The group moved cautiously through the dense forest, the heavy darkness enveloping them. Ethan clutched the artifact tightly, its dim light barely cutting through the shadows.Every step felt uncertain, with only the occasional snap of twigs or rustle of leaves breaking the silence. Mia, with her daggers drawn, walked next to Ethan, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings for any sign of movement.Fenris, its silver fur bristling, growled softly, sensing a threat that was unseen to Ethan. Kael followed at the rear, his glowing staff casting a protective glow around the group. "How close are we to the forest's edge?" Mia asked in a low voice."Not far," Kael responded, though doubt tinged his voice. "But if that creature returns, distance won’t help us." Ethan glanced at Mia and Kael, noting their tired yet determined expressions.He tightened his grip on the artifact, resolved to protect them at any cost. Suddenly, Fenris halted, its ears perked, growling as its gaze fixed on a c

Ethan and his friends made their way through a dark, intimidating forest, their breath visible in the cool night air.Ethan clutched an artifact that glowed faintly, barely piercing the suffocating shadows around them, its power stirring as if sensing imminent danger.Mia walked close, her daggers at the ready, eyes scanning the trees. "How much farther, Kael?" she asked, her voice steady despite the tension. Kael, lighting their path with his staff, examined a map adorned with glowing runes."Not far," he responded, though a hint of unease colored his tone. "But it's only going to get more treacherous." Fenris, their wolf companion, growled, its silver fur standing on end, a warning that sent a chill through Ethan.He tightened his grip on the artifact and exchanged a knowing look with Mia; they understood they had to protect each other. "Stay sharp," Ethan said, trying to sound confident. "We’ve come this far; we can’t lose focus now." The group advanced cautiously, with Kael

The ground shook beneath Ethan's feet as the dark creatures came forward, their grotesque forms skittering across the forest floor like some malignant swarm of nightmares.His pulse quickened, his chest tight with the weight of the artifact pulsing in his hand, the power inside him throbbing with dark intent, urging him to let it all out at once, to indulge in the chaos and destruction beckoning.“You think you’re in control?” Kaelen’s voice sliced through the noise, cool and mocking. “You can’t fight it forever, Ethan. You’ll become just like them. You’ll be mine.”Ethan’s teeth gritted together, his mind a battlefield. He could feel the artifact pulling at him, trying to force him into submission, but he couldn’t let go. Not now. Not when everything was at stake.His eyes locked with Lysara's, her face taut, but her hand on her sword never wavering. She was the only one who had stood by him from the very start, even when all hope seemed lost. He couldn't fail her. He couldn't let Ka

The world became silent.All that had once been living, all of it fighting for its life, went silent, faded into an asphyxiating nothingness. The air was heavy, unnatural, like breathing underwater. Ethan's lungs constricted; the pressure in his chest rose as the darkness swallowed him whole. He could hear nothing but his own heartbeat: quick, irrational, and brutally deafening.His mind was racing. What had just occurred? Where was Kaelen? Where was Lysara?But when his eyes snapped open, he was no longer in the forest.The scene before him was stark, unnaturally still. The trees, the earth, even the sky were gone, replaced by a barren wasteland of jagged stone and swirling shadows. It was a place that defied reason, a place outside of time and space."Where in the hell am I?" muttered Ethan softly, unsure his words had an audience, even for himself.He took one step forward, and the ground grumbled beneath him in protest. Every inch of this place felt wrong, like it was waiting for

Darkness closed in around Ethan like a vice, suffocating him, squeezing the life out of him. The pain in his chest felt like a knife being twisted, the wound deep and unrelenting. He gasped, trying to force air into his lungs, but it felt like the world itself was pressing down on him, the weight of Kaelen's power crushing him into the ground.Ethan's vision blurred, the edges of his world fading to black as the violet energy crackled around him like a living thing, its pulse beating in time with his own frantic heartbeat.His body screamed for release, for freedom, but there was nowhere to go. He was trapped in this twisted void, and Kaelen was the predator and the cage all at once."You really thought you could stop me?" Kaelen's voice was ice, dripping with contempt. "You never had a chance."Ethan curled his fists as his mind screamed for an out, a way to fight back, but his body seemed frozen, unable to move due to the immense power Kaelen held. The pain that threatened to tear h