The dust of the Hollow settled, but the air still carried the scent of burning Rift essence. Ethan's pulse slowed, but the tension in his chest remained. The Bonebound lieutenant had crumbled into ash, but the war wasn't over. It had only just begun.
Zeila tucked the scorched medallion into her belt, her eyes scanning the darkened expanse of the Hollow. Her daggers flickered with Voidsteel light, still humming from the earlier battle. "We need to move," she said, her voice tight. "That thing wasn't acting alone."
Ethan glanced at the medallion again. The symbol—the eye split by a fang—burned into his mind. His mother's journal had referenced it before, but never in this context. He needed answers. More than that, he needed to know who—or what—was behind this attack.
Kael stepped up, slinging his plasma rifle over his shoulder. "We're already too deep into Rift territory. If there's another one of those Bonebound out there, we don't stand a chance unless we figure out how to sever their connection to the Rift."
"I know." Ethan's voice was low, his gaze still fixed on the medallion. "But it's more than just breaking their link. This… feels like a trap. Something bigger is at play here. And I need to understand it before more of them show up."
Zeila grunted in agreement. "The Bonebound didn't even try to kill us the way they usually do. It was as if he was testing us."
Ethan's Beastmark pulsed, an involuntary response to the distant energy that swirled through the Rift's crumbling landscape. He clenched his fist around the journal. The answers he sought were buried within these ancient pages—but time was running out. The Rift was shifting, and whatever had awoken in the shadows of the Hollow was still lurking, waiting.
With a quick nod, he turned, signaling to the others. "Let's go. We need to find a place to analyze this medallion. There's a hidden library in the Guild archives. It might have the knowledge we need."
As they moved, the Hollow seemed to shift around them. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and a strange howl echoed in the distance. Ethan felt it, a pull toward the dark rift that lay beyond the farthest reach of the Hollow. It called to him, his Beastmark burning with the energy of the Rift itself.
Zeila paused for a moment, listening. "Something's coming."
Kael crouched, scanning the horizon. "More of them?"
Before Ethan could respond, the wind picked up, howling louder, as if the world itself was being torn apart. The Rift's edge flickered, shifting like the tides of a storm, and in the distance, dark shapes appeared—shifting, impossible to track.
Then, a single voice, cold and mocking, echoed through the wind.
"Ethan… you've made a mistake."
The Bonebound's voice was unmistakable, but deeper, older. More chilling. Ethan spun around, his sword raised, but no creature appeared. Only shadows—black, shifting figures that blurred in and out of sight.
"Who are you?" Ethan demanded, his voice steady, despite the rising dread in his chest.
The shadows danced, stretching unnaturally long before coalescing into a figure. Tall. Silent. A new Bonebound, but one far more imposing than the last. Its eyes burned with the same Rift fire, but colder. More intelligent. It stepped forward, its form flickering like a broken reflection.
"I am the Warden," it said, its voice echoing in a twisted harmony with the wind. "And you, Ethan, are the key."
The last word hung in the air, a dark promise, as the figure dissolved into the Rift. The winds roared in response, pulling at Ethan's hair and clothing, the world around him threatening to tear apart.
Kael muttered a curse, reaching for his weapon. "That's not good."
Zeila's eyes narrowed. "It's an ambush. They're already preparing for something bigger."
Ethan stood still, his mind racing. The Warden. The name echoed through his thoughts like a warning bell. The figure hadn't been just another Bonebound—no, it had been something more. A guardian. A leader. A force that could shape the Rift itself.
"They know who I am," Ethan whispered, his grip tightening on his sword. "And they're ready for me."
Zeila turned to him, her eyes serious. "You've got a choice to make, Ethan. The Rift isn't just some power to control. It's alive. And it's connected to everything. If they want you as the key, they'll stop at nothing to get you."
"We'll stop them first," Ethan replied, his voice determined. "Whatever it takes."
The ground beneath their feet began to tremble again, stronger this time. The Hollow was awakening in response to something far darker than they had anticipated. The Warden's presence lingered, a shadow that threatened to consume them all.
And in the distance, the winds whispered a single word.
The End begins.