Episode 28: Temple of Memories and Broken Promises
The early morning mist wrapped the forest in a dreamlike hush. Birds didn't chirp. Leaves didn't rustle. It was too quiet—eerily so.
Ayra's instincts were screaming. She stood still, her eyes narrowed, her hand on the hilt of a sword no blacksmith could forge—a blade that shimmered with cosmic light, gifted only to her.
Behind her, Caelum caught up, panting.
> "Remind me… why are we following a weird pulse through a cursed jungle?"
> "Because I've been here before," Ayra said. "In a vision."
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The Vision
Two nights ago, Ayra had a dream.
But not just any dream—it was a memory, buried deep, resurfacing at last.
A temple. Floating above shattered land.
A woman stood at its gates—tall, powerful, kind. Her eyes looked like Ayra's.
Her voice echoed:
> "The truth sleeps where memories bleed."
> "Find me."
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Present: Edge of the Forgotten Temple
After hours of trekking through dense terrain, they finally found it.
An ancient ruin half-sunk into the earth, wrapped in vines and bound by some unseen force. The air shimmered.
Ayra stepped forward—and the ground trembled.
A seal on the temple's gate lit up: a symbol known only to the ancient cosmic houses. A circle within a triangle, wrapped in nine rotating stars.
Caelum reached out, eyes wide.
> "That symbol… that's the Crest of the Origin. The first civilization. My father told me it was just a myth…"
> "It's real," Ayra whispered.
> "Because my mother wore it."
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Inside the Temple
As the gates opened, time seemed to slow.
Inside: rows of stone statues, each thousands of years old. Each carved with different versions of Ayra's face. But they weren't just her…
They were her past lives.
> "What… what is this?" she whispered, stepping closer to one statue. It was armored, fierce, holding galaxies in her hand.
> "You are not the first, Ayra," came a voice—not Caelum's.
A woman stood on the altar at the center of the temple, made of light and memory.
Her form flickered like an echo.
It was Ayra's mother.
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The Message from the Past
> "If you've made it here… it means your powers have begun awakening."
> "My dear child… you were not supposed to carry this alone. But fate… fate took everything from me."
> "I was the daughter of the Primordial King. But when I went to meet your father… I was attacked. My memories stolen. My power sealed."
> "I woke up with nothing—except the life growing within me."
Ayra's heart raced. Tears formed.
> "You… knew?" Ayra whispered.
> "I always knew. And I watched you grow through this vision… until the day my time ran out."
The echo touched the necklace around Ayra's neck—and it glowed brilliantly.
> "This necklace holds the key to your truth. When you return to our homeland… it will guide your destiny."
> "Remember, Ayra—no one must know your full power. Not yet."
The light began to fade.
> "But when the time comes… when the stars tremble, and gods fall…"
> "You will rise, my daughter."
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Back Outside the Temple
Ayra stood in silence. Her hand clenched around the glowing necklace. Caelum placed a hand on her shoulder.
> "She loved you."
> "She still does."
Ayra took a deep breath.
> "Then let's start writing our story."
> "Not the one they wrote for us…"
> "But the one we choose."
She turned to the temple behind her one last time.
And then it vanished—collapsing into dust, as if it was only ever meant to awaken once.
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Meanwhile: Deep within the Universal Organization's Core HQ
Velian knelt again. This time, there were three figures watching.
> "She has entered the Temple of Origins," Velian reported.
One figure hissed.
> "Impossible. That temple was hidden beyond known time."
Another spoke calmly.
> "It has begun then. The Reawakening of the True Child."
The third, the oldest voice, rasped:
> "Let her grow. Let her believe she's winning."
> "Because when she realizes the price of her power…"
> "She will break."
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