The jungle had become a living labyrinth, its thick foliage closing in around us as the path forward twisted and turned unpredictably. Every rustling leaf and distant growl set my nerves on edge, and the coin in my pocket pulsed faintly, as if feeding on my anxiety. Leery moved ahead, his steps steady but cautious, the scimitar now sheathed in the glowing coin that hung from a cord around his neck.
I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd just witnessed. The coin transforming into a weapon—how was that even possible? Could mine do the same? I wanted answers, but Leery didn't seem interested in talking yet. His silence was heavy, like he was weighing every word he might say next. Or maybe he was just tired. Either way, the quiet was starting to get to me.
"So," I said, breaking the silence, "this whole weapon thing… you just forgot to mention it, huh?"
Leery glanced back at me, his expression unreadable. "I didn't forget. You weren't ready to know."
I scowled. "I think I deserve a little more credit, considering I've managed not to die so far."
He stopped walking, turning to face me. "You don't understand what you're dealing with, kid. The weapon form isn't just some neat trick—it's dangerous. The coin takes something from you every time you use it, and if you're not careful, it'll take more than you're willing to give."
"What do you mean by 'take'?" I asked, my voice edging toward frustration. "You keep saying that, but you never explain it."
Leery sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's hard to explain. When you use the coin's power, it feeds on you. Your energy, your willpower, your… humanity. It's subtle at first, but the more you rely on it, the more it starts to twist you. I've seen it happen to others—people who thought they could control the coin, only to become slaves to it."
"Like Felix?" I asked.
Leery's jaw tightened. "Yeah. Like Felix."
---
The path ahead opened into another clearing, this one dominated by an ancient stone structure partially overtaken by the jungle. Moss-covered steps led up to a crumbling archway, and faded carvings decorated the walls. The air here felt heavier, almost oppressive, as if the very ground was alive with dormant energy.
"What is this place?" I asked, my voice hushed.
"A ruin," Leery said, stepping carefully onto the stone steps. "Probably left behind by the civilization that created the coins. If we're lucky, there might be something useful inside."
"If we're lucky," I muttered, following him up the stairs.
Inside, the ruin was dark and damp, the walls lined with strange symbols that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light. The carvings depicted scenes of worship, with figures kneeling before massive, coin-like objects held aloft by indistinct deities. Other carvings showed battles—people wielding weapons made of light, facing off against shadowy figures with grotesque forms.
"This is it," Leery said, running his fingers over one of the carvings. "Proof that the coins were meant to be wielded as weapons. Look here." He pointed to a figure holding a glowing sword, striking down a creature that looked eerily similar to the ones we'd been fighting. "The coins weren't just tools for granting wishes—they were meant to fight these things."
"Then why does using them feel so… wrong?" I asked, gripping my coin. "If they were meant to fight the creatures, why does it feel like they're draining us?"
Leery hesitated. "Because they're corrupted. The gods that created them didn't design them to work this way. Something changed—something that twisted their purpose. That's why the coins demand a price for their power."
I looked around the room, my eyes drawn to another carving—this one of five coins arranged in a circle, with lines connecting them to a central point. "What's this supposed to be?" I asked, pointing at it.
Leery studied the carving, his brow furrowing. "A nexus," he said after a moment. "The place where all the coins' energy converges. If the stories are true, whoever controls all five coins at a nexus would have unlimited power."
"And let me guess," I said, my stomach sinking. "That's exactly what Felix wants."
Leery nodded. "And the Seekers, too."
---
Before we could delve deeper into the ruin, a low growl echoed through the air, reverberating off the stone walls. I froze, my heart pounding as the sound grew louder, accompanied by the distinct click of claws on stone.
Leery's coin flared to life, transforming into the scimitar in his hand. "Stay close," he said, his voice steady but tense.
The creature emerged from the shadows, its form even more monstrous than the ones we'd seen before. Its body was covered in jagged scales that gleamed in the faint light, and its glowing eyes were filled with a feral intelligence. This one wasn't just hunting us—it was stalking us, testing our defenses.
"Great," I muttered, pulling out my taser. "Because the last one wasn't bad enough."
The creature lunged, faster than I expected. I barely had time to dodge as it swiped at me with a massive claw, the force of the blow sending me sprawling to the ground. Leery was already moving, his scimitar flashing as he slashed at the creature's side. The blade cut deep, but the creature barely seemed to notice, its attention focused entirely on me.
"Get up, Dax!" Leery shouted, circling the creature to draw its attention away from me.
I scrambled to my feet, gripping my coin tightly. "How do I use it?" I shouted back. "How do I make it turn into a weapon?"
"Focus!" Leery yelled, dodging another swipe from the creature. "The coin responds to your will. You have to believe it's a weapon, or it won't work!"
"Believe? That's all you've got?" I snapped, but there was no time to argue. The creature was coming for me again, its glowing eyes locked onto mine.
I gritted my teeth, gripping the coin as tightly as I could. Turn into something—anything, I thought desperately. But nothing happened. The coin stayed cold and inert in my hand.
The creature lunged again, and this time, I couldn't dodge fast enough. Its claws raked across my arm, drawing blood and sending a wave of searing pain through my body. I stumbled back, barely managing to stay on my feet.
Leery roared, driving the scimitar into the creature's back. The blade glowed brighter as it absorbed the creature's energy, but the fight wasn't over yet. The creature twisted, knocking Leery aside with a powerful blow.
"Damn it, kid!" Leery shouted, struggling to get back up. "Focus! Feel the coin's energy—let it guide you!"
I clenched my fist around the coin, my mind racing. I didn't know how to "feel" its energy, but I knew one thing: I wasn't going to let this thing kill me. Closing my eyes, I pictured the coin transforming—imagined it becoming something I could use to fight back.
The coin began to grow warm in my hand, then hot. I opened my eyes just in time to see it glow with a blinding light, the metal stretching and reshaping itself into a dagger. It wasn't much, but it was something.
The creature lunged again, and this time, I was ready. I drove the dagger into its side, and the reaction was immediate. The creature convulsed, dark mist pouring from its wounds as the energy flowed into the blade. It screeched one last time before collapsing, its body disintegrating into ash.
I stood there, panting, the glowing dagger still in my hand. "I did it," I muttered, almost in disbelief.
Leery walked over, a faint smile on his face despite the blood trickling from a cut on his forehead. "Not bad for your first try. But don't get cocky—the coin won't always make it easy for you."
I looked down at the dagger, watching as the glow faded and it returned to the form of a coin in my hand. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
"Because it's not just a weapon," Leery said, his expression turning serious. "It's a part of you now. Every time you use it, the coin takes something. If you're not careful, you'll end up like the creatures we're fighting."
---
The ruin was quiet again, but the weight of what had just happened lingered. We didn't speak as we searched the rest of the structure, eventually finding a small stash of supplies—old, rusted tools, and a few scraps of parchment covered in symbols neither of us could read.
"This place was important," Leery said, tucking one of the parchments into his bag. "We're not the first ones to be pulled here, and we won't be the last."
I stared at the carvings on the wall, my mind racing with everything I'd learned. The coins, the creatures, Felix Kane—it was all connected, but the picture still felt incomplete. "If the coin keeps pulling us to these nexuses," I said quietly, "what happens if we don't make it out of this one?"
Leery didn't answer right away. When he finally spoke, his voice was low. "Then someone else will take our place. The coin always finds someone new."
His words sent a chill down my spine, but before I could respond, the faint sounds of creatures stirring in the jungle reminded me that we didn't have time to dwell on it.