The mist followed them. Its curling tendrils were patient, slithering over the broken earth as if testing the ground. Elric and Grizzle pushed forward, retreating deeper into the shadow of Vaeloreth's ruins. The air grew colder with each step, and the oppressive weight of the cursed city pressed down like an iron shroud.
Grizzle glanced over his shoulder, his sharp eyes wide. "Boss, I know you're into dramatic settings and all, but this? This is… extra."
"I didn't exactly pick this," Elric muttered, scanning the terrain. The ruins ahead rose like jagged teeth from the ground, each structure fractured and menacing. The city's layout was a chaotic jumble, the remnants of a cataclysm long past. Walls leaned precariously, archways stood broken, and streets that once bustled with life were now rivers of dust and decay.
Grizzle hopped over a shattered column, his feet barely making a sound. "If the stories are true, this place was built to be a fortress of magic. Y'know, the kind that keeps enemies out, not… whatever this is."
Elric frowned. "Magic strong enough to protect a city is strong enough to destroy it. Maybe that's what happened here."
Grizzle stopped mid-step, his ears twitching. "Or maybe the thing we're after did it. This Heart thing—it's sounding less like treasure and more like trouble."
"Trouble's my specialty," Elric said dryly, though his tone carried little conviction.
As they moved further into the ruins, the mist thickened, twisting into shapes that flickered at the edges of their vision. It wasn't long before the first sound broke the eerie silence: a faint whisper, like the scrape of wind against stone.
Grizzle froze, his hand flying to the short blade at his side. "Did you hear that?"
Elric nodded, his own hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Stay close. No sudden moves."
---
The Watchers in the Mist
The whispers grew louder, multiplying, until they seemed to echo from every direction. Then, out of the swirling mist, shapes began to form. Elric's breath caught as the figures materialized: tall, gaunt shadows with hollow eyes that glowed faintly green. Their forms were skeletal, their limbs too long and their movements unnaturally fluid, as if the mist itself animated them.
"Wraiths," Grizzle hissed, his voice barely audible. "I hate wraiths."
Elric drew his sword slowly, its blade glinting faintly in the dim light. "Any advice?"
"Yeah. Don't die."
The wraiths glided closer, their hollow eyes fixed on the pair. As they moved, the runes on the stones beneath their feet began to glow, pulsing with a sickly light that spread like veins across the ground.
One of the wraiths stopped mere feet from Elric, its head tilting unnaturally. When it spoke, its voice was like shards of ice scraping together.
"Leave… this place."
Elric tightened his grip on his sword. "Afraid I can't do that. I've got something to find."
The wraith's hollow eyes flared, and it opened its mouth to let out a soundless scream. The air around them grew heavier, and the mist surged forward, enveloping Elric and Grizzle in a suffocating haze.
Grizzle yelped, swinging his blade wildly as the wraiths closed in. "This is not what I signed up for!"
"Then consider it a bonus!" Elric snapped, slashing at one of the figures. His blade met resistance, slicing through the mist-like body of the wraith, which dissolved with an unearthly hiss. But as quickly as one fell, another took its place, their numbers seemingly endless.
Grizzle darted to Elric's side, his smaller frame making him a blur of motion. "Boss, we're outnumbered, and they're not exactly dying-dying!"
Elric grit his teeth. The curse on his arm burned hotter than ever, the black markings crawling up toward his shoulder. It was as if the wraiths' presence was feeding it, drawing out its power.
"Run!" he barked, grabbing Grizzle by the collar and dragging him toward a narrow alley between two crumbling walls.
---
Into the Maze
The alley twisted and turned, its path narrowing until they were forced to move single file. The wraiths didn't pursue immediately, but their whispers lingered, carried on the wind.
"You're sure running will help?" Grizzle asked, panting.
"No," Elric admitted, "but it'll buy us time."
The alley opened into a courtyard, overgrown with blackened vines that pulsed faintly, like veins carrying blood. At the center stood a pedestal, its surface cracked and weathered. On it rested a small, glowing orb, its light pulsing in rhythm with the vines.
Grizzle whistled low. "Well, that doesn't scream 'trap' at all."
Elric approached cautiously, his gaze locked on the orb. The air around it was charged, humming faintly with power. "This isn't the Heart," he murmured, reaching out. "But it's connected."
The moment his fingers brushed the orb, a shockwave erupted from the pedestal, sending him stumbling backward. The mist surged again, and a voice boomed from the ruins.
"You dare touch what is mine?"
Grizzle scrambled to his feet, his ears flat against his head. "Okay, now I really hate this place!"
From the shadows of the courtyard, a new figure emerged. Unlike the wraiths, this one had form—flesh and bone covered in tarnished armor, its face obscured by a helm shaped like a beast's skull. A massive sword rested on its back, and the air around it shimmered with raw power.
"Who's this?" Grizzle muttered, backing up.
"The guardian," Elric said grimly, rising to his feet. His sword was still in his hand, but the weight of it felt heavier now.
The figure raised a hand, and the vines in the courtyard came to life, writhing and snapping like serpents.
"You seek the Heart," the guardian growled, its voice like grinding stone. "But you are unworthy."
---
The First Trial
The vines lunged, forcing Elric and Grizzle to scatter. Elric slashed at the tendrils, his movements precise but desperate. "Grizzle, get to the pedestal!"
"What?! Why me?"
"Because I'm fighting the plant monster!"
Grizzle grumbled but obeyed, darting between the writhing vines. He reached the pedestal and grabbed the orb, clutching it tightly.
The moment the orb left its place, the guardian turned its attention to Grizzle, its glowing eyes narrowing.
Elric seized the opportunity, lunging at the armored figure. His blade clashed against the guardian's sword, sparks flying. The force of the impact sent Elric stumbling, but he recovered quickly, dodging a second swing that would have cleaved him in two.
Grizzle waved the orb wildly. "Uh, boss? What do I do with this thing?"
"Figure it out!" Elric shouted, parrying another blow.
The courtyard trembled as the fight continued, the ruins themselves seeming to awaken. Above them, the sky darkened further, and the whispers of the wraiths grew louder.
This wasn't just a battle—it was the beginning of something far greater.
And for the first time, Elric began to wonder if even he could survive the journey ahead.