Crystal of Creation

5. The Weight Of A Voice.

"It's your choice... Do you truly want to relive this nightmare? How immature of you—this isn't some fantastical dream."

The words echoed in the void, chilling Kael to his core. A figure loomed before him, face obscured, as if the shadows themselves conspired to erase his identity. Kael's pulse quickened; he couldn't shake the eerie familiarity of that voice, whispering like a malevolent specter from the depths of his memory.

"I'm sorry... you were never meant to be chosen. I granted you hope, but it was never yours to wield. You were always strong, but strength was never enough... Now, I must take it all away." The figure turned, retreating into the abyss, its movements fluid and unsettling.

Kael felt an insatiable urge to chase after it, desperation clawing at his throat. He ran, each step echoing like a heartbeat in the oppressive darkness, but the figure faded, swallowed by the shadows as if it had never existed at all.

Suddenly, the room around him shifted, gravity twisting into something dark and malevolent. He plummeted into an endless void, the air thick with fear. A cacophony of whispers filled his ears, echoing his thoughts as he spiraled deeper and deeper into despair.

"Where the hell am I?" Panic surged as he fell, the darkness closing in like a suffocating shroud. Just as the weight of hopelessness threatened to crush him, Kael jolted awake, gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat.

"Thank god it was just a nightmare," he whispered, rubbing his face in an attempt to erase the terror lingering in his mind. He glanced out the window, daylight pouring in, a stark contrast to the darkness he had just escaped.

A bright voice broke through his haze. "Hey, Mr. Kael! You're late! You said you would fix my music box!" Amelia appeared in the doorway, her innocent smile a beacon of joy in his shadowy world. She held out the music box, the delicate trinket glimmering in the light.

Kael forced a smile, his heart momentarily lifting. "I'm so sorry, Amelia. I'll fix it as fast as I can. I promise to have it ready by sundown." Her laughter tinkled like chimes, momentarily pushing the darkness away.

"Mr. Kael, I don't know what you'd do without someone like me to remind you," she chirped, hopping with excitement as she gleamed with admiration for the village hero.

"Why don't you head on home? It's almost lunch time. I bet your mom's making something delicious." He gestured toward Maren's house, watching as the girl's face fell, the light dimming in her eyes.

Thud. Clank.

Kael shook himself as he settled into his chair, determined to bury the remnants of the nightmare. He grabbed Amelia's music box, but exhaustion clawed at him, the weight of his dreams pressing down harder than ever.

"Hey Kael, you alright? You look exhausted." Elara had been waiting in the shadows of his workshop, concern etched across her features.

"Oh, hey, I'm perfectly fine." He brushed her off, the lie tasting bitter on his tongue.

"Just remember to get some sleep tonight." As she spoke, a vision struck him—her lifeless body sprawled across the cold ground, a grotesque image that sent ice coursing through his veins.

"Oh shit!" He leapt from his chair, disoriented, rubbing his eyes as if to wipe away the horror.

"What's wrong? Why are you acting like this?" Elara's voice trembled as she shot up, fear flickering in her eyes.

"Get away from me!" He thrust his arm out, panic coursing through him as he stumbled backward, desperately trying to shake the vision from his mind. "E-Elara, I'm so sorry. I don't know what's happening!"