The tunnel beyond the Chamber of Echoes was narrow, its walls carved with symbols that glowed faintly with a purple light. Veyra moved cautiously, her senses heightened by the gene-seeds pulsing in her pack. Their warmth was a constant reminder of the power she carried—and the danger it brought.
*What am I becoming?*
she thought, her heart pounding. The air felt heavier now, charged with a tension that set her nerves on edge. She could still hear Kaelor's warning about the Void's hunger, and it gnawed at her.
*What if I can't control it? What if it consumes me?*
The walls began to whisper, their voices soft but insistent, speaking in a language she didn't understand. The gene-seeds' energy surged, and suddenly, the whispers became clear—fragments of thoughts, memories, fears.
"We failed," one voice said, its tone heavy with despair. "The Void cannot be stopped,"
another hissed, its words dripping with dread. Veyra's breath caught. These were the Ascendants, their final moments preserved in the Sanctum's walls.
*They were so powerful… and they still failed. How can I hope to succeed?*
Her hands trembled, the faint glow of her palms casting eerie shadows on the rock. She tried to block out the whispers, but they grew louder, more desperate, echoing her own fears.
*I'm just a scavenger. I'm not ready for this.*
The tunnel opened into a small chamber, its walls covered in mirrors that reflected Veyra's image a thousand times. But the reflections weren't right—some showed her with glowing eyes, others with tendrils of shadow curling from her body.
*Is that what I'll become?*
she thought, her stomach twisting. The whispers intensified, and she realized this was another trial. The mirrors were testing her mind, forcing her to confront her fears.
*I can't let them break me. I've come too far.*
She clenched her fists, her glowing hands brighter now, as if the gene-seeds were urging her to fight.
One reflection stepped forward, its form solidifying into a shadowy version of Veyra, its eyes black as the Void.
"You cannot escape what you are,"
the shadow said, its voice a twisted echo of her own. Veyra's heart raced.
*It's me… but it's not me.*
The shadow attacked, its movements mirroring hers but faster, stronger. Veyra dodged, her enhanced reflexes saving her, but the shadow's speed was overwhelming. It struck her side, its touch cold and searing, and Veyra cried out, her vision blurring.
The shadow sneered, its voice cutting through her thoughts.
"You'll fail, just like they did,"
it hissed. "You are nothing."
The words hit harder than the blow.
*Nothing.*
She'd heard that before—from the scavengers who mocked her, from the Gene Lords who hunted her.
But she wasn't nothing. She'd survived Krynn, the labyrinth, the guardian. She'd claimed the gene-seeds' power.
*I'm more than they think I am,*
she thought, her resolve hardening. She focused on the gene-seeds' energy, letting it guide her.
"I'm not you,"
she said, her voice steady despite the pain.
"I'll make my own path."
She fired a burst of light, the beam shattering the shadow into fragments of darkness.
The mirrors cracked, their surfaces splintering, and the whispers faded, the chamber growing silent. Veyra sank to her knees, her body trembling, her side throbbing where the shadow had struck her.
*I did it… but it knew my fears. It knew me.*
She touched the gene-seeds in her pack, their warmth grounding her.
*They're changing me, but I can't let them control me. I have to be stronger.*
Kaelor's voice spoke again, its tone approving. "You have faced your fears," he said. "But the Void will test you further."
A new tunnel opened, and Veyra stood, her legs shaky but her determination unshakable.
*I'm not nothing,*
she thought, her jaw set.
*I'll prove it—to the Void, to the Gene Lords, to myself.*
She stepped into the tunnel, her glowing hands lighting the way, her mind clearer despite the lingering pain. The Sanctum of Echoes was a place of trials, but it was also a place of growth. She would face whatever came next—and she would survive.