The air grew colder, heavier, as they ventured deeper into the mountain’s depths. Their torches flickered weakly, struggling to hold back the darkness that seemed to press in from all sides. Every sound was amplified in the stillness—the echo of their footsteps, the occasional distant drip of water, and the subtle, almost imperceptible hum of dark energy vibrating through the stone.

Kronmud, walking slightly ahead, paused to inspect a nearby wall. Strange, twisting runes, long faded, had been carved into the rock. His brow furrowed as he traced his fingers over the carvings, muttering something under his breath.

“This… isn’t dwarven,” he murmured, his tone unsettled. “These runes are older than our kind. They were here before even the mountain’s first miners.”

Elanor moved closer, her eyes widening slightly. “These are elven runes,” she said softly, brushing her fingers over one of the symbols. “The language of our ancestors, but… corrupted.”

Mihai glanced between them, frowning. “Corrupted how?”

“The words speak of binding, of sealing something away,” she explained, her voice hushed. “But there’s a distortion. It’s as if the magic itself was twisted, tainted.”

Raven growled softly, his eyes narrowing as he sniffed the air. “Something foul lingers here,” he murmured, his gaze fixed on the shadows ahead.

As they continued, the runes grew more frequent, spiraling and twisting along the walls in patterns that became more chaotic, more frenzied. Elanor’s hand shook slightly as she read them, her face paling.

“It speaks of… a hunger,” she whispered. “Something that was locked away, deep within the mountain, its power too dangerous to be left unsealed.”

Kronmud’s grip tightened on his axe. “If that’s true, we’d best be ready fer whatever’s waitin’.”

Their path led them to a vast, open chamber, its ceiling disappearing into darkness. Strange, twisted pillars of black crystal jutted from the floor, each one radiating an unsettling, cold energy. The center of the room held a massive stone slab, cracked and worn with age, and atop it rested an object—a shimmering black crystal, its surface swirling with shadows.

Mihai felt an immediate sense of dread, as though the very air around the crystal were charged with malevolence. Elanor’s gaze locked onto it, her expression tense. “That… is a core crystal,” she murmured. “A fragment of pure darkness.”

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“Then it’s time tae break it,” Kronmud said firmly, stepping forward. But as he raised his axe, a powerful force rippled through the chamber, knocking them all backward.

From the shadows emerged three more creatures—Wraithbound Specters, their forms translucent and spectral, with long, twisted arms that seemed to stretch endlessly into the shadows. Their faces were hollow, empty voids, and an aura of despair radiated from them, seeping into the hearts of those who looked upon them.

“Stay together!” Mihai shouted, gripping the Twin Flames tightly as he took a defensive stance.

One of the specters lunged toward Elanor, its arms outstretched, its fingers like claws of mist. She barely dodged in time, the specter’s hand passing through the air where she’d just been standing, leaving a trail of cold that bit into her skin. She raised her staff, summoning a spectral barrier around herself, her expression fierce as she focused on holding it.

Cian fired an arrow, but it passed through the specter’s form, leaving it unharmed. Frustrated, he took a step back, his eyes narrowing as he adjusted his aim. “Their cores—focus on their cores!” he shouted, spotting a faint, flickering light within the specters’ chests.

Mihai nodded, charging toward the nearest specter. He swung one of the Twin Flames at the creature’s chest, aiming for the faint glow within. The blade connected, and the specter let out a shriek, its form rippling as the light within its chest dimmed. The creature staggered, weakened, but not defeated.

Kronmud charged in as well, swinging his axe with precision honed by years of battle. His blade connected with another specter, striking the core dead center, and the creature let out a wail before dissolving into mist.

The third specter darted toward Cian, its form blurring as it moved. Cian stumbled back, his bow raised defensively, but before the specter could strike, Raven leapt in, his massive jaws clamping down on the specter’s arm. The creature thrashed, trying to free itself, but Raven held firm, his growl echoing through the chamber.

Mihai took advantage of Raven’s grip, driving his sword into the creature’s core, piercing it cleanly. The specter let out one final, agonized shriek before dissolving, its energy dissipating like smoke.

As the last specter fell, the chamber grew silent, the oppressive energy lifting slightly. But the black crystal at the center of the room continued to pulse, a reminder of the darkness that remained.

Elanor approached it slowly, her expression troubled. “This… this is a fragment of the same darkness that infects the land,” she murmured. “It’s bound here, yet it still spreads its influence.”

Mihai stepped forward, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. “Then let’s destroy it.”

Together, they raised their weapons, the Twin Flames and Elanor’s staff both aglow with ethereal light. With a single, united strike, they brought their weapons down on the crystal, shattering it. A wave of dark energy burst from the shards, but it quickly dissipated, leaving only silence in its wake.

As the crystal crumbled, Mihai felt a faint warmth wash over him, a sense of calm that reminded him of Elanor’s presence. He glanced at her, and she returned his look with a soft, knowing smile. For a moment, the darkness around them seemed less menacing, as if their bond had created a light that even this ancient mountain couldn’t extinguish.

Kronmud let out a sigh of relief, clapping Mihai on the back. “Ye did well, lad. Didn’t know ye had it in ye.”

Mihai chuckled, the tension easing from his shoulders. “Couldn’t have done it without all of you.”

They gathered their gear, preparing to move on, but as they looked back at the shattered crystal, a lingering sense of foreboding settled over them. This was only a fragment of the darkness that plagued the land—a single piece of a greater evil that awaited them in the mountain’s deepest depths.