THE WEAVER OF GLASS SAND

Chapter 5: The Altar of Echoes

​The aqueducts were silent, save for the rhythmic dripping of liquid time. They emerged in the heart of the Orizon Palace—not in the throne room, but in the f*******n sanctum beneath it.

​The room was a cathedral of mirrors. In the center stood the Altar of Echoes, a massive pillar of unrefined chronos-glass. Standing before it was the High Priestess, her robes a shimmering gold that seemed to defy the darkness of the room. She didn't turn around; she simply watched their reflections in the glass.

​"Kaelia," the Priestess said, her voice like silk over a blade. "I told you the Bleed would erase you. I didn't think you’d be foolish enough to bring the erasure here yourself."

​"You lied," Kaelia said, stepping forward. She held the crown high. The black diamonds bled shadows onto the floor. "You didn't protect Orizon. You stole its future to keep a dead present alive."

​The Priestess turned, her eyes glowing with a terrifying, singular light. "I kept us in the sun! Look at him!" She pointed a trembling finger at Valen. "He is the result of 'change.' He is the king of ashes. I saved us from that fate."

​"By freezing us in a cage of glass?" Valen roared, lunging forward.

​With a flick of her wrist, the Priestess sent a wave of golden energy through the room. Valen was thrown back, his armor sparking with temporal static. Kalu tried to intervene, but the very floor rose up to bind his feet in crystal.

​Kaelia stood alone, the crown vibrating so hard her bones felt like they were shattering. The two timelines crashed together in her mind—the golden palace and the smoking ruin. She realized then that she wasn't just a seer. She was a conductor.

​"The song isn't yours to stop," Kaelia whispered.

​She slammed the crown onto the Altar.

​The world didn't explode. It went silent. For one heartbeat, the sapphire and the amber eyes saw the same thing: a blinding, neutral white. Then, the shattering began.