The three of them rushed through the unnaturally lit streets of Ailoria, racing alongside dozens of terrified townspeople who had poured out of their homes at the sound of the bells. The light emanating from the central temple was growing more intense, turning the city's night into a blinding, harsh day.
"What's happening?" Selene shouted, shielding her eyes from the increasing glare. "Wasn't Sena supposed to be weaker at night?"
"Yes, that's what Zenira said!" Lemon replied, drawing his sword in preparation. "Maybe he sensed our arrival and decided to accelerate his plan, whatever it is."
"Or maybe…" Alyana mused, her eyes fixed on the massive pillar of light splitting the sky. "Maybe something else triggered him…"
As they drew closer to the central temple, the glare became nearly unbearable. The people of Ailoria were now wearing special coverings over their eyes—dark glass masks that allowed them to see without harm. One of the guards, who recognized Alyana and her companions, hurried over, carrying three of these masks.
"Wear these!" he shouted. "Bare eyes can't withstand direct light from Sena!"
They obeyed quickly, fastening the masks to their faces. The difference was immediate—the glare became bearable, though still uncomfortable.
"Where's Zenira?" Alyana asked the guard, scanning the area for the high priestess.
"In the temple, with the rest of the council, trying to restrain Sena!" the guard replied, his voice trembling. "But he's stronger than we expected. This time, he's… breaking free!"
A few meters ahead of them lay a wide, circular plaza, and at its center rose the central temple—the heart of Ailoria. Above it, the source of the glare: a gigantic orb of light, pulsing like a frantic heart, sending out waves of pure energy that shook the surrounding buildings.
But what terrified the three most was the scene on the steps before the temple doors: bodies strewn here and there—priests and guards, motionless. Among these bodies stood a single upright figure—a humanoid form made entirely of radiant white light, with no distinct facial features, but exuding a terrifying power.
"Sena…" Alyana whispered, feeling the black crystal on her chest throb more strongly, as if responding to its enemy.
The luminous being turned toward them suddenly, as if it had heard her whisper. Despite its featureless face, there was a dreadful sense that it was staring directly at Alyana—or rather, at the black crystal on her chest.
"The ancient taint…" a voice emanated from the being, though it had no visible mouth. The sound was almost musical, strangely beautiful, yet carried a note of deep revulsion. "The Crystal of Darkness… You've come to defile the Temple of Light again."
Lemon drew his sword fully, taking a defensive stance in front of Alyana and Selene. "Stay back!" he shouted at Sena. "We're here to restore balance, not to fight you!"
But the luminous being paid no heed to his words. It began moving toward them, each step leaving glowing imprints on the ground. The people gathered in the plaza recoiled in terror, scrambling out of its path.
"Restore balance?" Sena scoffed, his words now tinged with rising anger. "Balance was a mistake from the beginning. Light is complete in itself, perfect in its purity. It needs no shadow. It needs no taint."
"You're wrong," Alyana said, stepping forward despite Lemon's attempts to keep her behind him. "Light without shadow is as blind as darkness without light. Can't you see that? Can't you see what's become of the city because of you?"
She gestured around, where the people of Ailoria suffered—eyes covered, faces pained even with the protective masks. In the distance, the crystal trees could be seen wilting, their leaves cracking and splintering under the harsh light.
"I see a world being purified," Sena answered, his voice now deeper, harsher. "I see a world shedding the shadow, drop by drop. I will begin here, at the heart of light, and then spread to the rest of the world. And I will start… with you."
He raised his hand, and a concentrated beam of light shot from his fingertips, aimed directly at Alyana. She moved quickly, dodging to the side, but the edge of the beam grazed her shoulder, leaving a burn that tore through her clothing and seared her skin.
"Alyana!" Selene cried, rushing to her friend, examining the wound with worried eyes.
"I'm fine…" Alyana muttered, though pain was clear in her voice. "But… his power is immense…"
Sena advanced toward them slowly, confidently, like an unstoppable fate.
"We have to reach the crystal!" Alyana whispered, her eyes fixed on the top of the temple, where the orb of light pulsed. "If we can restore balance to it, maybe…"
She didn't finish her sentence. Sena unleashed another wave of concentrated light energy, forcing the three to split up and move in different directions. Lemon seized the moment and attacked Sena with his sword, trying to draw him away from Alyana and Selene.
But the blade passed through Sena's luminous body without causing any harm, as if slicing through air. With a swift motion, Sena struck Lemon with his radiant arm, sending him rolling across the ground for several meters.
"Your physical weapon cannot touch me, weak servant," Sena mocked. "I am composed of pure, untainted light energy."
Selene now stepped forward, her eyes blazing with a strange determination Alyana had never seen before. She raised her hands before her, muttering strange words, as if summoning something from the depths of her forgotten memory.
To Alyana's astonishment, a pale pink aura began to form around Selene, pulsing and expanding, radiating directly from her heart.
"Selene…" Alyana whispered in awe. "You're regaining… your powers!"
Selene did not reply, fully focused. The pink aura became a series of luminous threads, shooting from her hands and wrapping around Sena, attempting to bind him.
For a moment, the luminous being seemed surprised, faltering. Selene's pink threads contained something he hadn't expected—warmth, compassion, emotion. Things that pierced his cold, absolute light.
"Love…" Sena murmured, his voice wavering for a moment. "The Crystal of Love…"
But the effect didn't last. With an angry cry, Sena unleashed a greater wave of light, shattering Selene's threads and sending her stumbling backward. His power was greater than they had anticipated, even with Selene regaining some of her ancient abilities.
"It's not enough…" Selene whispered, gasping for breath. "We need… we need something more…"
Alyana was slowly retreating toward the temple steps. The black crystal on her chest was throbbing with a rapid rhythm, glowing with a faint light, different from Sena's harsh radiance.
"What we must do is reach the Crystal of Light itself," she said, her eyes fixed on the temple's open door. "I'm going inside, and you two… try to distract him as best you can."
"No!" Lemon shouted, now back on his feet despite the blood trickling from a wound on his forehead. "I can't let you go alone!"
"We don't have a choice," she answered firmly. "I'm the only one who can handle the crystal. And you two are the only ones who can keep him away from me long enough."
Selene and Lemon exchanged a quick glance, then nodded at the same time. "But how can we face it if our weapons have no effect on it?" Lemon asked.
Alyana thought for a moment, then pulled the small, transparent crystal from her pocket—the crystal she had found in Mira's room.
"Take this," she said, handing the crystal to Selene. "Together, you might… revive it, perhaps. Try to use it, and the Absolute Light Entity will respond to the light within."
Without waiting for a reply, Alyana turned and began running toward the temple door, avoiding Sana's gaze, who was now occupied with a group of Ayloria's guards, desperately trying to keep him away from the courtyard.
The darkness waiting for her inside was startling after the blinding glare outside. The temple's main hall was spacious and vertical, like a giant tube stretching upward toward the temple's dome. In the center, there was a raised platform, surrounded by scattered tables and chairs, as if the place had been struck by a sudden earthquake.
And on the platform, Alyana found what she had feared to see: Zenera, lying there, her aged body twisted at an unnatural angle, her eyes open but lifeless. Around her, the bodies of other priests and priestesses of the council lay scattered.
"Zenera…" Alyana whispered sorrowfully, kneeling beside her for a moment. "I'm sorry we came too late…"
There was no time for mourning now. She lifted her gaze to the top of the temple, where a great column of light extended through an opening in the dome. There, at the top of the column, hung the Crystal of Light—or what remained of it. Its pulses were faint now, as if its power was being slowly and steadily drained.
"I have to reach it…"
She began looking around for a way to ascend. At the edge of the platform, she noticed a narrow spiral staircase winding upward along the temple wall toward the upper balconies.
She started climbing, the stairs trembling slightly under her feet, damaged by Sana's energy. Outside, she could hear the sounds of battle—shouts, flashes of light, and the voices of Lemon and Selene as they faced the wild luminous entity.
With every step she climbed, the glow from above grew stronger, the air denser, charged with a strange energy. The black crystal on her chest was pulsing rapidly now, echoing her racing heartbeat, sending out waves of cold energy that shielded her from the rising heat.
Finally, she reached an upper balcony that looked directly upon the suspended crystal. Here, the light was nearly unbearable, even with her protective eye mask. If it weren't for the black crystal, which absorbed some of the surrounding glare, she wouldn't have been able to get any closer.
And there, just a few meters away, was the Crystal of Light—a glowing white crystal sphere, the size of a human head, suspended in midair with no visible support, at the heart of the pillar of light piercing the temple's roof.
As Alyana drew closer, she saw something strange… Inside the white crystal, at its very center, was a small black dot, pulsing slowly, like a dying heart.
"The dark element…" she whispered, recalling Zenera's words about the balance of crystals. "Each of the seven crystals contains a balance between light and shadow…"
Likewise, her own black crystal held a point of light at its center. The two were mirror images of each other.
Sana had tried to remove the element of shadow from the crystal, to purify it, as he claimed. But in doing so, he was destroying the balance that kept it whole.
"I must restore its balance…" Alyana whispered. "But how?"
As she pondered, movement caught her eye. She turned swiftly to see Zenera… standing behind her, though she was sure she had seen her dead moments before.
"Zenera? How…"
The old priestess smiled, but her smile was different now—deeper, wiser. And her eyes… her eyes glowed with a faint golden light.
"I'm not exactly Zenera…" the woman said, her voice slightly different—softer, more musical. "Or at least, I'm not only Zenera now."
Alyana felt her heart stop for a moment. "Mira…?"
The woman nodded, her smile widening. "Yes and no. Zenera was my student, and for many years, she carried a part of me… a part I placed in her before my disappearance, as insurance against failure."
The woman stepped forward, her movements strangely fluid, unlike the aged Zenera who had suffered from joint pain. "I placed parts of myself in many places—in different people, in different crystals. A part in Ayloria, a part in Eidolith, a part in…"
"And Sana?" Alyana asked urgently. "Is he…?"
"Yes… Sana is the part of my light that rebelled against merging. Just as the Echo of Shadow was the part of shadow that rebelled against my union with the Eternal Shadow." She shook her head sadly. "But the greater part of me succeeded in escaping. I managed to hide Cairn, and I remained to protect the crystal from within, for many long years. Until…"
"Until what?"
"Until the great transformation three months ago. The reshaping of the world, unleashed by my son and his father together. Unleashed by… Cairn."
There was unmistakable pride, admiration, and deep longing in her voice. And to Alyana, it felt strangely moving—a mother speaking of her son, after all these years, after all the love that had led to sacrifice.
"Why did Sana emerge now? Why not before?"
"Because the world's reshaping unsettled all balances. You saw it yourself—the Echo of Shadow in Teralith, and now Sana here. These are… echoes, small fragments of much greater entities, separated during the great transformation. And the longer this reshaped world endures, the stronger and more independent these echoes become."
Alyana gazed at the glowing Crystal of Light above her. "How do I restore its balance?"
"You must allow your crystal to merge with the Crystal of Light… but not a complete merging. What the Crystal of Light needs is… a reminder of the importance of shadow. A reminder of true balance."
Mira's eyes, through Zenera's face, grew sad. "But there is a risk…"
"What is it?"
"The black crystal is part of Cairn… part of his soul. If it merges completely with the Crystal of Light, you might… you might lose the last true link between you and him."
Alyana felt the weight of the dilemma. "But if I don't… if I don't restore balance to the Crystal of Light…"
"…then Sana will eventually destroy the crystal, and the other crystals will begin to collapse as well."
From outside, a terrifying scream rose—a cry of pain Alyana knew well. Selene's scream.
"We have no time," she said firmly. "I have to take the risk."
Mira/Zenera stepped forward and placed her hand on Alyana's shoulder, where Sana's burning ray had struck before. For a moment, Alyana felt a strange warmth spread through her body, easing the pain, soothing her fears.
"You are strong, Bearer of the Eighth Crystal. Stronger than you think. And Cairn… chose you for a reason."
With these words, Zenera's body began to fade, turning into particles of soft golden light that rose and dissipated into the air.
"Wait!" Alyana cried. "I have more questions… How do I find Cairn? How do I bring him back?"
Mira's voice reached her, faint and fading: "The seven crystals… together… and the eighth crystal… its heart is all of them…" And with those words, the vision vanished completely, leaving Aliana alone once again, facing the glowing Crystal of Light.
There was no time to hesitate. Another scream from outside—this time Lemon's—strengthened her resolve. She lifted the black crystal from her chest and held it with both hands, summoning all her will, all her love, all her faith in balance.
"Kairn…" she whispered. "Help me. Whether you can hear me or not… I need you now."
She raised the black crystal above her head and pushed it toward the Crystal of Light.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, as if driven by some hidden will, the black crystal began to float away from Aliana's hands, moving hesitantly toward the Crystal of Light, like two magnetic bodies both repelling and attracting each other at once.
And when they touched, the pillar of light exploded with even greater brilliance, accompanied by a sharp cry of pain—not from Aliana, but from Sanaa himself, outside.
Aliana felt energy surge through her, as if she were a bridge between two worlds. The coldness from the black crystal and the heat from the Crystal of Light met within her, mingling, struggling, then reconciling.
And in that moment, she saw…
She saw Kairn, standing in a place that was nowhere, surrounded by silver mist, smiling at her, reaching out his hand, but unable to touch her, as if a transparent barrier separated them.
"Kairn!" she tried to shout, but her voice did not come out, or perhaps he could not hear her. "Where are you? How do I find you?"
His lips moved, trying to tell her something, but she could not hear him. She saw only crystals gathering around him—seven crystals of different colors—then her black crystal joined them, completing the circle.
Then the vision vanished in a tremendous burst of light, a blend of white, black, and gold, sending a wave of energy throughout the temple, shaking the walls and extinguishing all the lamps, before everything lit up again, but with a gentler, calmer light.
Aliana found herself lying on the balcony floor, gasping, exhausted but fully conscious. In front of her, suspended in the air, was the Crystal of Light… but it was different now. No longer pure white, it was now two colors—white and pale blue, blended together in perfect harmony, like celestial marble.
The black spot at its center had grown a little larger, more distinct, pulsing with a calm, steady rhythm.
"Balance…" Aliana whispered, smiling despite her exhaustion.
Then she remembered her companions. Quickly, she turned and hurried toward the stairs, descending as fast as her fatigue and pain would allow.
In the outer courtyard, the scene was completely different from what she had left minutes before. The people of Ayloria were gathering around something, whispering in awe and fear. When Aliana made her way through the crowd, she saw…
Selene and Lemon, standing, tired but alive. And on the ground before them, a collapsed human figure, no longer made of pure light, but of flesh and blood—a very old, thin man, with pale skin and white hair streaked with gold. On his chest rested the small clear crystal Aliana had given to Selene, now glowing with a faint golden light.
"What happened?" Aliana asked as she approached her companions.
"We're not exactly sure," Lemon replied, his voice weary. "Sanaa was attacking us, about to win, and then suddenly… we felt a massive wave of energy from the temple."
"The clear crystal you gave us… it started to glow," Selene added. "As if it was responding to something. Then… Sanaa collapsed, and turned into this."
Aliana knelt beside the old man, examining his face closely. His features were strange—strikingly beautiful despite his age, as if carved from marble rather than born of flesh. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing, slowly and steadily, like someone asleep.
"I think I know what happened…" Aliana said, gently placing her hand on the old man's forehead. "When I restored balance to the Crystal of Light, it also affected Sanaa, who was part of it, or connected to it."
"But… who is he?" Selene asked, gazing curiously at the sleeping man.
"I think…" Aliana studied the peaceful features of the sleeping man. "I think he was Sanaa. Or rather, the human who became Sanaa's vessel."
"It was the clear crystal, Mira's crystal… that was the cause," Selene said, pointing to the now golden crystal resting on the man's chest. "When you succeeded in restoring balance to the Crystal of Light, suddenly this crystal began to shine powerfully, and was drawn from my hand straight to Sanaa's chest… and the transformation happened."
"He is one of the ancient priests," said a voice behind them—it was one of the temple guards, looking at the sleeping man with a mix of respect and fear. "Master Sandol. He was close to Mira before she disappeared. He vanished the same night…"
Aliana started at the name. "Sandol… Mira wrote in her journal that 'Sandol will help her escape'… He was her ally!"
"And perhaps more than just an ally," the guard added quietly. "There were rumors… that he was very close to Mira… perhaps closer than the priests' law allowed."
Selene and Lemon exchanged meaningful glances, while Aliana continued to contemplate the sleeping man, who, despite his advanced age, possessed a noble, classical beauty.
"He was affected by the energy of the Crystal of Light for many years…" Aliana murmured, recalling Mira/Zinira's words. "Maybe when Mira disappeared, he stayed close to the crystal, protecting it, and… over time, became more and more connected to it. Then, when the great transformation happened…"
"…He became a living embodiment of extreme light, of absolute radiance," Lemon finished.
"And the small clear crystal… Mira's own crystal… restored his balance, just as my crystal restored balance to the Crystal of Light."
"And that means…?" Selene asked.
"It means the threat is over… at least, here." Aliana looked up at the sky, where the once-angry pillar of light had become gentler, flowing from the temple's peak both upward and downward, like a waterfall in reverse.
The people of Ayloria, now gathering in greater numbers, began to remove their protective masks, gazing in astonishment at the sky, at their temple, at their crystal which had regained its balance.
Some of the remaining priests now approached, surrounding the sleeping man. One of them, a young priestess with a calm face, said, "We will care for him. When he wakes, there will be much to discuss."
With the help of the guards, the priests carried Sandol and gently took him into the temple hall. The young priestess looked at Aliana and her companions with deep gratitude.
"You have restored balance to our crystal, and saved our city… perhaps even the whole world. How can we thank you?"
Aliana, who was looking at her chest where the black crystal used to be, answered quietly, "Give us a place to rest. I… lost something precious today."
The priestess immediately understood what she meant. "The eighth crystal… it merged with our crystal, didn't it?"
Aliana nodded silently, her face shadowed with sorrow. "Not exactly," said a deep voice from behind them. Eliana turned to see a very old priest, leaning on his staff, looking at her with intelligent eyes. "Your crystal did not fully merge with the Crystal of Light. It... shared with it, interacted with it, restored its balance. But..."
He raised his hand and opened his gnarled fingers to reveal something small resting on his palm: a miniature version of the black crystal, barely the size of a large bead, glowing with a faint, deep blue light.
"I found it on the temple steps," said the priest. "As if it... was born anew."
Eliana carefully took the small crystal from his hand, feeling its faint warmth on her palm. It was different from her previous crystal—not entirely black, but bearing traces of deep blue that glowed from within, like a black star at the heart of a blue night.
"It's lost its former power," she said disappointedly, trying to sense Cairn within it, but to no avail.
"Perhaps," the old priest said with a mysterious smile, "but it has gained something else... something new. Every crystal reflects its bearer, evolves with them. Your crystal has been reborn, just as the world around us has changed."
"Can it help us find Cairn?" Lemon asked her in a quiet voice, mindful of her feelings.
Eliana gazed for a long time at the small crystal in her hand, then up at the sky, where the renewed Crystal of Light rested above the temple. She recalled the vision she had at the moment of the crystals' merging—Cairn, surrounded by seven crystals, the eighth completing them.
"We'll know soon," she finally said. "But I think we... we're on the right path. I saw Cairn at the moment of fusion. I saw the seven crystals gathering around him. That's the key—bringing the seven crystals together, with the eighth."
Then she added, remembering: "And we've already gathered two—the Dream Crystal in Teralith, and the Crystal of Light here. Five crystals remain..."
"And the other crystals... do you know where they are? Who holds them?" Selene asked.
"Some of them... yes. The Crystal of Sorrow in Iranil, the Crystal of Knowledge in Drakania, the Crystal of Pain in Sentara, the Crystal of Fear in Necromand..." Eliana tried to recall the mental map she'd drawn from memories of the old world. "And the Crystal of Love..."
She looked deeply into Selene's eyes and smiled gently. "You were its bearer, in your previous life. In the city of Aquilia."
Selene furrowed her brow, as if trying to summon a distant, ancient memory.
"That's right... I felt... a special connection when I used that power against Sena. As if... some ancient knowledge was awakening."
Lemon looked at the two of them, then at the horizon, where the restored Crystal of Light glowed. "So, this is our next mission? To search for the remaining five crystals? And gather their bearers?"
Eliana nodded. "Yes. And I think we should start with the closest one—the Crystal of Sorrow in Iranil. Cairn once told me he sensed 'disturbance' there."
"You'll need help," said the young priestess who had returned to them. "Allow me to introduce myself—I am Elyra, Priestess of the Crystal of Light, and I was a disciple of Zenira."
She bowed respectfully before the three. "I will accompany you on your journey, if you permit. Not only to represent Elyria, but because I feel... I must be part of this mission."
Eliana studied the young woman—she couldn't have been more than twenty, her eyes blue and wise beyond her years. There was something in the way she stood, in the light of her eyes, that reminded Eliana powerfully... of Zenira.
"You were close to Zenira, weren't you?"
"Yes. She was... more than just my teacher. She was like a mother to me."
Eliana looked at Selene and Lemon, who both nodded in agreement. "Then welcome, Elyra. We'll begin after we rest and regain our strength."
"Of course," Elyra replied with a smile. "Tonight you'll be guests of honor in Elyria. Tomorrow, when the sun shines once more with balanced brilliance, we begin our journey."
That night, after a short celebratory ceremony that the city of Elyria insisted on holding for its saviors, Eliana lay in her room at the guest house, gazing at the stars through her open window. The small black crystal with its blue glow rested on the table beside her bed, pulsing slowly, as if it were breathing.
Eliana seemed calm on the outside, but her mind was racing. She had lost the original black crystal, Cairn's last gift, and received this small, different version. She had lost her last direct link to him, the last piece of his soul she had carried with her since the world was reshaped.
But she had gained something as well—a deeper understanding, a clearer vision. She realized now that the shadows attacking the world's crystals might not be mere random accidents, but part of a larger pattern, consequences of the same event that reshaped the world.
And there was a message in the background, one she couldn't yet fully grasp. Why must the seven crystals be gathered? Are they truly the key to bringing Cairn back? And what about Mira, who appeared through Zenira, and seemed so certain this was the right path?
A soft knock at the door broke her reverie. It was Selene, looking tired but determined.
"May I come in?" she asked.
"Of course," Eliana replied, smiling despite her fatigue.
Selene entered and sat on the edge of the bed, silent for a moment as if gathering her thoughts.
"Since I started this journey with you," she finally said, "I've begun to feel things... to remember things... not exactly memories, but more... like a sense, like ancient knowledge awakening."
"Tonight, when we faced Sena, and I summoned that strange power..." she continued, her eyes studying her hands. "I felt like I knew what I was doing, as if I'd done it hundreds of times before."
"Because you have," Eliana said gently. "In the old world, you were one of the strongest crystal bearers. You could heal wounded hearts with a single touch."
Selene smiled, a hint of sadness on her face. "I don't remember the details, but I feel... the truth in your words."
She was silent for a moment, then continued with more resolve: "So, I want to tell you... I'm with you until the end. Whatever the cost of this journey, whatever the dangers. Part of me knows this is... my true place."
Eliana reached out and took Selene's hand, squeezing it gently. "I know. You've always been with me... through everything, even the darkest times."
"And Lemon?" Selene asked.
"The same. He was always... our protector, our teacher, our strength."
"I feel... as if the three of us are connected somehow, deeper than ordinary friendship or companionship."
Eliana nodded. "In the old world, we were... a family, in a way. Not by blood, but by choice. When the world begins to fall apart around you, the bonds you choose become stronger than anything else."
Selene thought for a moment, then asked, "And Cairn? What was between you?"
Eliana smiled sadly. "He was... everything. A friend, a companion, a beloved. He was the one who saw the truth in me when I couldn't see it myself."
"And we'll find him," Selene said confidently. "We'll gather the crystals, and we'll bring him back. Then... we'll heal this world he chose to save." Aliana looked at the small black crystal on the table, its blue glow now appearing a bit stronger, more stable.
"Yes," she finally said, a new confidence in her voice. "We will do it. Tomorrow, we begin our journey to the City of Sorrow, Iranil."
Outside the window, the Light Crystal shone with restored balance, casting its gentle light across the sky of Ayloria. And in the sky, a strange star sparkled, dark blue, one that had not been there before, as if it were a sign, a promise, a path slowly opening—toward hope, toward balance, toward return.