Serena woke to the faint crackle of the dying fire and the rhythmic sound of distant rain tapping against the cave entrance. The night had been restless—dreams of the Lumen Corvus haunted her, shadows moving at the edge of her mind. It wasn't just the exhaustion from their battle, but a deeper sense of foreboding, a feeling that their journey wasn't close to ending. There was still too much at stake, and too many unanswered questions about the artifact in their possession.
She sat up, rubbing the tension from her neck. The others were still asleep, except for Adrian, who sat quietly near the cave's mouth, his silhouette barely visible in the gray light of dawn. He was motionless, staring out into the misty forest beyond, lost in thought. It was rare to see him so still, so quiet.
Serena pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders and approached him, her footsteps barely audible against the cave floor.
"Couldn't sleep?" she asked softly, coming to stand beside him.
Adrian didn't look at her, his eyes still fixed on the forest. "There's too much to think about," he replied after a long pause. "Too many moving pieces."
Serena crossed her arms, her gaze following his. The forest was calm, but she knew it wouldn't stay that way for long. Even in this isolated place, they couldn't stay hidden forever. Sooner or later, someone would come looking for the Lumen Corvus—someone always did.
"We need to decide what to do with the artifact," Serena said, cutting through the silence. "Burying it is one thing, but we both know it's not enough. If it stays in this world, someone will find it."
Adrian finally turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "You're right. It won't stay hidden forever, and there are too many people with the resources to track it down. It's too dangerous."
Serena's brow furrowed. "You mentioned destroying it. Do you think that's possible? After what we've seen?"
Adrian sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "I don't know. Artifacts like this—they don't obey the usual rules of reality. The Lumen Corvus is ancient, older than anything we've encountered before. If there's a way to destroy it, we'll need to find something just as powerful to counteract it."
Serena leaned against the cave wall, her mind racing. "Then we need to start looking for answers. We've dealt with one threat, but if we're serious about stopping anyone else from using the Lumen Corvus, we need to figure out how to destroy it once and for all."
Adrian nodded, his gaze hardening with resolve. "There are sources—people who specialize in this kind of knowledge. I have contacts, old ones, in places where the answers might lie. It won't be easy, and it definitely won't be safe, but if we want to do this right, we'll have to dive deeper into the world of artifacts and their history."
Serena exhaled slowly. She had expected this—the fight against the Seekers was just the beginning. But hearing Adrian say it made the reality of what they were up against even more daunting.
"So what's the next step?" Serena asked, her voice steady.
Adrian glanced over his shoulder at the others, who were still sleeping soundly. "We gather resources, find the right people, and start putting together the pieces of the puzzle. But first, we need to move. Staying in one place for too long, even here, is too risky."
Serena agreed. "Let's give them a few more hours to rest. Then we can figure out our next move."
She turned to walk back to the fire but paused when Adrian spoke again, his voice lower, almost hesitant.
"You know," he said quietly, "there's another option."
Serena stopped, her heart skipping a beat. "What do you mean?"
Adrian stood up slowly, facing her fully now. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—something dangerous.
"We could use it," he said, his words barely louder than a whisper. "The Lumen Corvus is more than just a threat. It's a tool. If we understood how to control it, how to harness its power, we could reshape the world in ways no one else could."
Serena's blood ran cold. "You're not serious."
Adrian's eyes locked onto hers, unwavering. "I am. Think about it, Serena. All the factions, the organizations, the governments that have tried to control us, manipulate us—they would be powerless. We could change everything. The Lumen Corvus has the ability to open gateways, to bend reality. With that kind of power, we could remake the world."
Serena's fists clenched at her sides. "You sound like the Seekers."
Adrian's expression darkened. "No. The Seekers wanted to break the world for their own twisted vision. I'm talking about using the power to protect it. To control the chaos, to ensure that no one else ever has the chance to abuse it again."
Serena shook her head, her voice tight with anger. "That's not control, Adrian. That's exactly what we've been fighting against. The temptation to use something as dangerous as the Lumen Corvus is how this all started."
Adrian's jaw tightened, but he didn't look away. "You're right. It's dangerous. But you know as well as I do that the world is full of people waiting to take advantage of it. If we don't take control, someone else will."
Serena stepped closer, her voice fierce. "We've seen what happens when people try to play god, Adrian. That kind of power can't be controlled. It will consume you."
For a moment, the tension between them hung heavy in the air. Adrian's expression flickered, torn between ambition and something deeper—something more vulnerable. Then, finally, he exhaled and turned away, his shoulders slumping slightly.
"Maybe you're right," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "But that doesn't mean we can keep running forever."
Serena watched him for a moment longer before stepping back. The conversation had shaken her, not because she hadn't expected it, but because part of her feared the same temptation. The Lumen Corvus was too powerful to be left unchecked, but the idea of wielding it, even for noble reasons, was a line she refused to cross.
"We destroy it," she said quietly, her voice firm with finality. "That's the only way this ends."
Adrian didn't respond, but Serena could see the conflict still swirling in his eyes.
She turned and walked back to the others, her mind set. They needed to move, and fast. They couldn't afford to let the Lumen Corvus's power corrupt them—or anyone else. There was only one path forward: to find a way to rid the world of the artifact for good.
As the sun continued to rise, casting a pale light over the misty forest, Serena's resolve hardened. The fight wasn't over, but they had survived this far. They would gather their strength, find the answers they needed, and put an end to the danger once and for all.
But as she glanced over her shoulder at Adrian's tense figure, she couldn't help but wonder if the true danger was closer than she thought.