The corridor stretched on, winding deeper into the earth, its walls closing in as the air grew damp and thick. Kaelen’s new perception illuminated every detail—the jagged stones, faintly etched with symbols, and the subtle, almost imperceptible shifts in the air. It wasn’t just a passage. It was alive, vibrating with an ancient energy that whispered warnings in a language long forgotten.

“Who carves a death trap into a mountain?” Kaelen muttered, his voice low. “And why does it always feel like we’re walking straight into someone’s bad idea?”

“Do you ever stop complaining?” Sigrid’s tone was sharp, though there was a flicker of humor in her eyes.

Kaelen shot her a look. “Complaining keeps me sane. You should try it sometime.”

“I’d rather focus on keeping us alive,” she retorted, her fingers idly tracing the faint glow of magic that danced along her palms.

Nessa, trailing behind them, shifted uneasily. “Do you think... I mean, do you think there’s another one of those things down here?”

Kaelen glanced over his shoulder, smirking. “If there is, let’s hope it’s as ugly as the last one. Makes it easier to want to kill.”

“Charming,” Sigrid said dryly.

But despite his jesting, Kaelen couldn’t shake the tension coiling in his chest. The shard’s influence lingered, a cold presence that hummed in his veins. He wasn’t entirely sure what it had done to him, or what it would do next. And the further they descended, the stronger that strange energy became.

They emerged into a vast cavern, its walls glittering with strange, crystalline formations that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat. The light cast eerie, shifting patterns across the floor, revealing a mosaic of symbols etched into the stone.

Sigrid knelt, examining the designs with a critical eye. “These aren’t random.”

Kaelen peered over her shoulder. “Runes?”

She nodded. “But they’re... older. Pre-magic era, even. Whoever created these was harnessing power in its rawest form.”

“That’s comforting,” Kaelen said flatly.

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“It’s not meant to be.” She stood, brushing dust from her knees. “This chamber isn’t natural. It’s a focus point, a place to summon or bind something powerful.”

Kaelen gripped his sword, his voice lowering. “Binding it worked out well, didn’t it?”

Sigrid didn’t answer, her gaze fixed on the runes as if they might unravel their secrets if she stared long enough.

Nessa pointed toward the center of the room, where a jagged stone altar rose from the floor. “That’s new,” she said nervously.

Kaelen approached it cautiously, his instincts prickling. The altar was cracked, its surface darkened with what looked like centuries-old bloodstains. Around it were chains, thick and rusted, that radiated the same strange energy that filled the air.

He reached out, stopping just short of touching one of the chains. It hummed faintly, vibrating against his skin without contact.

“Whatever this was holding,” he said, “it’s not here anymore.”

Sigrid frowned. “Or it’s waiting for us.”

The chamber suddenly thrummed with energy, the crystalline walls flaring brightly. Kaelen and Sigrid both turned sharply, their weapons at the ready, as the ground beneath them began to quake.

The runes on the floor glowed, their light weaving together into a single, pulsing symbol in the center of the room. From that point, a form began to take shape—dark, amorphous, shifting like smoke.

As it solidified, a low, resonating voice filled the chamber, neither male nor female.

“Who dares disturb the silence of the forgotten?”

Kaelen tilted his head, unimpressed. “I’m Kaelen. That’s Sigrid. And she’s—”

“Enough.” The voice cut him off, the force of it shaking the walls.

The smoke condensed further, taking on a vaguely humanoid form, though its features were distorted, ever-changing. It loomed above them, its presence suffocating.

“You tread where you do not belong,” it said. “This place is sacred.”

Kaelen raised an eyebrow. “Sacred? Looks more like a haunted ruin to me.”

Sigrid shot him a warning glare. “Kaelen.”

“What?” he said innocently.

The entity didn’t respond to his remark. Instead, it raised an arm—or something resembling one—and the runes on the floor flared brighter.

“You seek the shards,” it said. “They are not yours to take.”

“We’re not here for them,” Sigrid said quickly, stepping forward. “We’re—”

“Lies,” the voice hissed, its tone shifting to something darker. “You carry the corruption within you.”

Its gaze—or the suggestion of one—fixed on Kaelen. The light from the shard within him flared faintly, reacting to the entity’s presence.

Kaelen tightened his grip on his sword. “So what? I picked up a bad souvenir. You gonna lecture me to death, or are we doing this?”

The entity let out a sound that might have been laughter, though it was cold and empty. “Foolish mortal. You think you can stand against me?”

Kaelen smirked, taking a step forward. “Let’s find out.”

The entity lashed out, its smoky form elongating into tendrils that whipped toward them. Kaelen dodged the first strike, his enhanced vision allowing him to anticipate the attack. He countered with a slash of his blade, but the weapon passed through the tendril harmlessly.

“Physical strikes won’t work!” Sigrid shouted, her hands weaving a complex pattern as she summoned her magic.

“Yeah, got that!” Kaelen snapped, dodging another strike.

Sigrid released her spell—a burst of shimmering light that struck the entity. It recoiled, its form flickering like a flame in the wind.

“Magic’s the key!” she called.

Kaelen growled under his breath. “That’s great for you.”

The entity turned its attention to Sigrid, its tendrils converging on her. She raised a shield of light, deflecting the attack, but the strain was evident on her face.

Kaelen glanced at the shard’s light pulsing beneath his skin. He didn’t fully understand its power, but he knew he didn’t have much choice.

He focused on the shard, willing its energy to the surface. The cold fire surged through him, and his sword began to glow faintly green.

The next time the entity attacked, Kaelen met it head-on, his blade slicing through the tendril. This time, the smoke hissed and dissipated where the blade struck.

“Well, look at that,” Kaelen said with a grin. “Guess I am magical now.”

Sigrid didn’t respond, too focused on maintaining her spells.

The fight was far from over, but for the first time since entering the chamber, they had the upper hand.