Shadows on the Horizon
The group traveled in silence for a while, the weight of their recent revelations pressing down on them. Tranquility could still feel the warmth of the Sun Peridot deep in his chest, a steady pulse of power that felt like it was waiting for something. Every step forward felt like it carried a greater weight, a responsibility he hadn’t yet fully grasped.
Syaoran and Reiko walked slightly ahead, their connection to the Earth Gem making them more attuned to the land around them. Every so often, Reiko would glance back at Tranquility, her sharp eyes assessing him.
“You’re different now,” she finally said.
Tranquility blinked. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “Before, your power felt... like it was just a part of you. But now, it’s like it’s watching everything you do.”
Tranquility considered her words. She wasn’t wrong. The Sun Peridot didn’t just feel like an extension of himself—it felt like something aware, something that had chosen him just as much as he had inherited it.
Endymion, walking alongside Kunzite, spoke next. “The Sun Peridot, the Golden Crystal, the Earth Gem... these artifacts aren’t just tools. They have history. They have purpose.” He glanced down at his own crystal, which flickered softly in his hand. “And we’re only beginning to understand them.”
Clow, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke. “Which means we must tread carefully. Power without knowledge is dangerous.”
Just as he said this, a sharp wind cut through the trees. The air grew thick, charged with unseen energy.
Everyone stopped.
Tranquility turned, eyes narrowing. “Something’s coming.”
A low hum filled the air, like the echo of a distant bell. The wind carried a faint whisper, words just out of reach.
Then, from the shadows of the trees, figures began to emerge.
Not just one. Not just two.
Dozens.
Each one shrouded in dark energy, their forms barely distinguishable from the swirling mist around them. Their eyes burned with an unnatural light.
Reiko’s fingers twitched. “More of them.”
Syaoran set his stance. “They were waiting.”
Kunzite drew his blade, eyes cold. “Then we cut through.”
The shadows moved as one, surging forward like a tidal wave.
Tranquility felt the Sun Peridot flare in response, heat flooding through his veins. The others readied themselves—Endymion’s Golden Crystal pulsed, Reiko and Syaoran’s Earth Gem flickered like a heartbeat.
There was no turning back.
The battle had begun.