Heart of the ruined city
Published on HivePostify by @pi3434 · Thu Jun 11 2026
After passing through the gate, Kael and Lira found themselves in a vast, endless valley. At the heart of the valley lay a ruined city. Once, magnificent towers must have reached toward the sky; now only broken stones, collapsed arches, and silent streets remained.
The city’s name appeared in Lira’s book: Aeltharion. According to the prophecy, this was the place where the crystals were first born. But now all that remained was the howling wind and a silence echoing between the stones.
Kael raised the crystal shard into the air. Its light pointed toward the center of the city. There, one structure still stood: a towering spire. Though half-ruined, a symbol at its peak still glowed.
“We have to go there,” Kael said.
As they moved through the streets, they noticed strange tracks. Footprints… but not human ones. They looked as if they had been made by long, narrow claws. Lira shivered.
“Something still lives here.”
When they approached the tower, the shadows stirred. Suddenly, a creature lunged at them—its arms unnaturally long, its eyes shining like crystal, its skin hard as stone. Kael did not draw a sword, because he had none; his only weapon was the crystal shard.
Just as the creature was about to strike, the shard flared in Kael’s hand, bursting with light. The blast drove the creature back. It cried out in pain, but it did not vanish.
At that moment, a figure emerged from the tower entrance. An old man in a long cloak, leaning on a staff, with eyes that gleamed with wisdom.
“Stop!” he shouted. “That creature is not your enemy. It is the guardian of the city.”
Kael and Lira stared at him in disbelief. As the old man approached, the creature knelt before him.
“My name is Elandor,” the old man said. “I am the last guardian of Aeltharion. You are the travelers of the prophecy. I know you have heard the crystal’s call.”
Lira lifted her book. “Yes. The prophecy brought us here. But our journey is not over yet. What does it want from us?”
Elandor took a deep breath. “The power of the crystals was shattered. One of those fragments is still hidden in this city. You must find it. But be careful: dark forces are searching for it. Their goal is to destroy the crystal.”
Kael and Lira looked at each other. The journey was no longer just a quest—it was the beginning of a war.
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