Tides of the Moon

The celestial blue light enveloped them as they passed through the doorway, depositing Divine and Caelan into a vast, mist-filled expanse. The air was thick with a strange energy, and every sound seemed to echo endlessly, as if the world itself were listening.

The ground beneath their feet was a mosaic of glowing stones, forming intricate patterns that pulsed faintly with each step they took. In the distance, shapes loomed—tall, indistinct structures that seemed to shift and shimmer as the mist swirled around them.

"What is this place?" Caelan asked, his voice hushed.

Divine studied the patterns on the ground, her pendant glowing softly in response. "I think we're in a realm of memory. The forge prepared me, but this place… this place is meant to test what I've learned."

As they moved forward, the mist thickened, and faint voices began to whisper around them. At first, the words were incomprehensible, but as they pressed on, the voices grew clearer.

"You will fail," one whispered.

"You cannot change the past," another said.

Divine clenched her fists, the voices gnawing at her resolve. "They're just echoes," she muttered. "They're not real."

But as they reached the first towering structure, the mist parted, revealing a scene from Divine's past. It was the Silent City, whole and vibrant, its streets bustling with life. In the center of it all stood a younger version of herself, radiant and confident, surrounded by followers who looked to her with reverence.

"This was before the fall," she said softly, her chest tightening.

The scene shifted, darkening as shadows crept in. The younger Divine raised her hand, and the pendant around her neck glowed with a harsh, blinding light. The people flinched, their awe turning to fear.

"What are you doing?" Caelan asked, his gaze flicking between Divine and the scene before them.

"This was the moment I made the wrong choice," Divine said, her voice trembling. "I thought I could wield my power alone, without anyone's help. I pushed everyone away, thinking it would make me stronger. But it only made me blind to the danger that was coming."

The shadow-self appeared again, stepping out of the scene with a cruel smile. "And look where it got you. All your power, all your pride—it meant nothing in the end."

Divine faced the shadow, her grip on her pendant tightening. "I know I made mistakes. I know I let my pride hurt the people who trusted me. But I'm not that person anymore."

The shadow laughed. "Words, words, words. Prove it, then. Show me you've changed."

The scene shifted again, and Divine found herself standing in the midst of a battle. The Silent City was under attack, its streets filled with chaos. Her younger self stood frozen, paralyzed by indecision as the darkness closed in.

The shadow pointed to the scene. "This is who you were—a goddess too afraid to act. How can you ever hope to be anything more?"

Divine's pendant flared, and the scene froze. She stepped forward, her voice steady. "I can't change what happened, but I can learn from it. I won't let fear control me anymore."

As she spoke, the frozen figures of the battle began to dissolve, replaced by light. The shadow-self recoiled, its form flickering.

"You think this changes anything?" it snarled.

Divine met its gaze, her own unwavering. "It changes everything."

With a final pulse of light from her pendant, the shadow shattered, its fragments scattering into the mist. The voices around them fell silent, and the mist began to clear, revealing a path forward.

Caelan stepped up beside her, his expression filled with admiration. "You really are something else, you know that?"

She gave him a small, tired smile. "I'm just trying to do what's right."

Together, they followed the glowing path, the echoes of the past fading behind them as they ventured deeper into the Veil of Echoes.