Nyxborn-The Forgotten Etherium

Renar didn't look back as they made their way deeper into the ruinous valley.

The air was thick with tension, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Every step echoed through the abandoned stone halls, bouncing off the jagged walls, and nothing but silence surrounded them.

But that silence—that unnatural quiet—was what made Renar uneasy.

"Eternal Silence."

The words reverberated in his mind. What did they mean? Why had they triggered something in Vael—something that felt so important?

"You think it's the key."

Vael's voice broke through Renar's thoughts.

Renar didn't stop moving, his boots making soft clicks on the worn stone. "It has to be. There's something buried there. Something big."

Vael nodded, though he still looked as though he was struggling to piece together the fragments of his past.

As they moved further into the depths of the ruins, the temperature dropped. The chill in the air felt unnatural, like the very stones themselves were hiding some forgotten secret.

"We should be close," Renar muttered, scanning the darkened passageways ahead. "The Keeper of Forgotten Paths is supposed to be here."

Vael raised an eyebrow. "And you trust this… Keeper?"

Renar didn't answer immediately. He had heard stories—whispers of a figure who lived on the fringes of the forgotten world. A keeper of memories long lost, a being who held knowledge of the unwritten histories—the ones buried by the Order.

But trust? That was a different matter.

The path split ahead—one darkened by shadows, the other bathed in pale, flickering light.

The light.

Renar chose it without hesitation.

They stepped into the chamber.

A single figure stood in the center, shrouded in flowing robes of indigo and silver, as though they were part of the ruin itself.

The Keeper.

Their face was hidden beneath a hood, but there was a weight in the air. A presence. Renar could feel it—the years of knowledge contained within this figure. The lives they had touched, the memories they had kept.

"Who seeks the Keeper of Forgotten Paths?"

The voice was deep, resonating with an ancient power.

Renar stepped forward, drawing his sword. Not in threat, but in preparation.

"We do." Renar's voice was steady, but his grip on his sword tightened. "We need answers about 'Eternal Silence.'"

The Keeper didn't move. The light around them seemed to flicker, dancing in the still air.

"Eternal Silence," the Keeper repeated, the words echoing in the chamber. There was no hesitation, no surprise—just a quiet recognition.

Renar's pulse quickened. This was it. This was the clue they had been searching for.

The Keeper finally lowered their hood, revealing eyes that were glowing faintly with an ethereal blue light.

"You seek the path to knowledge. But knowledge comes at a cost."

Renar felt the weight of those words. They weren't a warning—they were a truth.

"What is the cost?" Vael asked, his voice hoarse but steady.

The Keeper's lips curved upward, a faint smile.

"The cost is what you have forgotten. What you have lost."

Renar's grip on his sword loosened slightly. He had heard of the price. Those who sought the truth often had to sacrifice what was most precious—memories, relationships, even their own identity.

But they had no choice.

"What is 'Eternal Silence'? Why is it connected to our past?" Renar pressed.

The Keeper's eyes gleamed brighter for a moment, and they stepped forward, their voice growing somber.

"Eternal Silence is the seal. The final barrier that keeps the lost from returning to this world. The final stroke of the Order's hand."

Renar's heart skipped.

The Order of Erasure.

"The Order created it?" Vael's voice was barely a whisper.

The Keeper nodded. "Yes. To silence what they could not control."

Renar exchanged a glance with Vael. It was starting to make sense.

"You were erased for a reason. Both of you."

Vael flinched at the words.

"What reason?" Renar demanded.

The Keeper's eyes narrowed. "You carried knowledge. Knowledge that threatened the foundation of the Order itself."

Renar's mind spun. They had been erased because they had been too close to uncovering the truth. But what was that truth?

Before he could ask, the Keeper spoke again.

"If you seek to uncover that truth, you must walk the path that leads into the heart of the Order. The place where memory was lost. And where it will be found again."

Renar's throat tightened. "How do we get there?"

The Keeper raised a hand, and the air around them shifted. A doorway appeared at the far end of the chamber—a dark, swirling portal that seemed to hum with an ancient energy.

"This will lead you," the Keeper said. "But remember—what you find beyond that door will change you forever."

Renar nodded.

It had to be done.

Together, they stepped forward.