The Moonlit Hollow lay in silence once more, but it was a heavy, fragile kind of quiet. The ground was scarred by deep claw marks, shattered ice, and the blood of the hostiles that had fallen in the battle. The artifact's glow was steady now, dimmer than before, but its hum resonated faintly in the frosty air.
Aria lay beneath her favorite rock, her sharp blue eyes closed as she rested. Her body ached from the fight, and each breath came with a reminder of how close she had come to losing.
The Frost Mink curled up against her side, its tiny body warm and still.
"Rest while you can," she muttered softly. "It's never quiet for long."
---
Xuan Hao sat near the artifact, his blade resting across his lap as he cleaned it with measured precision. His dark robes were streaked with blood and dirt, but his expression remained calm, almost unreadable.
"You held up well," he said, his tone light as he glanced at Aria.
She cracked one eye open, her sharp blue gaze narrowing. "Don't start."
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "What? No sarcasm? No biting remarks? You must really be tired."
Her claws flexed against the frozen ground. "Maybe I'm just deciding whether it's worth the energy to shut you up."
Xuan Hao smirked faintly. "Fair enough."
---
The Frost Mink stirred, letting out a soft squeak as it nuzzled closer to Aria.
She sighed, nudging the tiny creature with her paw. "You're too clingy, you know that?"
The mink chirped, tilting its head as if to say, And you're too grumpy.
Aria huffed, her tail curling around the small creature. "Yeah, yeah. Keep talking."
---
The day passed slowly, the heavy tension in the hollow lingering like a shadow. Aria spent the morning patrolling the perimeter, her sharp senses tuned to every sound and movement.
The snow was untouched, the air crisp and still, but the jagged ice formations created by the artifact's energy surge loomed like fractured monuments, reminders of the chaos that had unfolded.
"System," she thought, her claws flexing. "Status update."
"Artifact resonance stable. Hostile detection probability: 15%. Ambient energy fluctuations detected."
Her ears twitched. "Fluctuations? What kind of fluctuations?"
"Energy patterns suggest external interference. Source: Unknown."
Aria growled softly, her sharp blue eyes narrowing. "Of course it's unknown."
---
Xuan Hao was seated near the artifact, his dark eyes focused on the glowing orb. He had been uncharacteristically quiet all morning, which only made Aria more suspicious.
"What are you doing now?" she asked, her tone sharp as she approached him.
He glanced at her, his faint smile returning. "Thinking."
Her tail flicked sharply. "That's dangerous."
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Funny. I was about to say the same thing about you."
Aria growled, her claws scraping against the ground. "Spit it out already."
Xuan Hao's expression grew more serious as he gestured toward the artifact. "It's changing. You feel it too, don't you?"
Her fur bristled. "What do you mean?"
"The energy it's releasing," he said, his tone thoughtful. "It's not just random anymore. It's... deliberate."
Aria's sharp blue eyes narrowed. "Deliberate how?"
Xuan Hao shrugged. "That's the question, isn't it?"
---
The Frost Mink bounded toward the artifact, its tiny paws leaving faint tracks in the snow.
"Careful," Xuan Hao said, his tone light. "That thing's more unpredictable than it looks."
The mink chirped, tilting its head as if to say, I'm not scared.
Aria groaned, nudging the tiny creature away. "Don't get too brave. You're not as indestructible as you think."
Xuan Hao smirked faintly, his dark eyes glinting. "That makes two of you."
Her sharp blue eyes glinted. "Keep talking and I'll prove you wrong."
---
As the day wore on, the air grew heavier, the faint hum of the artifact reverberating through the frozen ground like a pulse.
Aria perched on her favorite rock, her sharp blue eyes scanning the horizon. The snow remained undisturbed, but her instincts screamed that something was coming.
"System," she thought, her tail swishing. "What's the status now?"
"Energy fluctuations increasing. Probability of external interference: 40%."
Her fur bristled. "Interference from what?"
"Source remains undetected. Potential hostile presence: Unconfirmed."
Aria growled softly, her claws flexing. "I hate when you're vague."
---
Xuan Hao approached her, his blade resting against his shoulder as he leaned casually against a nearby ice shard.
"You're on edge," he said, his tone calm.
She growled softly, her sharp blue eyes narrowing. "And you're too relaxed."
He smirked faintly, tilting his head. "Maybe. Or maybe I just know when to save my energy."
Her tail lashed. "If something happens, don't expect me to save you."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Noted."
---
The Frost Mink scurried back to Aria, chirping nervously as it pressed against her leg.
She sighed, glancing down at the tiny creature. "What now?"
The mink squeaked again, its wide eyes darting toward the artifact.
Aria's fur bristled as she turned her sharp blue eyes toward the glowing orb. "System, is something wrong with it?"
"Artifact resonance stable. External fluctuations detected. Possible connection to environmental anomalies."
Her claws scraped against the rock. "I knew it."
---
The first sign of trouble came as a faint rumble that echoed through the hollow, shaking the jagged ice formations and sending loose snow cascading to the ground.
Aria crouched low, her sharp blue eyes narrowing. "System, report!"
"Energy surge detected. Resonance threshold nearing critical levels. Hostile attraction probability: 70%."
Her fur bristled. "Seventy percent. Great."
---
Xuan Hao stepped forward, his expression calm but his grip on his blade tightening. "Looks like we've got company."
Aria growled, her tail swishing. "And here I thought we'd get a break."
He smirked faintly. "Wishful thinking."
---
The rumbling grew louder, and the ground beneath them began to tremble as faint cracks spread through the frozen earth.
The artifact's glow intensified, its hum rising to a sharp, almost deafening pitch.
The Frost Mink let out a startled squeak, darting behind Aria for cover.
"Stay back," she muttered, her claws flexing. "This isn't going to be pretty."
---
As the snow began to fall harder, the Moonlit Hollow seemed to hold its breath, the storm looming just beyond the horizon.
"For now," Aria thought, her sharp blue eyes blazing, "we're ready. But I won't let this thing destroy everything."
Xuan Hao stood beside her, his dark eyes glinting. "Whatever comes next, let's make it count."