Echoes of the Past

The ruins were silent, but Kaelen could feel the weight of history pressing down on him. The blackened stones bore the scars of an ancient battle, their surfaces cracked and weathered by time. This place—whatever it had once been—had long since fallen to corruption. And at its center stood the guardian.

A towering figure clad in rusted armor, its once-pristine steel now stained with the taint of the mist. The helm obscured its face, but Kaelen could see the unnatural glow of violet eyes burning from within. The corrupted warrior stood motionless, its massive greatsword planted into the earth.

Then, it moved.

With a slow, deliberate motion, the guardian raised its sword, the blade’s edge slick with the same black mist that hung in the air. A deep, distorted voice echoed from within the helmet.

"You… are not worthy to take what remains."

Kaelen didn’t respond. He had faced many corrupted beings before, but this one was different. There was something beneath the corruption—something that had once been human.

“System, give me information on this guardian.”

The system’s voice rang in his mind, calm yet cautious.

"Designation: Former knight of the Eternal Watch. Name lost to time. Corruption level: 87%. Retains combat instincts and strategic reasoning. Approach with caution."

Kaelen exhaled slowly. This wasn’t a mindless beast. This was an enemy that could think, anticipate, and counter. He had no choice but to give this fight his all.

With a flicker of divine energy, Kaelen surged forward, his sword cutting through the mist as he struck. The guardian moved in an instant, raising its greatsword to parry. The clash of metal sent a shockwave through the air, forcing Kaelen back.

The knight advanced.

Kaelen barely dodged the downward strike that followed, the corrupted blade splitting the stone where he had stood just moments before. Dust and debris filled the air, but Kaelen didn’t falter—he sidestepped and retaliated with a precise slash aimed at the knight’s exposed side.

The guardian twisted unnaturally, avoiding the strike, and delivered a brutal kick to Kaelen’s ribs. The impact sent him skidding across the ruins, pain flaring through his body.

"Adapt."

The system’s voice was firm, but not unkind.

Kaelen rose to his feet, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. He had underestimated the guardian’s speed. If he treated this like a battle against a monster, he would lose.

Fine. Let’s do this properly.

Kaelen shifted his stance, his grip on the sword steady. He had to fight like a warrior—not just with power, but with precision.

The knight charged again, and this time, Kaelen met it head-on. Their blades clashed in rapid succession, sparks flying in the darkness. He dodged, countered, and struck where he could. Each move was met with equal ferocity, but Kaelen could feel it—the guardian was powerful, but it wasn’t invincible.

The corruption had made it strong, but it had also made it rigid. Predictable.

Kaelen feinted left, forcing the guardian to react, then twisted his blade and drove it into the weakened gap in its armor. The knight staggered.

A memory surfaced.

A battlefield. A war long past.

Kaelen saw glimpses—flashes of the guardian before its fall. A warrior standing at the gates of a great kingdom. A sworn protector. A knight who had once fought against corruption… only to be consumed by it.

"I… was a shield… I was supposed to protect them…" the guardian’s voice rasped, distorted by centuries of decay.

Kaelen hesitated for a split second.

And the knight struck.

A gauntleted fist crashed into his side, sending him flying. He tumbled across the ground, coughing as pain tore through him.

"Hesitation will kill you, Kaelen." The system’s voice was cold, warning him.

Kaelen forced himself up, gripping his sword. His heart pounded, but his resolve hardened.

This guardian wasn’t just a mindless enemy. It was a remnant of the past—an echo of what had been lost.

But that didn’t change what needed to be done.

"I will end this."

With a final burst of speed, Kaelen dashed forward, his sword glowing with divine energy. The knight raised its weapon, but this time, Kaelen was faster. He dodged under its swing and drove his blade straight through its core.

The knight froze.

The violet glow in its eyes flickered.

"Thank… you…"

The greatsword slipped from its grip, embedding itself into the ground as the knight’s form crumbled into dust. The mist around them dissipated, revealing the system fragment resting where the knight had stood.

Kaelen stepped forward and picked it up.

The moment his fingers touched the fragment, another memory surged through him.

Aeltharion, standing before an army.

Her voice, filled with sorrow.

"I only wanted to protect you all…"

Kaelen clenched his jaw.

The truth was becoming clearer. And with each fragment, the weight of his mission grew heavier.

But there was no turning back now.

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Moral Quote by Kaelen:

"The past does not change, but the future is ours to decide. Strength is not just in power, but in knowing when to move forward."

System’s Advice: