Keeper of the Lost Cities: Elysian

Chapter 68

After seeing so many lives other than her own, Sophie wasn't entirely surprised when the vision came.

But this one wasn't from Merida or the abyss. Was it from the void, then, or simply the universe?

She would never know, would she?

A cavern came into view, larger in scale than any Sophie had ever seen. In the center was a tall pillar looming over the many other stalagmites.

Packed inside was a civilization of several thousand dwarves, both young and old, hushed in anticipation.

Waiting for something... or someone?

There was suddenly a new aura, a strange tension, that radiated from the central pillar. Sophie sensed it long before everyone's expressions changed.

They looked reverent and earnest, but it was combined with a vat of apprehension.

But she couldn't see who was standing on top of the pillar.

There was simply a vat of space where there should have been someone.

Then whoever it was spoke, and their voice rang out, echoing with eerie strength through the silent expanse.

Sophie barely had time to register that the words the mysterious entity had spoken weren't in any language she instinctively knew as a Polyglot before they were cleanly wiped from her brain like a leaf swept away in a stream.

Bewildered, she quickly scanned her surroundings for nearby minds interfering with her thoughts, but she was all alone with the strange phenomenon.

Was this meant to happen? Or was this a memory that had been tampered with?

A young dwarf walked, trembling, to the base of the central pillar. Someone behind her, an older dwarf, choked back what sounded like a sob.

Then the voice spoke again, and another small dwarf stepped forward hesitantly.

It's calling names, Sophie realized with a shudder. But what for?

Another name was called. A tiny dwarf barely a third of Sophie's height was summoned and carried over to the pillar by what looked like a guard.

And another.

Until six tiny dwarves were standing at the base of the pillar, their eyes wide with fear and helplessness.

They're the youngest ones, Sophie guessed. She scanned the entire cavern, and what she saw confirmed it. But why?

The voice rang out for the seventh time.

That was when she spotted him amidst the crowd, somehow seeing his pale face before the thousand of heads turned toward him.

Wyrden. His green eyes were two pools of innocence and beauty that only a newborn had. It took a long moment for Sophie to realize that he was the youngest of them all.

Even though she still wasn't sure what was going on, Sophie had a sinking feeling that those tender feelings wouldn't last very long.

She didn't see much of Wyrden's childhood, but there were recurring themes.

Seclusion. Long, dark hallways with too many locked doors. Wonderings about parents that were always shut down. The presence.

Too much secrecy and confusion for a young and growing mind to handle.

Nothing about his social status and wealth changed to the public, but everyone was aware of his importance. There was now a weight on Wyrden's shoulders that was somewhat like royalty, albeit in a different way, as he was allowed no special attention from anyone except for the presence.