My Mysterious Ring

layers as we left the relative safety of The Wanderer's Refuge. Lorian led the way, his gait relaxed despite the tension t

errain, flanked by cliffs on one side and dense forest on the other. Every sound seemed amplified in

through the quiet. "What's your story, kid? You don

ave a subtle shake of her head, a si

e," I said finally, ke

smirk. "Aren't we all? But you're carrying somethi

pocket where the shard rested, but Kael

e said sharply. "We hired y

. "Relax, Kael. I'm just making conver

dagger. The tension between them was palpable, and I couldn't s

e than a trail carved into the side of a steep hill, and the wind howled through

ed, my voice barely a

hey say the city's destruction left a scar on this land. The wind carr

t's just the wind.

me a sense of unease that burrowed deep into my chest. The ring on

of the Solendir ruins. The jagged rocks on either side cast long

go," Lorian announc

d, her voice sharp.

ins are cursed-or so the legends say. I've seen enough fools

her dagger. "We paid you to guide us all t

I've kept my end of the bargain. I got yo

idn't argue further. After a tense moment, s

s smirk returning. "Good

back down the trail, leaving Kael a

d quietly, watching his fi

ied. "But we don't have t

ouder with every step. The air grew colder, the shad

res half-buried beneath layers of moss and earth. Towering spires jutted skyward, their tips broken

resonating with the ruins. I pulled it out, and it

," Kael murmured, her

ing our path. The air was thick with the weight of history,

ing to a large, circular platf

symbols etched into the platform began to glow. The groun

ng?" I asked, m

er eyes fixed on the platform. "This mu

glow intensified, and a beam of light shot upward, piercing the sky. The gr

could move, th

they closed in around us. Their hisses filled the air, and the lig

tance ready. "Hold them off

to life. A beam of energy shot toward the nearest shadow,

and precise. I fought to keep the shadows at bay,

hard clutched in her hand. Its light joined the fi

long," she said, grabbing

pursued us. Though we managed to escape, I couldn't shake the feeling that we