Whispers of Crystalythia
Lythia, a young artist trying to get into a prestigious art university, moved to Crystalythia with her dog, hoping to capture its scenery for her application. She was mesmerized by its beauty, from futuristic structures to its unique currency, Crystalythia seemed straight out of a movie.
As they boarded the plane, an announcement echoed through the room, “Welcome aboard! Please fasten your seatbelt once you find your seat. Locate the nearest emergency exit that might be behind you. In case of cabin pressure loss, oxygen potion will drop from above. Make sure devices are in airplane mode, and just a reminder — this is a non-smoking flight. For assistance, press the ‘help’ button. Enjoy your flight!”
After the plane landed, Lythia stepped out into the sunset. The sky was a painting as people approached their taxi. While trying to find her ride, Lythia realized she had forgotten to trade her paper currency for stones! She raced through the crowds of countless people only to realize that she was lost, lost somewhere in an abandoned alley. That’s when she saw it — the forbidden stone.
Lythia was more curious than scared. She wanted to know why it was there. She wanted to know what happened to it. She wanted to know who left it there and what was inside, because legend has it that these whispering stones not only contain memories that only the owner can see, but some also contain secrets and might tell them to those who dare to listen. On top of the highest mountain in Crystalythia, the most powerful stone of all the Whispering Stones was kept by a sorcerer called The Memory Collector, who fought off countless monsters for millions of years. People believed that the stone had to be protected since they held the truth about how Crystalythia was created and its dark origins.
When Lythia looked into the stone, she saw herself unwrapping her birthday gift, which was her dog, while her grandpa traded an wrapped artifact with a cloaked figure for money. Her family members had betrayed her! It turns out that the cloaked figure used the powerful artifact to create Crystalythia, but since the artifact contained too much power, the cloaked man vanished right after using it.
“He is not dead yet. If you don’t help us find the artifact, the whole world will be doomed! The longer you take, the harder it is to fix this issue.” The rock whispered. “I wish you luck, you’ll need it. Bye.”
Lythia knew what to do. She needed to get to the top of that mountain. Before doing so, Lythia needed to get some things. She picked up the rock, now cold and silent, and went to her apartment.
Lythia looked around, gathering the necessary items for the trip. After she finished packing up, she left with her dog. “Lumis! Here, boy!” Lythia called.
The Golden Retriever pounced on her, barking, thinking that they were going to play fetch. But instead of holding up her hand to throw the rock, Lythia walked out with her luggage, starting her adventure. The trail was twisting into the forest. Lumis raced beside her, his fur glittering in the golden light. As night approached, they climbed to about half the mountain. Slowly, as they became more drowsy, the mountain seemed to become more powerful, pulling their feet down. There were faint whispers from here to there, but Lythia couldn’t make out what they were saying.
“Did you hear that?” Lythia asked, her voice barely even a whisper.
Lumis tilted his head to the side and quickened his pace, kicking small puffs of dust in the air. “Wait!” She called, speeding up to match Lumis’s pace.
As they climbed higher, the path gradually got rockier and steeper. At sunset, Lythia set up a tent and secured it to the ground. Then she lit a fire using some twigs and a sparkstone. Lumis curled up next to her, waiting for the dinner of dried fruit and meat. Lythia could still hear the distant whispers. “We’ll find it tomorrow,” she said.”They’re very close.”
Lythia put out the fire before falling asleep with Lumis in her arms.
The next morning, sunlight hit Lythia’s face, waking her up. She listened closely- the whispers were still in the wind, just clearer. She packed up the tent, took the rest of the food, and continued the trip. The rock was right: the more time she took, the harder it was to resolve the problem. She climbed higher and higher, every step carrying her closer to the end.
Hours passed, and the further she went, the more perplexing the trail was. As she got through the forest, she saw a small temple.
The whispers were much louder now, and Lynthia could make out the words. “The truth..the truth must be revealed…” Badum, Badum, Badum… Lythia’s pulse quickened. What was this place, and where were these voices from? Taking a deep breath, Lythia stepped into the temple. While the outside looked small, the inside was giant. In the middle of the temple was a pedestal with an opal in the middle.
Just as she reached out to touch it – “Stop!” a voice boomed through the temple. Lythia froze. It was the Memory Collector. The legend was real, and the memory collector was the cloaked figure this whole time! “You have come far. You can choose whether you want to see the memory or not. Your decision will change Crystalythia forever,” he said.
Lythia was going to make a choice. The future of Crystalythia was all in her hands. Will she reveal the memory, or will she leave?