Home Tower was within sight, the place where the Mega Crystal pulsed like the heartbeat of Solea, its rhythm almost tangible. The tower loomed large and imposing, a testament to the power and mystery it housed. The path to this moment had been fraught with danger, especially after Alster's near-drowning at the previous tower, but now, with Home Tower just ahead, the stakes had never been higher.

As you arrived at the last tower in your circumambulation, a sense of foreboding filled the air. You were all on high alert, every shadow and sound a potential threat. The lava that typically flowed outward from Home Tower was now strangely reversing its course, flowing back toward the tower. Something was affecting the energy of the land, a malevolent force that you could almost feel in the air.

Alster, Drue, and Haden decided to enter the tower to investigate, their warrior instincts driving them to seek out the source of the disturbance. Not being a warrior yourself, you opted to walk around the tower, preferring to avoid trouble. Talik accompanied you, not out of a sense of duty but rather to continue her mid-sentence description of a recipe for sautéed gemback that she obviously felt she just had to finish telling you about, her voice a comforting distraction from the tension.

As you rounded the back of the tower, you noticed a crack that had developed, about two meters tall, with unstable lava oozing out. The molten rock flowed down the hill and into the ocean, hissing and spitting as it cooled. The glow of the lava was still visible as it rolled across the ocean floor, covering kelp and sand alike. An eerie feeling settled over you as you observed its trajectory.

Talik, now equally curious and uneasy about the lava's direction, said, "I sense something is there, but I see nothing. I feel fear, but I don’t know what to be afraid of. I’m sending a fire message to Maeka, asking her to run to the Pedestal of The Mages. It can reveal paths and unlock truths." Talik sent the fire message, and you both walked further down to the shore, standing at the ocean's edge.

After a moment, you saw a line of fire streak across the sky. "Its from Maeka" said Talik. But it wasn’t headed toward you, it was going over and beyond, flying overhead and plunging into the ocean causing a huge spray. Suddenly, a rock structure began to rise from the water, and on top of it was a group of stone buildings. "Oh my!" you exclaimed. "Is that where Delrona has been hiding?"

The stone island holding a small town like a diadem on a staff, now thirty meters in the air, dripped water as it ascended rose before you. Delrona stepped out of one of the buildings, her gaze locking onto you and Talik at the shore. She pulled out an old parchment, waving her hand and muttering something inaudible. Talik's eyes widened. "I will take bets on that paper being the stolen page from the Book of Lyt."

The water in front of you erupted and bubbled. A pillar of water and rock rose from the ocean floor, and the face of an angry man as big as the column emerged, screaming your names. You stepped back in shock, falling to the ground. The column continued to rise, morphing into a giant warrior made of water, striding towards you with relentless force.

Haden, Drue, and Alster, now on the platform at the top of the tower, saw the commotion and yelled, "Watch out!" But it was too late. The giant water warrior swung a huge snake made of water at you. Talik dodged, but the last thing you saw was the impact of water hitting your face. The blow knocked you back with immense force. 

Talik screamed your name, a desperate sound that echoed in your mind as you lost consciousness. The world faded to black, the voices of your friends growing distant. "Is she going to make it?" you heard Drue ask, just before everything went silent.

The fight for the Mega Crystal was far from over, but as darkness claimed you, you remember the dream and submit to the possibility that the foreseen death might just be yours. 

Has Delrona won? Have our heros lost? Without enough members in their group can they still combat Delrona? Make a prediction and add it to Thy Quests to continue. 

Next: E8Q3 From Peak to Shoal