Chapter 8: Perish Or Survive

"We need to get out of here," Lira said, her voice sharp with urgency. She scanned the crumbling buildings around them, her fingers twitching on the hilt of her blade.

Keiran nodded, though his legs felt like jelly. The energy surge from the sigil had left him drained. "Yeah, but… what's next? The Guardian said we've unlocked the path forward, but where is it?"

Before Lira could respond, the Zenith System's interface blinked to life in his vision.

[Trial complete. Path to the Core activated. Follow the light.]

As if on cue, the ground rumbled faintly, and a faint line of golden light appeared, stretching out from the statue and leading into the depths of the city.

Lira groaned. "Of course, it's deeper into this death trap."

Keiran managed a weak smile. "You're not scared, are you?"

"Scared? No. Annoyed? Very." She grabbed his arm and pulled him upright. "Come on, hero. If this is the way, we'd better get moving before something else decides to wake up."

Keiran couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Shadows seemed to shift at the edges of his vision, and the air was heavy with an oppressive stillness.

Lira," he whispered into the silence. "You think the city's always been this way? Or did something… happen?"

Lira's eyes flickered to a decayed mural on the nearest wall; its colors were muted yet still told tales of a civilization in full bloom. "Hard to say. Whatever it was, wasn't pretty. This place feels… wrong, as if it's stuck between life and death.

Keiran nodded, his gaze straying to the mural depicting figures with what looked to him like elemental powers, their shining forms lit up with light. "You think they were like us? People who had systems?"

Lira shrugged. "Maybe-or something else entirely.

And deeper, the trail of gold took them through what seemed to be an old library. Unlike all the other buildings in this city, this one seemed intact, eerily so. The tall stone columns and enormous wooden doors did not look to have taken the wear of time.

"This looks… important," Lira whispered.

Keiran pushed the doors open; hinges whined in protest. Inside, the library was dimly lit, having bits of light filter in through breaks in the ceiling. Several rows of very ancient tomes lined the walls, their spines marked with strange symbols.

"Do you think this is part of the path?" Keiran asked; his voice echoed in the big space.

The response from the Zenith System was immediate.

[Exploration recommended. Anomalous energy detected.]

"Great," Lira muttered. "More anomalies."

Keiran reached for one of the shelves, his fingers grazing off a thick layer of dust onto the leather cover of a tome. The instant he did so, a cascade of images assaulted his mind-visions of the city when it was still alive, teeming with pulsating life.

"Keiran!" Lira's voice cut through his haze.

He turned to her, his eyes fixed on a pedestal in the middle of the room, atop which sat an orb of glowing light, its surface softly pulsating.

"This has to be what the system meant," Lira said, reaching out closer.

Keiran was more circumspect. The glow of the orb was mesmeric, but there was something about it that disturbed him. "Be careful," he warned.

Lira rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. Don't touch the mysterious glowing thing without thinking." She stopped a few feet away from the pedestal, studying the orb. "It's beautiful, though. Almost… alive."

As they stared at the orb, a deep, resonant voice filled the room.

"Seekers of the Zenith, you stand in the Hall of Echoes.

Keiran and Lira whirled, their weapons ready, but no life was in the room.

"Who's there?" Keiran asked peremptorily.

The voice carried on, unabashed by his question, "You have passed the Guardian's trial, but ahead, the path is filled with peril. Only he who embraces the wisdom of the past may claim the Zenith's true power."

Keiran exchanged a wary look with Lira. "Wisdom of the past? Is it talking about the books?"

"Or the orb," Lira said, her gaze darting back to the glowing thing.

The voice spoke once more, softer this time, its tone almost mournful. "The city fell because its people forgot balance. Power consumed them and the light turned to darkness. Do not repeat their mistakes."

Having spoken its words, the voice fell silent once more.

Keiran let his breath out slowly, lowering his weapon. "Doesn't look we're the first ones after running the Zenith down, either."

Lira nodded. Her face was grim. "And we won't end up much different if we aren't careful."

They spent several more hours in the library, searching out any other clues about the city and its downfall. The books were in a script with which neither was familiar, but several of the illustrations were clear enough to interpret.

This one looks like a warning," Lira said, holding up a tome. It depicted a huge explosion, figures running around in terror. "Perhaps it's what happened here."

Keiran frowned hard, his mind overworking with activity. "If a city fell because of its imbalance, then maybe the Zenith's not about power, but about control-responsibility."

Lira snorted. "Listen to you, waxing philosophical. Don't go soft on me now.

He laughed, but the words wouldn't leave his head. The voice in the Hall of Echoes sounded so. human. Whoever this was, they definitely didn't treat the Zenith as higher than a mere tool.

Minutes ticked by like hours, it seemed, before the golden trail flashed up again leading them from the library deeper into town.

"Ready to see what's next?" Lira asked, light in her voice, yet deadly serious in her eyes.

Keiran firmed his jaw and clasped his dagger tightly in reassuring grasp. "Yeah, let's get this over with."