Veyra rested by the pool, the green crystals' light washing over her.
Her wounds were healed, her body stronger than ever, but her mind was a storm of questions.
The voice, the trials, the gene-seeds—what did it all mean?
The Sanctum of Echoes was unlike anything she'd ever encountered, a place of ancient power that seemed to know her, to test her in ways she didn't understand.
She stood, her resolve hardened, and followed the tunnel leading out of the Healing Chamber.
The tunnel was wider now, the air warmer, with a faint hum that vibrated through the walls.
The gene-seeds in her pack pulsed in rhythm with the hum, guiding her forward.
The tunnel opened into a vast chamber, its ceiling so high it disappeared into darkness.
The walls were covered in murals, their colors faded but still vibrant—scenes of a galaxy she didn't recognize, with stars and planets connected by glowing threads.
In the center of the chamber was a circular platform, and above it floated a holographic figure—a man, his features sharp, his eyes glowing with the same iridescent light as the gene-seeds.
The voice spoke, its tone heavy with memory. "I am Kaelor, First Ascendant of the Void," it said. "This is the Chamber of Echoes, where the past speaks to the present."
The hologram flickered, and the murals came to life, their scenes shifting.
Veyra watched, her breath catching, as the story unfolded—a civilization of beings who harnessed the Void's power, evolving into godlike Ascendants.
They ruled the galaxy, their gene-seeds granting them unimaginable abilities, but their hubris led to their downfall.
The Void turned on them, consuming entire star systems, until the Ascendants sealed it away—at the cost of their own lives.
Veyra's stomach twisted. The gene-seeds she carried were relics of that ancient power, fragments of the Void itself.
"Why me?" she asked, her voice echoing in the chamber. "Why am I here?"
Kaelor's hologram turned to her, his gaze piercing.
"The Void stirs once more," he said. "The gene-seeds have chosen you to bear their power, to face what we could not. But you must prove yourself worthy, or the Void will consume all."
The platform glowed, and a new trial began.
Shadows rose from the floor—echoes of the Ascendants, their forms twisted by the Void's corruption. They emerged like smoke given flesh, their limbs jagged and elongated, eyes burning with a sickly violet glow. The air thickened with their presence, a cold weight pressing against Veyra's chest as they circled the platform, cutting off any retreat.
Veyra fought, her hands igniting with a radiant light that pulsed from the gene-seeds within her. She lunged at the nearest shadow, her fist shattering its form into a burst of dark mist. But the victory was fleeting—the mist coiled and reformed, the shadow lashing out with a claw that grazed her arm, leaving a stinging trail of frost across her skin. She gritted her teeth, spinning away as another shadow surged forward, its blade-like arm slashing through the air where she'd stood a heartbeat before.
These enemies were stronger than the trials before, their attacks relentless, a storm of motion and malice. One charged her from the side, its body unraveling into tendrils that whipped toward her legs. She leaped, the gene-seeds flaring brighter, propelling her higher than humanly possible. Mid-air, she twisted and hurled a bolt of light downward, the impact exploding in a shower of sparks that scattered the tendrils—but not for long. They writhed back together, the shadow reforming with a guttural snarl.
She landed in a crouch, breath ragged, as two more closed in. Their movements were synchronized, predatory—one feinted high with a sweeping strike while the other dove low, claws raking toward her knees. Veyra rolled aside, the platform trembling beneath her as their attacks carved shallow grooves into the stone. She sprang up, slamming both palms forward, unleashing a wave of searing light that blasted the pair backward. They hit the ground hard, their forms flickering, but still they rose, slower now, their whispers growing louder, more insistent.
"You will fail," they hissed, their voices overlapping, a chorus of venom seeping into her mind. "You are nothing. The Void claims all."
The words clawed at her thoughts, dragging up memories of every doubt, every fear she'd ever buried. Her grip faltered, light dimming in her hands as a shadow lunged, its jagged fist crashing into her shoulder. Pain flared, sharp and cold, and she stumbled back, barely catching herself at the platform's edge. The abyss below yawned, a hungry darkness that seemed to beckon her fall.
"No," she growled, shoving the whispers aside. She wouldn't let the Void win—not now, not ever. The gene-seeds thrummed in her pack, their rhythm syncing with her heartbeat, flooding her with raw, untamed power. Her eyes blazed as she straightened, light surging through her veins like liquid fire.
She charged, faster now, a blur of motion and fury. A shadow swung at her, but she ducked under its arm, driving her glowing fist into its core. The creature shrieked as cracks of light spiderwebbed through its form, then shattered into nothingness. Another leaped from behind, claws outstretched—she pivoted, catching its wrists and twisting hard, using its momentum to hurl it into a third shadow. The collision erupted in a tangle of dark limbs, and Veyra thrust both hands forward, a beam of light roaring from her palms. It engulfed them, burning away their corrupted essence until only faint wisps remained.
The last shadow towered above the others, its form more solid, its presence heavier, as if it carried the weight of the Void itself. It didn't rush her—it stalked, deliberate, raising a hand that dripped with black ichor. The ichor lashed out like a whip, snapping toward her face. Veyra sidestepped, the strike grazing her cheek, leaving a numb chill in its wake. She countered with a flurry of strikes, each punch a burst of light that chipped away at its armor-like shell. The shadow roared, slamming both fists down in a blow that cracked the platform beneath her feet. She dove aside, rolling to her knees as the air hummed with the aftershock.
Rising, she planted her feet and drew on the gene-seeds' power, channeling it into a single, desperate act. Her hands glowed blindingly bright, the light coalescing into a spear of pure energy. With a cry, she hurled it at the shadow's chest. The spear struck true, piercing through its core and erupting in a violent flare that lit the chamber like a newborn star. The shadow wailed, its form disintegrating into ash that rained down around her, carried away by an unseen wind.
Veyra stood panting, the platform dimming as the trial ended, her body trembling from the strain. The echoes of the shadows' whispers faded, leaving only the hum of the gene-seeds and the pounding of her own pulse.
Kaelor's hologram nodded, his voice cutting through the silence. "You are stronger than you know," he said. "But the Void's hunger grows. Prepare yourself."
The chamber's far wall opened, revealing another tunnel.
Veyra stepped forward, her heart heavy with the weight of her destiny.