Part II – The Keepers of Silence
The sun was now high, and the mists of the Forest of Illusions had receded, revealing ancient paths lined with stone statues carved with the faces of forgotten creatures.
Ayame led the group with grace, her nine tails moving like a single, silent symphony. From time to time, she glanced back at Yuri with an enigmatic look, pointedly ignoring Kayla's tense stares with studied nonchalance.
"Not far from here," said the kitsune, "lie the Ruins of Echoes—a place where time still speaks… if one is willing to listen."
"Another test?" Kayla muttered, crossing her arms.
"No, my shadowy friend. Just knowledge." Ayame winked at her. "Though… sometimes knowledge is more cruel than any illusion."
Lucen—Alexander, now—followed in silence. His revealed name had yet to sink in with the others. No one truly knew who he was. Not even Yuri, who occasionally cast him curious, uncertain glances. He kept replaying what Ayame had shown him… a fragment of possibility, a broken future, a pain still alive.
Why her? he wondered. What does she see in Yuri that I still can't understand?
The ruins formed a ring of blackened stones, covered in moss, at the center of which floated a glowing stone. It whispered. Fractured voices, distant memories. Yuri stepped closer.
"What are these?" she asked.
Ayame answered in an almost solemn tone. "Echoes of an ancient time. When Light ruled… and Shadows were enslaved. It was here that the first doubts were born. The first forbidden alliances."
Lucen clenched his teeth. His heart pounded in his chest.
"The war…" Kayla whispered. "It didn't begin now. It's a wound that never stopped bleeding."
"Exactly," Ayame confirmed. "And if you truly want to understand why the world is so broken, you must speak with the Dwarves."
Yuri turned to her, surprised. "The Dwarves?"
"They are the faction that refused to choose. Not Light. Not Shadow. Only survival. And they guard the ancient chronicles. If anything can explain this war… it will be hidden within their mountains."
Kayla hesitated for a moment. "It's hard to get an audience. They trust no one."
"Unless," Ayame said with a sharp smile, "you bring them something they've waited for… for centuries."
"What do you mean?" Yuri asked.
The kitsune looked at her with golden eyes, deep as wells. "You."