Nerena Corvantis
While no one was paying attention, I activated my camouflage ability, blended into my surroundings, and slipped away from the group into the jungle.
I knew leaving without telling anyone wasn't right. They would probably feel like I had abandoned them when they needed me most. But I trusted the voice in my head, even if I wasn't entirely comfortable with what I was doing.
So far, the voice had never led me astray. I had no idea what it wanted from me, but its ideals seemed to align with mine. For now, that was enough.
But the questions kept gnawing at me. What was inside that building? How did the voice know about it? And why couldn't the other be allowed to discover what it contained?
I was beginning to understand that the Astral Realm and the universe held secrets far beyond anything we had imagined. And soon, those secrets would begin to surface.
I traveled through the jungle following the voice's directions in my head.
The voice's knowledge of the rift's layout was astonishing, far better than any scouting I'd done up to this point.
My drone had mapped several viable routes to the central pyramid, but it would still take hours to reach it.
The voice, however, knew of shortcuts that could get me there much faster.
"So what makes this building so important?" I asked the voice as I swung from one branch to another.
"It will be easier to explain once you arrive there."
"But you're sure it will improve our chances of surviving?"
"Without a doubt, my child. But that also depends solely on you," the voice said.
The statement gave me pause. I didn't like how cryptic the voice was in this situation. I needed things to be clear-cut, especially with our situation being so dire.
However, there was nothing I could do about that. It was providing the help I needed at this moment, so beggars couldn't be choosers.
After a few long, silent moments, I finally made it back to the central pyramid. This time it was barren.
The phantom echoes were gone, and the entire town was decimated.
The rubble of the central pyramid collapsed onto every shop and structure that had made the place feel alive for a time.
As I continued scanning the area, I noticed the pyramid's wreckage seemed to have missed one specific structure—a hut-like building with six floating rocks orbiting its roof.
It had to be fate; the temple was so heavily guarded by the echoes, still stood unscathed amid the rubble.
Did the voice have something to do with it?
I walked over to the hut and finally got a proper look at it. Up close, I could see finely woven veins of cosmic energy running through the stone, pulsing at regular intervals.
"I'm here. So what do I do now?" I asked.
"Enter it."
"...What's inside? Is there a weapon or a tool that will help us escape?"
"No. What's inside is an opportunity."
"For what?"
"To change yourself and the very world you live in. But once you enter and learn this knowledge, there will be no going back."
The heavy news of this statement weighed on me, but I also felt a rush of adrenaline.
I loved knowing what others didn't; it meant power.
And who didn't want that?
"Remember, child, this knowledge will come with a cost. Can you carry this burden?"
What burden could be worse than me and everyone in here dying?
I placed my hand on the hut door, and I felt two sensations.
One was a mental message coming from my tether. Voen and Sora sent me separate messages asking where I went.
The other was an intense cosmic energy signature.
I ignored my comrades and entered the hut.