The twin-suns of Nyx will soon dip below the horizon starting the long night. It's casting long shadows across the endless expanse of the Erebium Desert. Aleron stood on the edge of a precipice, the wind tugging at his worn cloak. Below him, the ancient ruins of Nereus shimmered under the twilight sky, its spires and domes illuminated by the soft glow of bioluminescent algae cultivated in the desert sands. Soon the bio-illumination, stars, moon and the artificial lights will be the only light remaining.
Aleron closed his eyes, feeling the pulse of the planet beneath his feet. A slow breathing as if the planet is alive, in his mind the horizon rise and falls with each breath he takes, closely aligning them with the pulse he is feeling.
Since his earliest memories, Nyx had been his home—a harsh, unforgiving land of scorching summer light and freezing winter darkness. Yet, despite its desolation, it held a beauty that spoke to his soul, especially during twilight when the extreme conditions are softened, and the world opens up, "Such a shame our twilight days are over soon, 2 more moon-days and the darkness is here" Aleron thought to himself. Tonight, however, the whispering winds carried a sense of urgency, a call that had drawn him from the safety of the monastery to the outskirts of the forbidden Erebium mines under the ruins of Nereus.
"Aleron," came a soft voice from behind him. He turned to see Elian, the Ethrion (Leader) of the Order of the Celestial Flame, standing with his hood drawn over his silvery grey hair. "It is dangerous to venture this far alone."
Aleron nodded, but his gaze was pulled back to the shimmering city. "I felt something, Ethrion. A call. It's as if the Erebium itself is reaching out to me, I'm sure of it."
Ethrion Elian stepped forward, his eyes reflecting the rays of the suns. "You are not imagining things. It's said that Erebium is more than a mere crystalline mineral. Some have heard it before, there is plenty of written knowledge. It might be alive and perhaps even aware." Elian paused. "Many have gone mad by its songs." This time Elian paused a bit longer, urging a feeling of discomfort in Aleron, should he say something now, sometimes it is difficult to understand the manners of the Ethrion, but finally Elian broke the long silence and spoke, "That's why we are standing above ruins and not a city. There have been no recent recordings about the Erebium songs since the great war, but if you are hearing them now it must have chosen you for a purpose."
"Why me?" Aleron asked, his voice tinged with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
"That is a question only you can answer, my son," Elian replied. "But be warned, the path you are about to tread is fraught with peril. Power such as this comes with a price."
Aleron looked down at the small crystal shard in his hand, the fragment of Erebium he had found in the monastery's hidden chamber. He did not remember pulling the crystal from his sling power-distributer, but there it was sitting in the palm of his hand. It pulsed gently, like a heartbeat. It had never pulsed like this before; nobody has seen this for generations. He had always wondered what his life would bring and where is place was in the order, but this discovery might change everything. "What should I do?"
Elian placed a reassuring hand on Aleron's shoulder. "Follow the call. But remember, you are not alone." Elian said, quickly followed in old Nyxian by, "The Order is here to guide you, as are your friends."
As if on cue, Lyra appeared at the edge of the clearing, her eyes bright with determination, her cloak in much better condition and ordained with expensive decorative cloth. Hood has fallen back exposing her bright reflective silver hair, a common trait for young Nyxian people. "Are you really planning to go down there without me?" she called out, a hint of a smile playing on her lips, "Pretty sure you won't survive a minute without me"
Aleron couldn't help but smile back. Lyra had been his closest friend since they were children, her fierce spirit a constant source of strength. "I wouldn't dream of it."
Ethrion Elian nodded approvingly. "Stay alert down there, the Erebium Mines are not what they once were. There are forces at play that seek to control what lies within. On top of that there is still illegal mining and smugglers that find their ways into the mines. Both of you are almost Voraen Ethra (Sentinels of the Flame), trust your training, yourselves and each other. Now go, both of you."
With that, Aleron and Lyra began their descent into the valley, the air growing cooler as shadows of the mountains and spires fully enveloped their position. The path was treacherous, but a small flashlight light powered from their Erebium shards illuminated the way, casting eerie shadows on the rocky walls.
As they moved through the city ruins the bio-illumination from the algae, mushrooms and plants provide enough light for a trained sentinel to move around without their artificial light. They switch off their flashlight to preserve power, Lyra glanced at Aleron, her voice soft in the dim glow of algae. "Do you remember when we snuck out of the monastery as kids? We swore we'd explore all of Nyx one day."
Aleron chuckled, the memory briefly pulling him out of the weight of their mission. "I remember you got us caught because you couldn't stop laughing when we tried to climb the cliffs around the city."
Lyra smirked. "Well, I haven't seen you do much better. You nearly fell of that ledge if I wouldn't have saved you. Some sentinel you are."
Aleron nudged her with his elbow, a rare smile playing on his lips. "We were kids, things are different now."
"Maybe", she said, her tone growing more serious as she looked ahead. "But I still have your back. Always."
It is still unknown how and why some Erebium shards provide endless power and some stop working suddenly. The structures around them indicate that the ancient civilisation of Nereus learned to adept from living underground to living above ground, they learned to build enough protection from the harsh conditions on Nyx. The people of Nyx now live mostly above ground in major cities, nobody lives outside the cities except the followers of the Order, some live in ancient underground monasteries. There is a remarkable resemblance between the Order monasteries and the Nereus ruins.
As they approached the lower levels of the ruins, they come close to the entrance to the mines, a sense of foreboding washed over them. The entrance was a yawning mouth in the earth, framed by ancient, weathered statues of the ancient civilization that had once thrived here. The carvings depicted figures intertwined with serpentine forms, their eyes hauntingly lifelike in the glow of the inset crystals.
"Do you really think we'll find answers down there?" Lyra asked, her voice barely above a whisper with a touch of concern.
Aleron nodded, his resolve hardening. "I believe we will. And perhaps more than we bargained for." Aleron gives a hand signal to slow down and stop, "let's do a quick scan", Pulling out a small tablet, Aleron pulls out a small camera connected on a wire to the device, both tethered to the power distribution system. He points it towards the entrance and surveys the area. "No recent activity here, let's assume the illegal miners use other entries, so let's go and stay alert."
They stepped into the darkness; with a quick flick they turned their lights back on. The use of the power from the shards makes them flicker like fireflies in the night. From the power-distributor several wires go to the gear they have with them, Lyra tucks away one of the cables to her light to provide more freedom of movement.
The air grew heavy with the scent of earth and minerals, the walls of the tunnel glistening with tiny veins of raw Erebium. The deeper they ventured, the stronger the pull of the crystal in Aleron's mind became, guiding his thoughts along the path he should take. He picks up his speed a bit more, a trance-like condition overtook Aleron. Parkouring through the caverns and narrow passages at high speed, as if he knows where to go and has done it before. He keeps following his instinct bringing him ever closer towards an unknown destination.
Lyra struggles to keep up with the intense speed and agility that overcame Aleron. She feels the intensity flowing from him. The urgency of his movement pushes her to the limit of her ability, but she manages to stay close to Aleron. Every so often Aleron stops to peer into various directions, she identifies an intense stare on his face, his eyes blank as if he was not there. She wants to ask what is happening, but feels it is not the right moment to speak. It is better to support Aleron in his trance and stay alert to their surroundings.
Suddenly, a low rumble echoed through the tunnel, and the ground beneath their feet trembled. Lyra instinctively reached out to steady Aleron in front of her, it helps them both keep their balance. Aleron snaps out of his trance like state, his eyes now looking tired with clear signs of fatigue in them. He blinks a few times and focusses on scanning the shadows for the source of the disturbance. "What was that?" she asked, her voice tinged with unease.
Before Aleron could respond, a whisper - ancient and resonant - filled his mind. "Welcome, Aleron. You have come far, but your journey is only beginning."
He gasped, dropping to his knees as a flood of images and emotions overwhelmed him. He saw visions of a grand civilization, their cities shimmering with the light of Erebium, and then their tragic downfall, consumed by their own pride. He felt the weight of their hopes and fears, their desperate plea for redemption flowing over him.
"Aleron!" Lyra's voice broke through the haze, and he blinked, the visions fading, but the distant whispering intensifying. He cannot make sense of them, there are too many, too soft and too far away. Aleron covers his ears with his hands trying to get rid of the whispers, they start to subside. Lyra had already knelt beside him; hand on his shoulder; her face etched with concern. "What happened?"
He took a shaky breath, clutching his fist and noticed that again he had taken the crystal shard from the power distributor into his hand. He noticed the shard shining brightly almost blinding the duo with its light. "The Erebium... it spoke to me. It showed me things—memories of ancient civilizations."
Lyra helped him to his feet, her expression serious. "Then we must be careful. It has been centuries since someone have experienced the sight from Erebium and that started the Great War. If the Erebium is again affecting us, it may have its own plans."
Aleron nodded, a sense of determination filling him. "Whatever it wants, we need to find out. There's much at stake, but history cannot repeat itself."
Together, they pressed on, deeper into the heart of the mines. The air grew colder, freezing, the darkness more oppressive, but Aleron felt a newfound strength in the presence of his friend and the mysterious connection to the Erebium. As they rounded a corner, he noticed small tight crack in the wall. It is clear from the rubble this crack only just opened, small pieces of rock where still crumbling down to the cavern floor. They climbed through the small opening, barely large enough for Aleron to fit through, and entered a vast chamber, its walls lined with enormous crystals that pulsed with an ethereal light.
In the centre of the chamber stood an ancient pedestal, upon which rested a large, multifaceted Erebium crystal. It glowed with an intensity that dwarfed their small shards, filling the space with a soft, blue radiance. Aleron felt a magnetic pull towards it, his heart pounding in his chest.
"This is it," he whispered, stepping forward. "This is what called to me, I feel it."
As he reached out to touch the crystal, a sudden, deafening roar echoed through the chamber. The ground shook violently, and cracks began to spiderweb across the walls. Lyra grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "We need to get out of here!"
But Aleron couldn't tear his gaze away from the crystal. In that moment, he understood that this was only the beginning. The Erebium had chosen him for a reason, and he would uncover its secrets, He tried to pull away from Lyra, undo her grip on his arm, reach with both hands to the crystal. Lyra squeezed his arm, he turned his face towards Lyra, she was speaking, but he couldn't hear, and she noticed a touch of madness in his eyes. Lyra desperately and forcefully tugged Aleron's arm. He snapped out of it and let go of the crystal. Upon releasing the crystal shattered in thousands of pieces. The whole room now crumbling around them and parts falling into the abyss opening up below them.
With a final, determined glance, he turned and fled with Lyra, while fleeing the room he noticed a small shard of the large Erebium crystal on the floor in front of him. The blue glow still shining brightly in his eyes, with a smooth slide across the cavern floor he keeps up his momentum to reach safety while picking up the shard and putting it in his pocket. Finally jumping to reach safety and the chamber finally collapsing behind them. As they made their way out of the mines and emerged into the twilight, gasping for breath. He feels in his pocket and touches the shard, it feels familiar and foreign, cold and hot, safe and danger. He cannot keep his hands from it.
Aleron knew that his life had irrevocably changed. The path ahead was uncertain and fraught with danger, but he would face it head-on.
For he was Aleron, the chosen of Erebium, and his journey had just begun.