Xeres wasn't built; it coalesced. Not from stone and mortar, but from regret and the solidified echoes of forgotten rituals. Legend speaks of the Obsidian Heart, a geo-temporal anomaly that pulsed with the psychic residue of a civilization known only as the Kryll. The Kryll weren’t human, not entirely. They were beings of pure resonance, capable of manipulating time and memory with terrifying grace. They sought to transcend mortality, to weave themselves into the very fabric of existence. But their ambition fractured them, creating ripples in time, and ultimately, consuming themselves in a cascade of paradoxical realities.
“The past is not a place to visit, but a current to navigate.” – Kaelen, Last Keeper of the Obsidian Archives.
This device, discovered within the deepest levels of the Obsidian Citadel, is a fragmented temporal recorder. Each shard displays a fractured moment from the Kryll’s history, oscillating between clarity and utter distortion. Prolonged exposure induces a state of fragmented recall, often accompanied by vivid hallucinations – glimpses of the Kryll, their architecture, and the horrifying beauty of their temporal experiments.
The Kryll’s downfall wasn’t a singular event, but a cyclical resonance. Every thousand years, the Obsidian Heart intensifies, drawing in echoes of the past and projecting them into the present. These projections manifest as “Shimmers” – localized distortions in reality, populated by Kryll remnants and haunted by the consequences of their actions. The Shimmers obey a logic alien to human comprehension, shifting and reforming in response to emotional stimuli. Fear, grief, obsession – these are the keys that unlock their power.
“To truly understand Xeres, you must learn to bleed with its sorrow.” – Anya, a Shimmer Weaver.
A complex instrument of black obsidian and shimmering crystal, the Amplifier allows one to directly interact with the Shimmers. However, it’s incredibly unstable. Overuse leads to complete temporal dissociation, leaving the user adrift in a sea of fragmented memories and alternate realities.
For centuries, a secretive order known as the Keepers guarded Xeres, attempting to contain the Resonance and prevent its destructive influence. They were scholars, mages, and warriors, bound by oaths of silence and a terrifying understanding of the Kryll’s legacy. Most of the Keepers vanished during the last Resonance - their fates remain a mystery, swallowed by the Shimmers. Rumors persist of a hidden enclave, a sanctuary built within the heart of Xeres, where they continue to fight a battle that may be eternally unwinnable.
“The greatest weapon against the Kryll is not steel, but remembrance.” – Master Theron, last known Keeper.
Forged from a fragment of the Obsidian Heart, this gauntlet offers a limited degree of protection against the Shimmers. It doesn't negate them, but it allows the wearer to maintain a stable connection to the present reality.
The Shimmer intensified with unprecedented ferocity. Keeper Lyra, obsessed with understanding the Kryll’s temporal mechanics, attempted to stabilize the Resonance using the Resonance Amplifier. She succeeded, but at a terrible cost. The Amplifier overloaded, creating a localized temporal vortex. Lyra was consumed, her consciousness shattered across a thousand fragmented timelines. Her final words, whispered across the Shimmer, were a chilling warning: "Don't seek to control the echoes. They will control you."
Xeres remains, a silent testament to ambition and hubris. The Obsidian Heart continues to pulse, a constant reminder of the fragility of existence. Perhaps, one day, a new Keeper will emerge, one who understands the true nature of the echoes, and learns to live in harmony with the ghosts of the Kryll. Or perhaps, Xeres will simply fade back into the abyss from which it came, leaving behind nothing but the lingering scent of regret.