The forest seemed darker now, the faint light of the setting sun casting long shadows that twisted unnaturally between the trees. The trio pressed forward in tense silence, their steps muffled by the thick undergrowth. Each sound—every rustling leaf or distant birdcall—set Caden's nerves on edge.
He couldn't stop replaying the encounter with the Reclaimer leader in his mind. The way the man had disappeared so effortlessly gnawed at him, his own confusion and lack of understanding adding fuel to his frustration.
"He used an artifact," Garrick had said, but that explanation didn't satisfy Caden. The shard's power coursed through him, a constant reminder of what he carried, but it still felt foreign, incomplete.
"Do you think he'll come back?" Caden finally asked, breaking the heavy silence.
Kael glanced back at him, her smirk faint but sharp. "Not him. But someone worse, probably."
"Helpful," Caden muttered.
"She's not wrong," Garrick said, his voice grim. "The leader wasn't trying to win that fight. He was testing you, and he'll report what he saw to his superiors. The next time we face the Reclaimers, it won't be a scouting party—it'll be a strike force."
"Then why are we still running?" Caden asked, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "If they're going to find us no matter what, shouldn't we fight them on our terms?"
Kael snorted. "And where do you plan to do that, boy? Out here in the middle of nowhere, with no cover and no allies? Great plan."
Caden glared at her but didn't reply.
"She has a point," Garrick said. "We're outnumbered and outmatched. Our best chance is to keep moving and reach the ruins before they do."
As the group pushed deeper into the forest, the air grew colder, and the shard's pulse became more erratic. Caden glanced at Garrick, noting the older man's tense posture and the way his eyes darted to the shadows.
"You feel it too," Caden said. It wasn't a question.
Garrick nodded. "The shard's energy is resonating with something nearby. Could be another fragment. Or it could be something... worse."
Kael paused, her dagger drawn. "Define worse."
Garrick hesitated, his staff glowing faintly as he scanned their surroundings. "Echo beasts. Or something corrupted by the fragment's influence."
"Fantastic," Kael muttered, her sharp eyes scanning the treeline.
Caden felt the shard pulse sharply, the energy seeping into his thoughts like a whisper. The forest seemed to close in around him, the shadows shifting unnaturally as though they were alive.
"We need to keep moving," Garrick said, his voice firm. "Staying in one place will only make us a bigger target."
They continued in tense silence, the shard's energy growing stronger with every step. The forest began to thin, the trees giving way to rocky outcroppings and patches of uneven terrain.
Ahead, the ruins came into view. Jagged spires of stone jutted from the ground, their surfaces covered in moss and faint, glowing runes. The air was colder here, the faint hum of energy filling the space like an invisible presence.
"That's... unsettling," Kael said, her voice quieter than usual.
Caden nodded, his grip tightening on his sword. The shard pulsed steadily now, its energy syncing with the faint glow of the ruins.
"This is it," Garrick said, his gaze fixed on the largest structure in the center of the ruins. "The fragment is here."
"And so are they," Kael added, pointing to faint movement near the base of the central spire.
Reclaimers.
Caden counted six figures moving through the ruins, their dark cloaks blending with the shadows. They moved with purpose, their weapons drawn as they scanned the area.
"They're searching for it," Garrick said. "We don't have much time."
Caden's heart pounded as he watched the Reclaimers. His instincts screamed at him to charge, to stop them before they reached the fragment, but Garrick's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Patience," Garrick said quietly. "Rushing in will get us killed."
Kael crouched low, her dagger glinting faintly in the light. "So, what's the plan, old man?"
Garrick's eyes narrowed as he studied the Reclaimers. "We split their attention. Kael, you circle around and create a distraction. Draw as many of them away as you can."
Kael smirked. "Gladly."
"Caden, you and I will move toward the spire," Garrick continued. "We'll grab the fragment while they're distracted."
"And if they spot us?" Caden asked.
Garrick's expression hardened. "Then we fight."
The plan unfolded quickly. Kael disappeared into the shadows, her movements silent as she circled around the ruins. Moments later, a faint commotion echoed through the air—Kael's dagger striking a stone, the sound loud enough to draw the Reclaimers' attention.
Two of them broke off from the group, heading toward the noise.
"Now," Garrick whispered.
Caden followed Garrick as they moved toward the spire, their steps careful but quick. The shard's energy pulsed more intensely now, syncing with the faint glow of the runes on the stone walls.
As they reached the base of the spire, Garrick paused, his staff raised. "The fragment's energy is strong here. It's close."
Caden scanned the area, his sword drawn. The shard in his pocket pulsed sharply, its energy pulling him toward a crack in the stone wall.
"There," he said, pointing.
Garrick nodded. "Be ready. The fragment's influence might have drawn something else here."
Caden approached the crack cautiously, his sword glowing faintly as he reached out with his free hand. The shard's pulse became a steady hum, the energy resonating with something beyond the wall.
He pushed the stone aside, revealing a small, glowing object nestled within the crack—a fragment, its surface etched with faint runes that pulsed in time with the shard.
"Got it," Caden said, pulling the fragment free.
But as he turned to Garrick, a low growl echoed through the ruins.
From the shadows, a creature emerged—an Echo beast, its twisted form hunched and sinewy, its glowing red eyes fixed on Caden.
"Of course," Kael muttered, reappearing from the shadows with her dagger drawn. "It's never easy, is it?"
Caden tightened his grip on his sword, the shard's energy flaring as he prepared for the fight.
"No," he said, his voice steady. "It never is."