The flight to the Temple of Echoes was breathtaking. Perched on Vaerion's broad, shimmering back, the group soared above glimmering valleys and crystal lakes hidden from mortal eyes. The ancient dragon's scales reflected the shifting colors of dawn, a dance of gold and deep indigo. The wind rushed past their ears, but the silence among them spoke volumes.
Aizak sat near Vaerion's neck, hand clenched over his heart. Something in him stirred. The closer they flew toward the temple, the heavier the pulse of magic became—like a drumbeat resonating with his very soul.
They landed in a highland sanctuary, the Temple of Echoes nestled between two curving cliffs draped in vines of silvery leaves. It didn't look like a structure built by hands. Instead, it felt grown from the earth—pillars of living stone humming with arcane symbols, vines coiling in elegant patterns, and a pool of still water in the center, glowing faintly with ethereal blue light.
"This place," whispered Hitomi, touching the temple walls. "It sings…"
"It does," Vaerion rumbled. "The Temple of Echoes reflects not only the sounds of the world—but the memories of it. It will show you truth. Pain. And possibly hope."
The group entered cautiously. The air inside was cool and charged. The moment they stepped through the veil of glowing mist, the doors behind them closed. The light dimmed. And then—
They were no longer together.
Each of them stood alone.
---
Akane Aika found herself in a field of shattered wind chimes. Each one echoed with the voices of people she had failed to protect. Her knees buckled under the weight of her guilt. "I'm not strong enough," she whispered.
A voice rose from the wind. Yet you never stop trying.
The wind lifted her gently, wrapping her in warmth. Her staff reformed in her hand, and the shattered chimes became clear tones of promise.
---
Fumiko Haruki stood before a wall of fire, on the other side of which was her childhood home—burning, again and again. Her past trauma had always haunted her, fueling her magic with rage and desperation.
"Why must it always be pain that feeds my flames?" she shouted.
The flames parted slightly, revealing a memory—her younger self, holding a candle to guide others. Not to burn, but to illuminate.
Her fire changed. It softened. Controlled, but not diminished.
---
Chouka Daiki was buried under mountains of stone, feeling the weight of responsibility. The earth called to her, not as a weapon, but as a foundation. She recalled her mother's words: "You are the one who roots us."
Tears in her eyes, she let go of her pride and asked the earth for help. It responded—not with destruction, but with strength. The stones rose with her.
---
Hitomi Ika stood on a frozen lake where time had stopped. Around her, moments of her life hovered in suspended droplets. She feared changing the flow. She feared moving forward.
But in the reflection of the ice, she saw her friends—moving, living, growing.
She stepped forward. The lake melted into a flowing river. Her water danced again.
---
Suzume Tamami was trapped in endless light. Too bright, too harsh. She could see everything—and yet, nothing.
Then, she heard laughter—Tomomi's, Akane's, even Aizak's. Life wasn't always perfect. And light wasn't meant to blind. It was meant to guide.
She dimmed her own light, allowing shadows to form—creating balance. And with it, clarity.
---
Tomomi Usagi walked through a shadowy corridor, where the whispers of darkness clawed at her mind. But she had mastered the dark—not by running from it, but by accepting it.
She turned, faced the shadows, and embraced them.
"I am not my power. I am myself."
The corridor folded away, and the darkness obeyed.
---
Aizak Mikami stood before a shattered mirror. In each shard, he saw himself: prince, healer, monster. One image in particular stood out—his eyes dark, his hands drenched in blood.
"You fear what you might become," came Vaerion's voice in his mind. "But the future does not exist yet."
Aizak clenched his fists. "I will choose. I'm not bound to fate."
The shards rose, reassembled into a mirror that reflected his true self—broken, but healing.
---
Suddenly, the group was pulled back into the central chamber. The light returned. They looked at each other, changed. Empowered.
Before they could speak, the water pool at the center churned. A form began to rise—cloaked in black fog, with burning red eyes.
"I knew you would come here," hissed the figure.
"Who are you?" Aizak stepped forward.
The fog parted to reveal a man with long silver hair, and a cruel grin. "Call me Riven. I was once your uncle."
Everyone froze.
"That's impossible," Aizak whispered. "My uncle died in the war—"
"—No," Riven growled. "Your father betrayed me. Cast me into darkness. But I survived. And now, I will reclaim what should have been mine. Starting with you."
He raised his hand, and corrupted spirits burst from the mist, surrounding them.
Vaerion's roar shook the walls. "Defend the temple!"
A storm of elements erupted. Fumiko and Suzume combined their powers to create scorching rays of light and fire. Chouka raised stone walls to shield the others. Hitomi summoned geysers to launch enemies into the air. Tomomi unleashed spiraling void magic that devoured the shadow beasts.
Aizak's hands glowed—one with radiant green, the other pulsing black. He rushed toward Riven, clashing with him in a whirl of strikes and spells. Healing magic clashed against dark corruption in bursts of raw energy.
"You're strong, boy," Riven spat. "But strength without resolve is meaningless."
"I have both!" Aizak roared. "And I'm not alone!"
He channeled energy from his allies, combining their elemental power with his own dual magic. The resulting blast struck Riven, shattering his form.
But Riven only laughed. "This body is temporary. The darkness I serve is eternal."
And with that, he vanished into smoke.
The group fell to their knees, exhausted.
Vaerion lowered his head. "You've passed the temple's trial—and faced your greatest fears. But your journey is only beginning."
Aizak stood, heart pounding. "Who was he really?"
"Riven was once a prince like you," Vaerion said. "But he chose vengeance. His soul now serves the Eclipsed Symphony, a force that seeks to twist the world's harmony into chaos."
A heavy silence followed.
Akane looked around. "So… what now?"
Vaerion's eyes burned gold. "Now, we travel to the Sanctum of Resonance. There, you'll discover the final truth of the Elemental Symphoni… and your role in it."