahead, at the center of the Vale. It pulsed with power, and at its heart was the Seal itself—a colossal sphere of shifting energy, held in place by countless chains of divine light.
Then, the vision shifted.
The sky cracked. The earth trembled. A force beyond understanding pushed against the Seal from the other side, warping reality itself.
The Ancients screamed, their voices turning to static. The chains shattered one by one. And then—
A dark figure stepped forward. Not a god. Not mortal. Something in between.
Ludicar.
Tara gasped. "No… He was there when the Seal was made?"
Ludicar stood before the collapsing Seal, his masked face unreadable. The Ancients turned to him, desperation in their eyes.
"You are the Trickster. The Unbound. Help us!"
Ludicar tilted his head. And then, he laughed.
"Help you? Oh, my dear friends… I did."
With a wave of his hand, Ludicar touched the Seal—twisting it. Instead of a cage meant to contain, it became something else.
A bargain.
A prison, yes, but one that would not hold forever. A joke, in its cruelest form.
The vision shattered.
The group staggered, finding themselves back in the ruined Vale. The temple was no more—only crumbling stone and whispers on the wind.
Tara's hands shook. "Ludicar… He helped create the Seal. But he also ensured it would one day fail."
Emrick's face darkened. "That means he's known all along. He wanted this to happen."
Kael exhaled sharply. "So the god of laughter has been playing a very long game."
The path before them stretched onward, leading deeper into the heart of the Vale.
Tara tightened her grip on the book. "Then we end his game before it's too late."
With that, they pressed forward—toward the truth, and toward the final battle that awaited them.