Novel & Cerita Enter The Ruin And Search For A Strange Jade

Try to make it normal. It doesn't work. My phone buzzes. Once. Twice. I don't look. I know who it is. The third buzz is a text preview that lights up the screen anyway. Jax: 'You left your bag in the tunnel.' I close my eyes. Fuck. There is another buzz. Jax: 'Milo grabbed it. He's looking for you.' Of course he is. I shove the phone in my pocket. Dig my palms into my eyes until I see stars. The taste of blood and cedar is still in my mouth.

Shouting, "There's something here," "Something powerful." Eldon held up his staff, the light shining on the way. "Remain alert and in close proximity. We have no idea what we will uncover." As they entered the ruins, the lingering effects of long-gone spells permeated the air. Debris coated the floor, and inscriptions resembling those found in the Whispering Caves covered the walls. Eldon led the way and found the next fragment by following the instructions on the map. They arrived in a sizable courtyard where a huge obelisk dominated the center. Another crystal, bigger and more menacing than the previous one, lay at the base of the obelisk.

“Are you saying the two of us are trapped here?” Philip nodded at the deer. “We can’t leave for the time being, but since we’re in an ancient ruin, there should be some treasures. Let’s split up and look around. Remember, you must call out to me if there’s any danger.” After reminding the deer, Philip walked to the coffin with the jade in hand. The deer walked around the tomb fearlessly with the colorful lights on its head. When Philip approached the coffin, a white burst of energy shrouded him.

The air was filled with the stench of damp earth and decaying flesh, and I could feel the weight of the cave's dark history bearing down upon me. Despite the dangers, I pressed on, driven by my determination to claim the Moonstone Amulet. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I saw a glimmer of light ahead – the exit from the cave. I burst through the opening, gasping for air, and found myself in a clearing surrounded by towering trees. In the center of the clearing stood an ancient stone pedestal, and atop it, the Moonstone Amulet glowed with an otherworldly light. I approached the pedestal, my heart pounding with excitement, and reached out to claim the amulet.

I forced myself to my feet. Pain ripped through my stomach so violently that black spots danced across my vision. The baby. The child was draining me. Every spell felt twice as difficult now. Cassandra rose from the rubble with blood trickling from her mouth. “You should not have done that,” she growled. I ignored the warning. The ground beneath us trembled. Ancient runes hidden inside the old ruins answered my call. Silver symbols erupted across broken pillars and shattered walls. Wind screamed through the clearing. Loose stones lifted from the earth.

“No. Just angry.” They moved at dusk. The descent was perilous—through icy rock trails, overgrown mine shafts, and half-collapsed tunnels that hadn’t been touched in decades. Eden’s legs burned with every step, her breath fogging as she crouched beside a rusted grate embedded in the earth. “This is the entrance point,” Roman said, prying open the ancient vent. Cold air rushed from the opening, and the sound of distant machinery echoed upward. “No cameras. Probably thought the cliffs were defense enough.”

"Why? And more importantly, how do we get out?" "The distortion is likely a symptom of the ruin's decay," he explained, his eyes, lit by my magic, scanning our surroundings. "But I don't believe this is one of your 'activated' ruins. Those are sealed, usually marked by statues standing sentinel. This place feels open, broken... porous. The creatures weren't guardians; they simply wandered in." He paused, his gaze dropping to the floor ahead. "Watch your step." The ground was a treacherous mess of rubble and shattered stones. I tried to lift my leg over a large chunk of rock, but my whole body felt weighted with lead. I swayed, a wave of dizziness washing over me.

Caspian and I rode to the temple ruins where I'd met Nyx, where everything had started to go wrong. The place looked different in daylight. Less ominous. More sad. Just old stones and fading memories. "Spread out," Caspian said. "Look for recent disturbances. Fresh tracks. Anything that suggests someone's been here." We searched methodically. The ruins were extensive. Lots of places to hide someone. I found it in the old sanctuary, a door that shouldn't be there. Hidden behind fallen rubble. Recently cleared. "Caspian!" I called. He appeared within seconds. "What did you find?"

Dust chokes the air. “Alternate path!” Kael barks, Veyra’s instincts razor-sharp as she points to a narrow side tunnel half-hidden behind a fallen archway, its entrance flickering with faint rune light. We plunge into the darkness, boots pounding uneven stone, the ruins groaning like a dying beast. Behind us, the shrine chamber caves in with a final, apocalyptic roar. The dagger pulses warm against my chest where I’ve tucked it, a beacon in the chaos—and a promise. We have what we came for. But the ruins aren’t letting us leave without a fight.

“There is a place, Seraphina… an ancient crypt hidden within the Silverwood mountains. It was sealed long ago, but I’ve uncovered hints that it holds the Obsidian Tear. If we can retrieve it, we may be able to expose the Keepers for who they truly are—and perhaps even turn the prophecy in our favor.” With a final glance at each other, we gathered what we needed and set out. The journey to the crypt was treacherous, a relentless maze of jagged rock and unforgiving winds. Every step we took felt heavy, as if the air itself were warning us to turn back. But we pressed on, driven by the knowledge that within the heart of these ancient mountains lay the very thing that could tip the scales.