Blind Legacy of Time

Arden gripped Theron's arm tightly, Theron's shout of "We need to escape!" echoing amidst the temple's tremors. The temple was shaking with Karlin's fury the clock mechanism's hands had stopped, stones were cracking, and large chunks were falling from the ceiling. Arden, supporting Theron, ran toward the exit, but with every step, his blind eye burned more intensely as if the curse refused to let him go. Karlin's authoritative laughter still rang in his ears: "You cannot escape, Arden… the strings will find you."

Just a few steps from the exit, a massive chunk of stone broke from the ceiling, hurtling down toward them. Arden shaped his flames into a shield, blood-red fire shattering the stone mid-air, but the explosion's force sent them sprawling to the ground. Theron, gasping for breath, shouted, "Arden… hold on!" But Arden's mind was clouded with the searing pain in his blind eye. His blind eye flared and his mind was flooded with the memories of Karlin's life.

He was in Karlin's body, seeing through her eyes long, jet-black hair with blood-red flames dancing in each strand; amber eyes, deep and commanding, reflecting the secrets of time itself. She sat on a throne, her long black robe with intricate gold embroidery trailing on the ground, a delicate gold crown resting on her head every movement exuded nobility and authority, a majesty befitting a god.

Karlin's life unfolded in Arden's mind like a summary she had started as a young mage, raised in a small town, but she was different from the others even as a child. She could read people's emotions, see their weaknesses with a single glance and she learned to use that talent to manipulate them. Her first manipulation was bankrupting the town's merchant she uncovered his secrets and sold them to his rivals, leaving him with nothing in a single night. Karlin didn't stop there she infiltrated a lord's palace, gained his trust, and brought down his enemies one by one. Arden saw Karlin's rise she overthrew kings with a whisper, turned friendships into enmity with a glance.

Karlin had built an empire but it was an empire of her manipulations. In her palace, seated on a golden-embroidered throne, everyone bowed to her, but no one trusted her. Arden felt Karlin's loneliness with every victory, every manipulation, Karlin grew more isolated. At night, in her palace, she sat alone, her amber eyes staring into the void she was powerful, but utterly alone. One night, walking through the palace corridors, she overheard a servant's whisper a conspiracy, a betrayal. Karlin ignored it she was too powerful, no one could touch her, or so she thought. But that night, an assassin struck her in the chest with a dagger in the dead of night. Arden felt the pain in his own chest Karlin collapsed, her amber eyes glowing one last time, and her spirit was drawn to the god in a beam of light. The god looked at her and said, "My beautiful son… you created your flaw after your perfect creation." Arden now understood the meaning of the god's words Karlin's flaw was her manipulations, which led to her isolation and death.

When the vision faded, Arden reached the temple's exit just in time the temple collapsed with a deafening roar, stones and dust scattering everywhere. Arden and Theron tumbled into the forest, collapsing onto the ground, breathless. Arden clutched his head, "Karlin… was me," he murmured, his voice trembling. "But… I won't be like her. Not to loneliness… not to manipulations… no." Theron looked at Arden, "Even if you reject Karlin's legacy," he said, his tone serious, "the curse won't let you go. But I'm with you, Arden. We need to learn to control the curse find another temple… or a magic hunter."

Arden nodded to Theron, "Thank you," he said, his voice resolute. "I'll protect Lyra… Andre… my humanity." But in his mind, Karlin's amber eyes still glowed that loneliness, that cold manipulation, lingered like a shadow within him. "Karlin… why did you become this way?" he murmured, his voice fragile. "Power… it turned you into this. But I… I'll be different." Arden took a deep breath, the forest's cool air filling his lungs Lyra's golden eyes, Andre's gentle teachings flashed in his mind. "I… won't be a puppeteer," he said, his voice stronger.

But at that moment, a shadow emerged from the depths of the forest a dark creature wrapped in puppet strings, its eyes glowing amber, a manifestation of Karlin's curse. The creature raised its strings into the air, each thread wreathed in blood-red flames, and the strings wrapped around the forest's trees moving as if alive. The creature advanced slowly toward Arden, each step tightening the strings, the trees creaking under the strain, and the forest's silence was broken by the eerie sound of the strings a high-pitched hum, like a violin's bow on taut strings, but the melody was filled with fear and menace. Karlin's authoritative voice echoed: "The strings… will not let you go, Arden."