The ravine stretched behind them, the eerie quiet of their victory still clinging to the air. The shattered altar had left Sam's nerves frayed, and their body ached with every step forward. Delphine led the group up the rocky incline, her pace brisk and unrelenting, while Calder trailed behind, keeping a watchful eye on the path.
"So, does it ever stop?" Sam asked, their voice breaking the silence. "The running, the fighting, the almost dying? Or is this just my life now?"
"It doesn't stop," Delphine said without turning. "Not until the darkness is gone."
Sam groaned. "Fantastic. I was hoping for a 'yes.'"
Calder chuckled, his blade resting casually on his shoulder. "You're tougher than you look, kid. You'll make it."
"Stop calling me 'kid,'" Sam snapped. "And stop acting like this is fun."
"Who said it wasn't?" Calder shot back, his grin infuriating as ever.
Delphine held up a hand, silencing their argument. "Quiet."
Sam froze, their heart pounding. The box under their arm pulsed faintly, its light dim and steady. "What now?"
Delphine's gaze swept the terrain ahead. The path narrowed sharply, the jagged cliffs closing in on either side. Loose rocks tumbled down the incline, clattering noisily against the stone. The air felt heavier here, pressing down on them like an invisible weight.
"This pass is a chokepoint," Delphine said, her voice low. "If the darkness is watching, this is where it'll strike."
"Great," Sam muttered, gripping the box tightly. "Because we haven't done enough of that already."
Calder moved to the front, his grin fading as he scanned the path. "She's right. Too many places to hide. We'll need to move fast."
"Fast?" Sam repeated, their stomach twisting. "How fast?"
"Fast enough," Calder said, unsheathing his blade.
The group moved cautiously, their footsteps echoing in the narrow pass. The cliffs rose steeply on either side, their jagged edges casting long shadows in the fading light. The box pulsed more insistently now, its glow brighter as though sensing the danger ahead.
Sam's nerves prickled with every step. The gauntlet on their hand hummed faintly, its energy thrumming against their skin. "I don't like this."
"You're not supposed to," Delphine said, her daggers gleaming in the dim light. "Stay alert."
The first attack came without warning.
A dark shape lunged from the shadows, its claws raking the air. Delphine reacted instantly, her daggers flashing as she deflected the blow. The creature shrieked, its jagged form retreating into the shadows before lunging again.
"Shadowbeasts!" Delphine shouted, her voice sharp. "They're flanking us!"
Calder stepped forward, his blade cutting through the air with deadly precision. "Keep moving!" he yelled, striking down another beast. "We can't stop here!"
Sam raised the gauntlet, its golden light flaring as a shadowbeast lunged at them. The light struck the creature, dissolving it into smoke. The box pulsed wildly under their arm, its glow syncing with the gauntlet's energy.
"There's too many!" Sam shouted, panic creeping into their voice.
"Focus!" Delphine called, slicing through another beast. "The gauntlet can handle them!"
Sam gritted their teeth, raising the gauntlet as another shadowbeast emerged. The golden light surged, striking the creature with enough force to send it reeling. But for every beast they defeated, two more seemed to take its place.
"We need a plan!" Sam yelled, their chest heaving as they dodged another attack.
"The plan is not dying!" Calder shouted back, his blade cleaving through a beast's jagged limbs.
Delphine glanced at Sam, her expression unreadable. "The box. It's reacting. Follow its lead!"
Sam hesitated, their eyes darting to the pulsing artifact under their arm. The light grew brighter, almost blinding, as though urging them forward. Taking a deep breath, they started running, the gauntlet's glow cutting through the shadows like a beacon.
"Sam!" Calder yelled. "What are you doing?"
"Following the box!" Sam shouted over their shoulder. "You said to trust it!"
Delphine and Calder exchanged a glance before breaking into a run, the shadowbeasts swarming behind them. The box's light guided Sam through the narrow pass, its pulsing rhythm leading them toward a faint glow in the distance.
The path widened abruptly, opening into a small clearing surrounded by jagged cliffs. At its center stood a massive stone archway, its surface covered in glowing runes. The light from the runes pulsed in time with the box, their energy radiating outward in a protective barrier.
"Get to the archway!" Delphine shouted, deflecting a shadowbeast's attack. "It's warded!"
Sam sprinted toward the archway, the gauntlet's light flaring as they crossed its threshold. The shadowbeasts recoiled, their forms flickering as they neared the barrier. Calder and Delphine followed, their weapons at the ready as the creatures swarmed the perimeter.
"They can't get through," Delphine said, her voice tight. "The ward's holding."
"For now," Calder added, his blade still drawn. "These things don't quit."
Sam collapsed against the archway, their chest heaving. "What… what is this place?"
Delphine scanned the runes, her brow furrowed. "It's old magic. A safe haven, for now."
The box pulsed faintly in Sam's lap, its light dimming as if to confirm her words. Sam let out a shaky laugh, their exhaustion finally catching up with them. "Safe haven. Sure. Why not?"
Calder leaned against the archway, his grin returning. "Not bad for following a hunch, Herald."
Sam glared at him. "Stop calling me that."
"Make me," Calder said with a smirk.
Delphine ignored their bickering, her focus fixed on the shadowbeasts prowling outside the barrier. "We don't have much time. The darkness will adapt. We need to move before it does."
Sam groaned, their head falling back against the stone. "Of course we do. Because resting would be too much to ask."
Delphine's expression softened slightly. "You did well today."
Sam blinked, caught off guard by the rare praise. "Uh… thanks?"
"Don't let it go to your head," Delphine said, turning back to the runes. "We're not finished yet."
Sam sighed, their exhaustion settling over them like a heavy blanket. The gauntlet's hum was a quiet reminder of the power they carried—and the responsibility that came with it. As they watched the shadowbeasts pace outside the barrier, a single thought echoed in their mind.
"Plan B for destiny," they whispered. "One step at a time."