The shard's pale light cast long shadows across the ruined stones, revealing ancient carvings and forgotten sigils etched deep into the walls. Kael and Saerin's footsteps echoed softly as they ventured deeper into the heart of Eldros.
"Do you feel that?" Saerin whispered, her eyes narrowing. "It's like the ruins themselves are watching us."
Kael nodded. "This place remembers everything. Every sorrow, every betrayal... it's all trapped here."
A sudden chill swept through the air, and the ground beneath them shifted. From the darkness emerged faint silhouettes—phantoms of those who once called Eldros home.
They didn't speak, but their presence was heavy, filled with longing and regret.
Kael raised his pendant, which pulsed with warmth, casting a protective glow around them. "We're not here to harm. We seek only to restore."
One phantom stepped forward, a figure draped in tattered robes, eyes hollow yet filled with ancient wisdom.
"You carry the light of the Pattern," the spirit's voice echoed like a distant wind. "But beware—the deeper you delve, the darker the shadows you awaken."
Saerin's hand instinctively reached for Kael's. "Whatever comes, we face it together."
Kael tightened his grip on the pendant. "Together."
As the phantoms faded back into the walls, a hidden passageway revealed itself, opening into a chamber where the next shard awaited — guarded by trials yet unseen.
Steeling themselves, Kael and Saerin stepped forward, ready to confront the secrets buried within Eldros' shadows.