The transition between realms was never gentle. As the Marauders followed Idris through the veil of shimmering energy, Kael felt a familiar, unsettling sensation—like being pulled through a whirlwind of shifting light and sound. For a few disorienting moments, reality itself seemed to warp around them, the air thick with the hum of unseen forces. Then, with a sudden jolt, the world solidified, and they found themselves standing on the threshold of the Shrouded Crossroads.The air was different here—heavy, almost suffocating. Kael’s eyes adjusted slowly to the muted colors of their surroundings. The landscape before them was a strange, labyrinthine expanse of twisting paths and towering stone archways, each one etched with runes that seemed to shimmer and shift when he looked at them directly. The ground was made of dark, polished stone that reflected the dim, swirling mist that hung over everything, casting an eerie glow that made the whole place feel like a dream—or a nightmare."Wha

The journey back through the Crossroads felt longer than before. The mist clung to them, swirling in strange patterns, as if reluctant to let them go. Each of the Marauders moved with a purpose, but their minds were clearly elsewhere, caught between the Seer’s vision and the grim reality they were returning to. Even Idris, who usually radiated a quiet calm, seemed troubled.Kael glanced at his team. Their expressions were grim, their shoulders tense. The weight of the knowledge they had gained from the Seer hung over them like a shroud. They had learned what the Celestials wanted, but the path to stopping them was anything but clear. They needed more than strength—they needed allies, guidance, and a deeper understanding of the very balance they fought to protect.“We know their endgame now,” Kael said, breaking the silence. His voice sounded loud in the stillness of the Crossroads. “But the Seer was right. Knowing isn’t enough. We need to act.”“We need a plan,” Lyra agreed, her voice

The Crossroads felt different when the Marauders returned. It was still the same place—the endless mist, the twisting paths, the oppressive sense of something just out of reach. But now, it seemed quieter, as if even the realm itself was holding its breath, waiting to see what they would do next.Kael’s mind was racing as they moved through the shifting paths, his thoughts consumed by the Weaver’s words and the map she had shown them. Five anchor points. Five nexuses of power. Each one a potential battleground, each one critical to maintaining the balance across the realms. And somewhere out there, the Celestials were plotting to tear them apart.“Five points,” he murmured under his breath, his gaze distant. “We need to reach them before the Celestials do. But if the paths are hidden…”“It means we need to unlock them ourselves,” Lyra finished, glancing over at him. Her eyes were bright, her mind clearly working through the same puzzle. “The Weaver said the key lies within us. But wha

While Kael and Vira held their ground against the Celestial general, Korrin’s journey took him through the southern path of the Crossroads—a place that seemed to pulse with its own dark heartbeat. The air thickened with heat the deeper he went, the oppressive warmth wrapping around him like a suffocating shroud. His wings flickered restlessly, casting faint, fiery light through the mist, illuminating the path that twisted and turned unpredictably before him.Each step he took felt heavier, as if the very ground was fighting against him. But Korrin pushed on, his gaze focused and unwavering. There was something here—something pulling at him, calling to the fire that burned in his blood. The energy in the air vibrated in tune with his heartbeat, and he knew, with a deep, instinctive certainty, that he was getting closer to his anchor point.“Come on,” he muttered under his breath, his hands clenched into fists. “Where are you?”The mist parted slightly, and Korrin found himself standing

Naya moved quietly along the western path, each step measured, her senses heightened. Unlike the others, she hadn’t felt a direct pull toward any particular place. Instead, there was a subtle, almost imperceptible tug—a whisper at the back of her mind that guided her steps. The Crossroads seemed to shift around her, the mist curling in strange, hypnotic patterns that made it difficult to distinguish one path from the next.But Naya trusted her instincts. She had always been the quiet one, the observer. While Kael, Vira, and the others burned brightly with their power, Naya moved through the shadows, attuned to the undercurrents that so often went unnoticed. And right now, those undercurrents were leading her deeper into the maze of the Crossroads.She could feel it—something just ahead, just out of reach. A presence, faint but distinct, lurking at the edge of her awareness. The mist thickened around her, and the temperature dropped sharply, the chill biting into her skin. Naya’s eyes