The ruins of Solis rose like a skeleton against the pale moonlight, jagged spires clawing at the sky.Once, this city had been the heart of a kingdom known for its brilliance and magic.Now, it was a mausoleum, its broken towers shrouded in mist and silence.Adrian and Selene stood on a ridge overlooking the desolation.The night air was cold and wet, carrying the scent of ancient stone and decay.Far below, the faint glow of crimson lanterns flickered like embers.Adrian’s hand went to the hilt of his sword as he scanned the darkness.“They’re here,” he murmured.“Kael… and others.”Selene’s shadows stirred restlessly at her feet, whispering of danger.She nodded, her voice low. “I can feel it. The Master’s presence is… thick here. Like he’s woven his will into every stone.”Adrian’s jaw tightened.“It’s a trap.”“Of course it’s a trap,” Selene said bitterly.“He wants us all in one place. You, me, Kael… the relic.And when the pieces are set — he wins.”Adrian crouched, unrolling Va

The central spire of Solis loomed above them, its upper levels shrouded in mist. Up close, the once-grand structure was even more imposing. Massive stone pillars were fractured, and the walls were scorched by ancient magic. Yet deep inside, a faint, golden glow pulsed — steady, rhythmic, like the beating of a heart.Adrian’s grip tightened on his sword as he stared at the glow. Every instinct screamed that this was wrong.“This doesn’t feel like a ruin,” he muttered. “It feels… alive.”Selene shivered, her shadows curling tightly around her. “Because it is. The Master’s corruption runs through this place like blood through veins. This whole city is his cage — and we just walked into it.”Kael said nothing. He limped behind them, his side bound hastily with torn cloth. His face was pale but set in grim determination.Adrian glanced back at him, eyes narrowing. “Are you slowing us down?”Kael’s mouth twisted in a humorless smile. “If I were, would you carry me?”Adrian didn’t

The relic’s light pulsed wildly, each beat shaking the chamber like a drum of war.Cracks split the golden floor, spewing molten streams of corrupted energy that hissed and sizzled upon contact with the cold air.Above, the spire groaned like a dying beast.Fragments of stone rained down, and pillars splintered beneath the strain.The Master stood in the center of the chaos, his skeletal frame wreathed in coils of living darkness.Though the relic’s chains were broken, fragments still clung to him, feeding him strength.“You think you’ve won by defying me?”His voice thundered through the chamber, deeper than before, shaking the very marrow of their bones.“No… you have merely hastened your doom.”He raised his hand, and the shadows surged like a tidal wave.“Scatter!” Adrian roared.Selene darted left, shadows swirling protectively around her like living armor.Kael rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding a spike of darkness that erupted from the floor.Adrian charged straight ahead,

The journey back to the allied encampment was long and silent.Adrian led the way, carrying the unconscious Kael on his back, while Selene followed close behind.The landscape they crossed was scarred by war — burned fields, shattered villages, and the bones of fallen soldiers left to bleach beneath a pale sky.As they neared the edge of the encampment, distant horns sounded.A ripple of movement stirred among the tents as word spread of their return.Selene’s breath caught when she saw the crowd gathering.Soldiers, healers, and civilians alike poured into the clearing, their faces filled with awe, fear, and disbelief.To them, Adrian wasn’t just a warrior anymore.He was the man who had walked into Solis and brought it down.But victory, she knew, often bred suspicion.General Darion, the commander of the allied forces, pushed his way through the crowd.He was a broad-shouldered man with a face lined by years of war.His sharp gaze swept over Adrian and Selene, lingering on the gold

The forest was silent except for the sound of Adrian’s ragged breathing.He had been walking for hours, deeper and deeper into the wilds beyond the camp, until the paths vanished and only darkness surrounded him.The moon was a thin, cold blade in the sky, barely cutting through the heavy fog that clung to the ground.Adrian stumbled into a clearing and collapsed to his knees.His hands shook violently as he uncurled them.The relic’s ember glowed between his palms, brighter than ever, casting long, sinister shadows across his face.“Leave me alone,” he whispered, though there was no one to hear him. You can’t silence me, the voice purred, smooth and insidious.I am part of you now. Every heartbeat, every breath — mine.“No,” Adrian hissed, gripping his head.“You’re not me. I’m not… like him.”Aren’t you? the voice laughed softly.The Master fought to conquer. You fight to save. Different words, same chains. You think they love you, but they fear you. Fear is just another kind of wo