All Chapters of Echoes in the Ashes: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The Empire's AshesThe wind, a continual reminder of the fall of the empire, murmured through the ruins. With her leather-clad fingers digging amid the ruins of a once-immensity palace, Zara knelt down. In the early morning light, the tall, hollow and cracked marble columns loomed above her, creating long, skeletal shadows. The smell of smoke, of something long burned and forgotten, filled the air. Even though she had been scrounging here for days, the scene remained the same: rusted weaponry, shattered statues, and the remains of a grandeur that had long since lost its significance.The silence and emptiness that occupied the spaces where life had flourished should have become second nature to her by now. However, every day seemed brand-new, and every rubble pile presented a fresh challenge. Zara detested it. despised the memories they evoked, hated the ruins. The reason she was here, however, was to ensure her survival

The Undiscovered WayOnly the odd creak of wood or the rustle of wind against the deteriorating structures could break the stillness of the destroyed marketplace. Zara couldn't get rid of the sense of urgency that was eating away at her, even if the atmosphere was heavy with the weight of the past. They had no time to relax. Not at all.In actuality, she was unsure of her next course of action. She had intended to go to the Imperial archives, where the weapon was supposedly kept, but the ruins were much more perilous than this location. There seemed to be darkness around every step taken in that direction. However, they were propelled ahead by the allure of something hidden beneath the ashes—the promise of power.From his place on the floor, Kael murmured in a raspy voice as he stirred behind her. "We must get out of here before it becomes dark. The risk increases with the length of time we are here.Zara looked at hi

The Coming of AgeZara felt a shock of fear run through her chest as the ground shook beneath her feet. She hardly had time to respond when the blazing crystal in Kael's hands blazed brighter, almost blinding her, and a deep, deafening rumble echoed through the vault's walls. Zara lifted her arm to protect her eyes from the quick flash of brightness, which was too much to handle."What's going on?" She yelled, but the loud noise drowned out her words. She could sense the floor beneath her trembling, as if the earth itself were objecting to their presence.The light appeared to pulse more quickly than ever before, and Kael's face was twisted in concentration as his hold on the crystal tightened. "I'm not sure, but we must relocate!"He dragged her to the closest wall, where she could hide in the shade of a big stone pillar. The walls of the vault creaked and cracked, as though the old building were struggling to s

The Fury of the SentinelThe cavern echoed with the Sentinel's footsteps, each one laden with the weight of age-old might. The ground shook beneath Zara's feet, as though the earth itself were yielding to the creature's will, and she could feel it in her bones. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps, and her pulse thumped in her ears.Not much had ever scared her. She had, after all, fought against the perils of this broken planet, scavenged among ruins, and survived the fall of an empire. But the horror clutched at her, a deep, gnawing emotion that threatened to suffocate her, as she stood before the Sentinel, an old, living weapon.She was dragged back towards the cavern's shadows by Kael's firm grip on her arm. "Zara, get moving!" he yelled, his voice full of desperation.She didn't require two reminders. They fled into the cave's darkness, Kael at the forefront, avoiding the dazzling light that the Sentinel's presen

The Signal and the StormThe stifling silence of the forest was broken only by the slight rustle of trees covered in ash. Zara leaned heavily on Kael as they struggled forward, getting farther away from the scene of their most recent near-death experience with every step. Her mind roiled with a restless energy, even as her legs cried out for rest.With a raspy voice, she eventually questioned, "What was that?" With a faint glimmer that pulsed as though it were alive, she gazed at the crystal in her fingers.Kael kept his eyes on the road ahead and avoided looking at her. He said, "Zara, it wasn't just the stalker." "That brightness... Your actions back then were like to setting off a beacon."A lighthouse?" Zara said again, her heart pounding. "You mean others witnessed it?"Kael eventually turned to her and paused his stride. He had a sombre face. Not only other people. them.In Zara's chest, the weight of his words