The first light of dawn crept over the battlefield, and the group stepped out of the temple into the barren wasteland.
The whispers and ghostly footsteps of the previous night still lingered in their minds and every shadow seemed to be a threat.
Kael adjusted his satchel strap, his eyes on the bones scattered across the ground. The battlefield stretched before them, a sea of bones and rubble that seemed to vibrate with the light of the Etherion weapons they carried.
"Stay alert," Elric said, his voice calm but tight. "We don't know what's out here and we can't afford to lose anyone else."
The group nodded and spread out.
Kael stayed in the middle, his eyes darting between the horizon and the ground.
The air was heavy, not with heat or humidity, but a lingering feeling making every breath feel hard. Every step they took across the battlefield was crunch of bones and stone.
Talia walked beside Kael, her Etherion sword in her hand. "It feels alive," she whispered. "Like it's watching us."
Kael didn't respond right away.
He felt the glare unseen eyes, the flicker of shadows at the edges of his vision. But when he turned to look, there was nothing there—just empty air and the endless sea of death.
"It's not just a feeling," he said finally, his voice low. "This place... it's corrupted. Blight maybe, but something more. Something worse."
Talia looked at him sideways.
"You always this cheerful?"
Kael shrugged. "Just calling it like I see it."
Hours passed and they searched the battlefield, moving slowly and carefully. They didn't stray too far from each other, the fear of being separated too great.
It was late in the sun when they found something.
Kael saw it first.
In the ruins of a collapsed building, something glowed faintly in the sunlight. He dropped to his knees, brushing away dirt and debris to reveal a piece of the broken idol.
It was small, about the size of his forearm, but the carvings and the figures he'd seen in the mad monk chambers told him it was important.
"I found something," Kael said and the others came to him.
Elric knelt beside him and examined the fragment. "That's definitely part of the idol," he said, his voice a little relieved. "Good job."
"Let's grab it and get out of here," Jarek said, looking at the darkening sky. "The sun's already setting."
Kael picked up the fragment and felt a strange heat emanating from it. As he held it, he heard faint whispers at the edges of his hearing.
He stopped, his eyes squinting.
"Do you hear that?" he whispered.
"Hear what?" Talia asked, looking around.
"Whispers," Kael said, his hand tightening around the idol piece.
The group looked at each other nervously but before anyone could say anything, a cold wind swept through. The sun dipped lower and long, creepy shadows stretched across the battlefield.
"We need to get out of here. Now," Elric said.
The group started to move towards the temple, their pace quickening as the whispers grew louder. The oppressive feeling of the battlefield seemed to double with every step and the shadows at the edges of their vision grew more defined.
"Don't look back," Elric said. "Just keep moving."
Kael couldn't help himself. He looked back. The shadows weren't just flickering—they were moving, writhing like living things.
"What the fuck are those?" Darren yelled, his voice cracking.
"Run!" Jarek shouted.
The temple was ahead, its doors still open like an invitation. Kael could feel the whispers closing in, the words meaningless but cold against his mind.
As they hit the temple steps the whispers reached a crescendo, a mix of voices. Kael felt something brush against his ankle—cold, sharp and quick. He stumbled but caught himself and kept moving with the others.
They stepped over the threshold of the temple entrance as the sun disappeared below the horizon. The whispers stopped and the silence violently replaced it.
The group gathered in the main hall, near the monk's chamber, their breathing heavy and their nerves raw. Kael set the idol piece down and his hands steadied as the heat left his fingers.
"We have the piece," Talia said, her voice calm despite the atmosphere. "Now what?"
Elric pointed to the entrance of the mad monk's chamber. The monk was pacing back and forth in the room, his mumbling carried faintly into the hall.
"Those platforms," Jarek said, pointing to the chamber. "That's where the idol pieces go."
"Great," Darren said. "So who's going to put it in there? Because I'm not getting close to that lunatic."
The group looked at each other nervously. Eldon's death was still fresh in their minds and none of them wanted to go into the monk's lair.
Before anyone could offer or be offered the mad monk stopped pacing. He turned his head sharply and his milky eyes fixed on Kael.
"You," he said, his voice low and clear. He motioned for Kael to come.
Kael felt every eye in the group on him.
"Looks like he's chosen you," Talia said, her voice even.
"Of course he has," Kael said.
Elric stepped forward. "You don't have to do this. We can figure out another way—"
"No," Kael interrupted, his voice firm. He picked up the idol piece and straightened his back. "If I don't go, we'll just be stuck here. This is the only way forward."
Without waiting for a response, Kael stepped into the monk's chamber.
The atmosphere in the chamber was stifling, it an almost tangible tension. The mad monk watched Kael's every step, his movements unnervingly still.
Kael approached the platform where the shattered idols were arranged. Each one was masterfully carved, their surfaces marked with fractures where the missing pieces should have been.
The monk pointed silently to one of the idols, its broken edge perfectly matching the fragment in Kael's hands.
Kael hesitated for a moment, then stepped closer and placed the piece onto the idol. As soon as it touched, the fragment fused seamlessly with the rest of the structure, the idol glow intensifying.
The mad monk stepped back, his mutterings resuming as if nothing had happened. Kael turned and walked back toward the group.
"Well?" Elric asked as Kael rejoined them.
"One piece down," Kael said simply. "From the looks of it, seems like eight more to go?"
The group fell into a heavy silence, the reality of their task dawning. The first piece had been difficult enough. The thought of venturing back into the battlefield for more was almost unbearable.
But they had no choice.