The staircase was narrow, twisting deep within the ground, its walls being covered in aged stone inscribed in shining runes that throbbed like a pulse. Dust, age, and something more—power—hung heavy in the air. It pushed against Aeron's skin like a buildup of static before a tempest.
Kaela kept the torch moving ahead, her gaze ever-present on the darkness. "How deep does this thing go?"
Aeron placed his hand on the wall, the runes growing warm under his touch. "Far enough that someone wanted it hidden."
The silence became more oppressive with every step. It wasn't silence so much as an expectation. The Hollow was waiting.
After a few minutes of huffing up the stairs, the stairway opened onto an enormous room, so broad their torches couldn't reach the distant walls. The ceiling curved overhead like a stone cathedral, and in the middle of it stood a monolithic obelisk, twenty feet tall, sculpted out of obsidian and streaked through with throbbing blue energy.
Kaela whistled softly. "That's Riftguard architecture."
Aeron stepped up slowly. As he drew near, the runes along the floor flashed on one by one, as though in greeting.
Or recognition.
The room then jerked and the obelisk vibrated with a low hum.
Kaela took a step back. "What did you do?"
"I didn't touch anything!" Aeron protested.
And then—a voice boomed through the room, deep and resonant. Not menacing, but imbued with age and power.
"Riftbearer. You have finally arrived."
Aeron stood still. "Who speaks?
"I am Valthir. Last of the Riftguard High Wardens. My memory, bound in stone, awaits only those worthy."
Kaela's torch flared. "Memory?"
A wave of blue light washed from the obelisk. The air distorted, and before them a ghostly form coalesced—tall, cloaked in armor woven of light, his face concealed behind a mask of light.
Valthir.
"Long have I waited. The world teeters on the edge once more. And the Rift demands its champion."
Aeron glared up at him. "I am no champion. I'm merely attempting to remain alive."
"You wield the Riftforge Hammer. The instrument of balance. Only a one who has been blessed by the Rift itself may unlock its full potential."
Kaela moved forward. "Then assist us. What is this creature pursuing him? What's the Shadowborn?"
The head of the figure leaned slightly.
"The Shadowborn is not a single entity. It is a will—old, broken, but one in intent. Once a keeper of balance. Now a consumer of it. And it knows… the Riftbearer has returned."
Aeron's heart fell. "So it's not only after me. It's after everything."
"Yes. And it will not rest until the Rift is broken.
Valthir held up a hand, and part of the wall creaked apart, showing a secret vault beyond.
"Inside is a shard of the Riftcore—a font of truth, and of memory. You must take it."
Aeron nodded and moved forward into the vault. Within was a pedestal, and on it—a crystal, glowing with the same silver-blue light as the hammer.
As he went to take it, Kaela cried out, "Wait—what if it's trapped?"
He stalled, but the crystal drew him in. His fingers traced its surface—
And the universe blew apart into light.
Visions of Before
Aeron's sight clouded, and he found himself standing somewhere else. A burned and cracked battlefield, where enormous creatures fought with swords of light and darkness. Above, a colossal rift blazed—flowing magic into the world.
He beheld the Riftguard—a host of light-bearers, casting spells and fire.
And at their vanguard stood Valthir, hammer aloft, his voice ringing out over the battlefield.
"Defend the Rift. Defend the balance!"
Something was amiss, however. From the rift itself, a darkness seeped out, coalescing into a horror—a twisted shadow of Aeron himself.
It turned to him, violet-flame eyes blazing.
"You are the key," it whispered. "And I will shatter you."
Back in the Hollow
Aeron gasped, collapsing to his knees as he was brought back to reality. Kaela moved to his side.
"Aeron! You okay?"
He gazed up at her, shaking. "I saw it… the war. The first Riftbearers. And… the Shadowborn. It's not just following us. It's trying to get back into the Rift."
Kaela blinked. "Why?"
"To destroy it from within."
The crystal pulsed brightly in his hand, and his hammer responded—the runes along its handle now glowing brighter, threads of power linking the two.
Valthir's voice returned, now weaker.
"You must travel east… to the Shattered Teeth. The final Riftcore lies there. And with it, the means to seal the rift once more."
The spectral form faded. The chamber began to tremble.
Kaela grabbed Aeron. "Let's go. This place is coming down."
They ran back towards the stairway as the Hollow broke behind them, crumbling ancient stone into itself. The thunder of devastation echoed behind them until they emerged into sunlight, gasping and covered in dust.
Behind them, the entrance was destroyed—permanently.
Aeron gripped the crystal hard, his face grim.
"We know what we have to do now."
Kaela nodded. "To the Shattered Teeth?"
"To the edge of the world, if we must."