While Atlas and Jared are now offline, Victoria was still within the game. She was also working on the first stage of her quest—Gathering the Threads.
As Victoria stepped through the veiled portal into Salem, she sensed the pulsations of time like ripples on a lake's surface. Her first destination was the Market of Echoes, a bustling center of trade during Salem's golden age, but now just a shadowy echo of its former self, with phantom vendors hawking spectral goods to invisible patrons. Here, a critical thread was tied to the day the great fire swallowed the market, a disaster originally prevented by a water mage who mysteriously vanished in the altered timeline.
Activating her Echoes of the Past, Victoria closed her eyes and reached into the weave of time. The air around her shimmered as she was drawn into the whirlpool of past events. She saw the market, vibrant and colorful, filled with laughter and the rich aroma of exotic spices. The water mage, a young woman with striking blue eyes, was preparing to cast her spell to extinguish an accidental fire. But as the scene unfolded, a dark figure in the crowd diverted her attention, leading her away from the market. The thread dimmed, and the joyous clamor turned into screams as the fire engulfed the stalls.
With a deep breath, Victoria pulled back into the present, her hands clenching as she felt the weight of the tragedy. Knowing what must be done, she focused her energy, weaving a subtle suggestion into the past—a whisper on the wind to remind the mage of her duty. As the timeline accepted her correction, the phantom market flickered and gradually brightened, restoring the water mage to her heroic act. The thread of time glowed warmly, signaling its liberation, and Victoria collected the radiant strand, now a tangible force in her hands.
Empowered but drained by the effort, Victoria moved on to the next thread located at the Old Salem Docks, where a great naval battle once turned the tide against invading forces. The docks, now silent and forlorn, held the secret to another pivotal moment gone awry. Through her Echoes of the Past, she watches as Salem's fleet, which should have triumphed, was sabotaged by an unknown traitor. The thread here was chaotic jumble, dark and cold.
Victoria stepped closer to the edge of the water, her reflection blurred in the murky depths. She sent her consciousness swirling back through the decades, tracing the saboteur's steps, marking his every move. With a careful adjustment, she planted seeds of doubt in the minds of the other sailors, who caught the traitor in the act, allowing the battle to proceed as destined. With the integrity of the past reaffirmed, the thread brightened, solidifying into a cord of shimmering light that Victoria secured.
Victoria's quest continued as she sought to mend the remaining threads of Salem's history. Her next destinations were landmarks within the city where key events had been warped by the temporal anomaly, causing disruption and chaos in the timeline.
The Great Library, once a beacon of knowledge and magical research, now stood in ruins, its once-majestic structure crumbled from neglect and the erosion of time. The library was supposed to be saved from destruction during an intense storm by a protective spell cast by the city's most renowned mage. However, due to the temporal anomaly, the mage never arrived.
Using her Echoes of the Past, Victoria delved into the stormy night that sealed the library's fate. She saw the mage detained by a deceitful advisor who feared the power of knowledge. With precise manipulation, Victoria redirected a local apprentice to stumble upon the mage's plight, leading to his timely release. The mage reached the library, casting his spell just as the storm unleashed its fury. The building remained a cornerstone of culture and learning. The thread, glowing with restored integrity, coiled gently around Victoria's arm.
The town square, where the Festival of Lights, celebrating the victory over darkness both literal and metaphorical, was diminished to a mere gathering due to the anomaly. It was a grand celebration that also marked the unveiling of an enchanted obelisk that lit up the entire city, deterring dark creatures from entering.
Victoria arrived during the preparations, the square dull and underwhelming. She revisited the festival's peak moments, discovering that the obelisk's creator was falsely accused of witchcraft and imprisoned. Victoria subtly altered the perception of the key witness, clarifying the truth about the creator's intentions. As the truth unfolded, the creator is exonerated and completed the obelisk. Light flooded the square, and the festival became a beacon of unity and joy. The thread vibrated with energy and seamlessly integrated into the timeline fabric Victoria held.
The ancient dueling grounds, outside the city, were overgrown with wildflowers and forgotten by time. It was a duel that decided the next protector of Salem, ensuring the city's safety. Due to the anomaly, the rightful champion was slain by a dishonorable trick.
At the dueling grounds, Victoria felt the heavy residue of betrayal. Through the Echoes of the Past, she witnessed the foul play: a hidden blade poisoned with dark magic. She whispered a warning breeze past the ear of an onlooker, a known honorable knight, who stepped in to halt the duel and expose the treachery. The duel was restarted under fair conditions, where the true champion prevailed. As justice was restored, the thread shone brightly, wrapping around Victoria's wrist and pulsating with the force of rectified history.
With each thread restored, Victoria not only brought stability back to Salem but also reconnected with the city's true spirit. Each successful restoration reinforced her resolve, her skills as an Aeon Weaver growing ever more adept at navigating the complex weave of time. As she held the glowing threads, a sense of accomplishment filled her — the past may be written, but not always in stone, and she held the quill.
After each thread was solved, Victoria gained a mini reward:
Thread 1: Market of Echoes
Reward: Time Pulse: Allows her to send out a ripple through time, briefly revealing hidden objects, doorways, or mechanisms in her vicinity. This is extremely useful for solving puzzles and finding hidden treasures in subsequent stages.
Thread 2: Old Salem Docks
Reward: Momentum Buffs: Slightly enhancing her speed or reducing cooldowns on her time-based abilities. These buffs last for the remainder of the quest, stacking with each thread collected, symbolizing her growing mastery over time.
Thread 3: The Great Library of Salem
Reward: Chrono Shards: A small crystalline fragment that can be used to craft or upgrade equipment specifically designed for Aeon Weavers. These shards can enhance her existing gear, making it more attuned to temporal energies, or they can be used to purchase unique items from a Time Weaver's market.
Thread 4: The Festival of Lights
Reward: Echoes Fragment: A powerful artifact that permanently enhances her Echoes of the Past ability. With this upgrade, Victoria can extend the duration of her visions into the past, allowing her to gather more detailed information and interact with past events more significantly.
Thread 5: The Dual of Fates
Reward: Skill: Temporal Insights
Description: Temporal Insights is a comprehensive and evolving skill unique to Victoria, an Aeon Weaver, designed to harness and expand her innate mastery over temporal forces. As Victoria restores the Threads of Time, she gains not only insights into the history and potential futures of Salem but also accumulates specific abilities that enhance her interactions with time and space. Each thread restored contributes to her overall mastery, culminating in a multifaceted ability that serves as both a tool for exploration and a potent advantage in manipulating temporal dynamics.
Components of Temporal Insights:
Time Pulse:
Effect: Temporarily enables Victoria to emit a pulse that reveals hidden objects, doorways, or mechanisms within her immediate vicinity.
Activation: Active – Victoria must consciously choose to send out a Time Pulse.
Cooldown: 2 minutes between uses, allowing for strategic deployment in puzzle-solving or during exploration phases.
Momentum Buffs:
Effect: Each Thread of Time collected provides a permanent increase to Victoria's speed, efficiency in using time-based abilities, and reduces cooldowns on her other time-based abilities.
Activation: Passive – These buffs automatically apply and accumulate with each thread collected, enhancing Victoria's agility and efficiency in using her temporal abilities.
Duration: Permanent – Once activated, these buffs continue to affect Victoria's abilities indefinitely. Each thread collected further enhances these buffs, stacking to improve her overall effectiveness in manipulating time and space.
Chrono Shards:
Effect: Collectible crystalline fragments that can be used to enhance equipment or craft special items. These shards infuse gear with temporal energy, augmenting Victoria's control over time.
Activation: Passive – Chrono Shards are added to Victoria's inventory upon collecting each thread and can be used at her discretion in a crafting interface or at a Time Weaver's market.
Use: No cooldown, but availability is dependent on the number of threads restored and items' crafting requirements.
Echoes Fragment:
Effect: Significantly enhances Victoria's Echoes of the Past ability, allowing her to extend the duration and detail of her visions into historical events, gaining more comprehensive insights and interaction capabilities.
Activation: Passive – Once acquired after collecting all necessary threads, this fragment permanently upgrades the Echoes of the Past ability.
Permanent Enhancement: No cooldown increase; effects are permanently integrated into the Echoes of the Past skill.