The sun climbed slowly, its rays piercing the lingering shadows in the forest. Ethan leaned against a tree, carefully holding the artifact. Its glow was faint, as if drained from the previous night's events.Nearby, Mia sharpened her daggers with intent focus, her face unreadable. Kael stood a short distance away, his staff firmly planted, quietly murmuring a spell to regain strength. Fenris lay at Ethan’s feet, its ears twitching at every little noise. Even while resting, the wolf remained vigilant.“We can’t keep this up,” Ethan said, breaking the silence.“Last night was too close. We need a new plan, or we won’t survive another attack.” Mia glanced up. “You think we don’t realize that? ” she replied, though without her usual edge.“Every step feels like a trap.” Kael turned to them, pale but resolute. “She’s right. These creatures are being controlled. Someone’s testing us, waiting for us to break.” Ethan clenched his fists, frustrated by the truth in Kael’s words.The figure from

The night seemed endless as Ethan and Lysara moved through the dense forest, engulfed by shadows. Even after defeating the monster, the silence felt ominous rather than comforting. Despite the battle's toll on his body, Ethan was more troubled by a nagging sense of unease in his chest. "Stay focused, Ethan," Lysara interrupted his swirling thoughts.She was alert, sword in hand, scanning the darkness ahead. "I can't shake the feeling we're being followed," Ethan murmured, clutching the artifact. Its power pulsed within him, urging him toward something or someone. Lysara nodded, checking behind them."We need to be cautious. If that creature was just a scout, we're in bigger trouble than we thought." Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the trees. It wasn’t Fenris it was something darker.A shadow passed across their path, nearly imperceptible, but Ethan sensed it a presence, like a breath on his neck. Before they could react, chaos erupted.Figures burst from the trees, limbs twisted

The darkness suffocated.Ethan caught his breath in ragged gasps as he stared into the abyss where Mia had just vanished. His body was shaking because of the shock, the burning sensation piercing his very being, as if needles had been fired through his very soul. His soul had left his body like it had no existence, an empty, throbbing hollow inside him.No." he whispered, his voice undistinguishable from the earth-shattering roar of the chasm that had gobbled her up whole. "No.no.no. No.His hands trembled to reach out, but there was nothing. No, not that. Nothing but swirling blackness, it seemed, to laugh at the desperation of the man. The ground beneath his feet cracked and shuddered in protest, like the earth was rebelling at his failure. It had all been his fault. He could have been quicker. He should have been stronger.But he wasn't.Not a man strong enough to save his sister.The hand on Lysara's shoulder tightened like a vice, and still, still couldn't help him back to the ed

Ethan gasped for air as the world outside him erupted into mayhem. The darkness that had swallowed the arena seemed to spread and twist, crawling up the walls of his mind, drowning him in a suffocating darkness. His senses blurred. The taste of copper filled his mouth, and the earth beneath him shook violently, the very fabric of reality crumbling to dust.He had been here before.He had felt it before, that crushing sense of dread, the one that clawed at your insides, gnawed at your very soul, until you couldn't even tell what was real anymore. The suffocating pressure, the fear that no matter how hard you fought, the darkness would swallow you whole.This time was different.This time, Ethan wasn't alone.A distant scream echoed through the black void, sharp and full of pain. It was Lysara.He clenched his fists, his heart pounding in his chest. Her cry sliced through the crushing darkness like a blade through flesh. It was the sound of a soul being torn apart. Ethan couldn't let th

Ethan's world exploded in a haze of white-hot pain as he collapsed onto the ground. His vision fluttered in and out of focus, but there was nothing more than the raw, searing agony coursing through his veins, clawing at his consciousness like a savage beast determined to tear him apart. Every breath felt like a struggle, as if he dragged himself deeper into the abyss.He could feel Kaelen was behind him, the twisted power of the force flowing through the air like a suffocating cloud. The bastard was enjoying this, seeing him writhe in agony. Ethan clenched his fists, making himself breathe past the pain, his mind racing to clear itself. He had to fight. He couldn't fall apart now.His heart pounded within his chest as he struggled to crawl onto his hands and knees, the ground lurching with each thud. His limbs were heavy, made of lead, yet he couldn't let Kaelen win. No way. He couldn't let his loved ones fall because of his weakness.Through the haze of pain, he thought of Lysara. Th