Kapitel 15: 15: Shadows of the Past
### Chapter
As the Wardens stepped deeper into the dark path, the air around them thickened, and the whispers coalesced into a haunting melody that tugged at Ashfall's heart. Each note seemed to resonate with memories he thought long forgotten, evoking faces and places from his past.
**"Stay alert,"** he cautioned, though his voice felt swallowed by the growing shadows. The trees closed in, their branches weaving a canopy that seemed to filter the moonlight into ghostly shapes.
Sable walked at the front, her staff aglow with a soft light, illuminating the way ahead. **"These whispers… they're not just random sounds. They're weaving a story."** She paused, tilting her head as if trying to decipher a hidden message. **"It's almost as if they're trying to show us something."**
**"What do you mean?"** Kera asked, glancing warily at the encroaching darkness. **"Like a memory?"**
**"Or a warning,"** Tides interjected, his voice low. **"Let's not forget we're not alone in here."**
The path twisted like a serpent, and as they turned a corner, Ashfall caught sight of flickering lights in the distance. They resembled lanterns but pulsed with an unnatural glow, drawing him forward. Against his better judgment, he felt compelled to move closer.
**"Ashfall, wait!"** Kera shouted, her voice breaking through the spell of the whispers. But he was already walking towards the lights, the haunting melody growing louder in his ears.
As he approached, the lanterns revealed themselves to be floating orbs of light, each one a tiny sphere of captured luminescence. They danced in the air like fireflies, leading him toward a clearing where the shadows thickened into a tapestry of memories.
**"What is this place?"** Ashfall breathed, stepping into the clearing, where shadows swirled like smoke. Before him, the past began to unfold—a vision of a battle long forgotten, warriors standing against a tide of darkness. Among them, Ashfall recognized a younger version of himself, fighting alongside familiar faces.
**"No… this can't be,"** he whispered, unable to tear his gaze away. **"I was just a recruit."**
Kera, Tides, and Sable followed him into the clearing, their eyes wide with disbelief. Sable's staff flickered uncertainly as if sensing the weight of the memories. **"It's showing us a piece of history,"** she murmured, her voice barely audible above the whispers.
**"But why?"** Kera asked, her grip on her blades tightening. **"What does this have to do with us?"**
Just then, a figure stepped from the shadows, a ghostly wraith with features that mirrored Ashfall's own. The wraith raised its sword, eyes glinting with an eerie light. **"You think you can change the past? You think you can escape what you are?"**
Ashfall stumbled back, shock coursing through him. **"I… I'm not you!"**
The wraith laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the clearing. **"But you are. You carry the same burden. The same darkness. No matter how far you run, it will follow."**
Tides stepped forward, his voice steady. **"What do you want from him?"**
The wraith's gaze shifted to Tides, a smirk playing on its lips. **"To remind him. The shadows may be vanquished, but they leave marks—on the world and on the soul. You think you can face them without acknowledging your past?"**
**"Enough!"** Kera shouted, stepping between Ashfall and the wraith. **"You're just a shadow. You don't control him."**
The wraith's form flickered, momentarily revealing a glimpse of the battlefield once more, where Ashfall had fought valiantly but had also witnessed friends fall to darkness. **"You may think you're different, but the truth is, you are just a part of this cycle."**
Ashfall clenched his fists, struggling against the rising tide of despair. **"I can change things! We can change things!"**
The wraith's expression darkened, its voice dropping to a whisper that carried the weight of a thousand sorrows. **"Can you? Or will you simply repeat the same mistakes?"**
As the words hung in the air, Ashfall felt the ground shift beneath him. The clearing began to dissolve, the visions warping into a swirling vortex of light and shadow. The whispers grew louder, drowning out the wraith's taunts.
**"This isn't real!"** Ashfall shouted, desperate to break free of the past that threatened to engulf him. **"I won't be defined by it!"**
With a surge of determination, he drew his sword, its blade gleaming with newfound resolve. The wraith lunged, but Ashfall met it head-on, their weapons clashing in a flash of light. The force of the impact sent shockwaves through the clearing, fracturing the vision into a kaleidoscope of colors.
Suddenly, the world shifted again, and the clearing vanished, replaced by the dark path where the Wardens stood frozen in place. The orbs of light flickered and dimmed, retreating into the shadows.
**"Ashfall!"** Kera called, rushing to his side. **"Are you alright?"**
He nodded, breathless. **"Yeah… I just… saw things. The past… it was trying to trap me."**
Sable looked shaken but resolved. **"We need to keep moving. This place feeds on our fears and doubts. The longer we stay, the more vulnerable we become."**
Tides nodded in agreement. **"Let's not give it the chance to get inside our heads."**
Ashfall took a deep breath, shaking off the remnants of the vision. **"Right. We keep going. We can't let this path divert us from our goal."**
As they pressed onward, the shadows whispered behind them, and Ashfall felt a lingering weight on his heart. He knew this wasn't the last he'd see of the shadows of his past. But with his friends by his side, he felt a flicker of hope—together, they might just find a way to change their fate.
The path ahead remained shrouded in mystery, but Ashfall was determined to uncover what lay beyond, even if it meant confronting the darkness within himself once more.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein