Jack's mind raced. He glanced around the room, then back at the amulet. "What if we don't break the ward? What if we just… move it?"
Darian blinked. "Move it? Where?"
"Anywhere but here," Jack said. "If the shadows are tied to it, maybe getting it out of the church will weaken them enough for us to deal with it properly."
Darian hesitated, then nodded. "It's risky, but it might work. You'll have to carry it, though. I can't touch it without triggering the ward."
Jack groaned. "Of course it's me." He wrapped his coat around his hand and grabbed the amulet. The moment he lifted it, a sharp, cold pain shot up his arm, but he gritted his teeth and held on.
The room shook as the shadows screamed in unison, their forms growing unstable.
"It's working!" Darian shouted. "Go! I'll hold them off!"
Jack didn't wait for another word. He sprinted for the door, clutching the amulet tightly. The shadows lunged after him, but Darian's spells slowed them just enough for Jack to slip through.
As he burst out of the church, the cold air hit him like a slap. He stumbled down the steps, his heart pounding, and kept running. The shadows followed, pouring out of the church like a living tide.
"Keep going!" Darian yelled from behind him. "Get it to the edge of town!"
Jack didn't look back. He pushed himself harder, the weight of the amulet feeling heavier with every step. The shadows were gaining on him, their icy presence nipping at his heels.
Just as he reached the town square, a figure stepped into his path. It was the hooded figure from the forest, its glowing eyes fixed on the amulet in Jack's hand.
"Stop," the figure commanded, its voice echoing unnaturally.
Jack skidded to a halt, panting. "Not you again," he muttered.
The figure raised a hand, and the shadows behind Jack froze in place. "You don't understand what you're doing," it said. "The amulet must remain where it was. Removing it will upset the balance."
Jack glared at the figure. "The balance? You mean the part where shadows attack anyone who gets too close?"
"The anchor is a seal," the figure said. "It prevents something far worse from escaping. Return it, or face the consequences."
Darian appeared behind Jack, his staff glowing. "Don't listen to it," he said. "Whatever it's protecting is worse than anything we've seen so far."
Jack looked between the figure and Darian, his grip tightening on the amulet. "So what do we do?"
"We destroy it," Darian said firmly.
The figure's voice turned cold. "If you destroy it, you will doom this world."
Jack hesitated, sweat dripping down his brow. "Darian?"
"Don't listen to it," Darian said again. "It's lying."
The figure raised both hands, and the shadows surged forward again.
"Decide quickly," Darian said, raising his staff. "Because we're out of time."
Jack took a deep breath, his mind racing. "Alright," he said. "Let's end this."
He lifted the amulet high, bracing himself for what came next.
Jack gritted his teeth, his fingers tightening around the cursed amulet. "Here goes nothing!" he shouted, raising the object higher.
The hooded figure stepped forward, its voice echoing with desperation. "Fool! You don't understand the forces you're meddling with! Destroying the anchor will unseal what lies beyond!"
Jack turned to Darian, sweat streaming down his face. "Are we sure about this?"
"No," Darian admitted, his staff blazing with golden energy, "but leaving it intact is definitely worse!"
The shadows closed in, their icy tendrils clawing at Jack's legs. He felt the strength draining from his body, but he refused to let go. Summoning every ounce of courage, Jack slammed the amulet against the ground with all his might.
The moment the amulet struck the cobblestones, it shattered into a thousand shards, each one glowing with an eerie light. The air trembled with a deafening crack, and a surge of energy blasted outward, throwing Jack and Darian backward.
Jack landed hard on his back, his ears ringing. He blinked up at the sky, which now swirled with unnatural colors—violet, crimson, and black, shifting like an oil slick. The shadows writhed and screeched, their forms distorting before they dissolved into wisps of smoke.
Darian staggered to his feet, using his staff for support. "It's… it's over?" he panted, his voice uncertain.
Jack sat up, his body aching. "If by 'over,' you mean the part where we almost died, then yeah," he muttered. But as he looked around, his heart sank. The ground where the amulet had been was now cracked and glowing faintly.
A low rumble echoed through the square. The hooded figure, still standing, seemed unaffected by the blast. It tilted its head, its glowing eyes burning brighter.
"You fools," it said, its voice laced with venom. "You've undone the seal."
The ground split wider, and from the fissure emerged a thick, black mist. The mist coalesced into a shape—a massive, hulking form with eyes like molten gold. Its presence radiated a suffocating malice that made Jack's blood run cold.
"What is that?" Jack whispered, his voice trembling.
Darian's face went pale. "A Revenant. An ancient being bound to the Shadowstone. It's been waiting for centuries to be freed."
The Revenant's deep, rumbling voice echoed through the square. "At last," it said, its words dripping with malice. "This world will tremble before me."
Jack scrambled to his feet, pulling Darian with him. "Alright, genius," he said, panic rising in his chest. "How do we deal with that thing?"
Darian shook his head, his voice barely a whisper. "I don't know."
The Revenant turned its glowing eyes on them, and Jack felt the weight of its gaze like a physical blow.
"Run," Darian said, his voice trembling. "We need to get out of here. Now!"
Jack didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed Darian's arm, and together they bolted from the square. Behind them, the Revenant's laughter echoed, deep and haunting, as the ground continued to quake.
As they fled through the darkened streets, Jack glanced over his shoulder. The Revenant loomed above the rooftops, its form shifting and expanding as if drawing power from the very air.
"Any brilliant ideas?" Jack shouted over the chaos.
"One," Darian said, his eyes darting around. "We need to find a way to bind it again. There's no killing something that ancient."
"Great," Jack muttered. "How do we do that?"