The ruin was eerily quiet, its broken walls jutting out from the jagged rocks like the remains of some forgotten beast. Calen couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking through the bones of an ancient civilization—one long forgotten by history.
"Where do we go?" Calen asked, looking around at the cracked stone walls.
Vera's sharp eyes scanned the structure, searching for something. "We find the entrance. Keep your weapons ready."
They moved cautiously, the sound of their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of snow that had begun to settle over the ground. Every now and then, a soft scraping sound echoed from the shadows, but it wasn't until they reached the center of the ruin that the air seemed to shift.
"Wait," Vera said suddenly, holding up a hand.
There, in the middle of the crumbling courtyard, stood a large stone pillar. It was adorned with strange, cryptic symbols that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light. Calen's heart began to race as he stepped closer. It was as if something was calling to him from the stone, pulling him toward it.
"Do you see that?" Calen asked.
Seris stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the symbols. "These are old… too old. This is magic, but it's not the kind I know."
Vera narrowed her eyes. "This isn't just magic. This is something more ancient—something the empire is afraid of."
Ronan's voice cut through the silence. "Let's not get distracted. We need to keep moving."
But it was too late. As soon as Ronan spoke, the stone pillar began to tremble, the symbols glowing brighter. A deep rumbling filled the air, and the ground cracked open beneath their feet.
"Brace!" Ronan shouted, just as a massive stone creature—like a golem of rock and dust—rose from the depths of the ruin, its glowing eyes fixed on them.
Vera's sword was drawn in an instant, her eyes flashing with recognition. "A guardian," she said, her voice grim. "We need to fight it, but be careful—it's stronger than it looks."
The stone creature roared, its voice like the cracking of boulders. It swung a massive stone fist toward them.
"Great. As if the empire wasn't enough to deal with," Calen muttered, stepping back as the golem charged.
"We're about to find out if your magic is worth anything," Seris said with a smirk, her hands already raised as she prepared to summon a storm of wind.