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The Warden's Gambit
Author: Gold Tony
last update2025-01-03 20:07:07

The faint glow of dawn seeped through the temple’s cracked windows, casting long streaks of light across the moss-covered floor. Adrian stirred from his uneasy sleep, his hand instinctively reaching for Eclipsion. Beside him, Lysandra was already awake, her sharp violet eyes scanning the room as if she could sense something amiss.

“Did you sleep at all?” Adrian asked, his voice hoarse.

“Barely,” Lysandra replied, her tone clipped. “The wards held through the night, but they were tested.”

Adrian sat up, frowning. “Tested? By who?”

Lysandra hesitated before answering. “Not who—what. The mercenaries weren’t the only ones drawn to the relic. Something older… something darker is tracking us now.”

Adrian felt a chill run down his spine. The relic pulsed faintly on his hand, as if echoing her words. “What do you mean by ‘darker’?”

She stood, brushing dust off her cloak. “There are entities that exist outside the pantheon’s reach, ancient wardens of balance and chaos. When power like the reli
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