The ruins of Askara

Zack, Ken, Violet, and Sir Jason finally arrived at the woodland crossing which they will find the destination for their first mission as a team.

They were able to sneak into the forest without catching any attention. They walked into the forest without using any powers like ordinary sightseers. According to their anticipated time, they'll reach the ruins in a day or so with a four hours sleep break.

Next day.

Everything went the way they planned, they reached the ruins. It was once a prosperous city that had mysteriously disappeared without a trace thousand of years ago.

They could not find any trace of the foes after searching for hours. 

"Maybe they have also anticipated that they would be investigated so they are hiding their presence otherwise it would be a piece of cake to find their evil aura within a range of 75km" Sir Jason put in.

"A sensory range of 75 kilometers, amazing isn't it Zack" Ken was surprised.

"Hmm you're right that's quite a feat to have sensory detection powers of this level" Zack replied.

"I am flattered, so stop this guys," Sir Jason said with a shy smile.

"But given our situation, we have no clue what to investigate or where should we even begin all I can see here till now are nothing but ruins, if we continue like this the enemy will flee before we know, maybe we should split up or that would be dangerous to do before accessing the enemy's power level" Ken began his mumbling.

"It is the second option it would be a foolish act to split up before knowing what we are confronting, and for heaven's sake stop that mumbling on everything," Zack told Ken.

"I can sense, I can sense a cursed energy" Violet let out.

"What exactly, give the details," Sir Jason asked.

"I don't exactly know it does not feel like a person it is rather an object, I can feel connected to it" she tried to explain.

"Lead us then, maybe we can find something valuable there, it might be the thing the enemy is after" Sir Jason ordered.

Violet led them until they stumbled across an old temple in the middle of the ruins.

When they enter the temple, they find it is still standing and surprisingly intact. Inside they discover a strange altar with an ancient inscription that none of them can decipher.

"Now this is getting harder," Ken said after seeing the inscription.

"The harder the better" Sir Jason smiled.

"Hey, there is a chamber I found" Zack spoke up.

"Now this is getting interesting I am sure this is the enemy's target" Sir Jason is determined to solve the mystery of Askara so he orders Zack and Violet to search through the temple while Ken and himself investigate the adjacent chamber. 

"Zack and Violet this temple is pretty vast, investigate thoroughly and follow any lead, contact me in any case of emergency, there are two possibilities, first is that the enemy has yet to come and the other is that they are ahead of us somewhere, either way now we know that this temple is the target so we can split up" Sir Jason instructed and then went into the chamber with Ken. 

Zack and Violet also continued as they explored a doorway hidden behind one of the walls. They pry open the door to reveal an old unlit stairwell that leads deep beneath the surface. As they wandered through the dark tunnels and passageways, strange symbols began to appear on the walls. "Looking at the symbols they are not the same as the ones we saw above, I can decipher them," Zack said while touching the symbols written on the wall. 

"What it says then?" asked Violet.

After studying them for some time Zack realized that it's actually a secret code leading them even deeper into what appears to be an underground tunnel system. The tunnel system was like nothing they had ever seen. There were small alcoves along the walls where different items were stored, along with graffiti that told stories about brave explorers who made it through before them. As Zack and Violet explored further in, the temperature dropped, eventually leading to an ice-cold room covered in snow.

"Snow underground this is more fascinating than I imagined" Zack looked around.

"The cursed sensation it got stronger, so much stronger" Violet spoke out, her body was trembling uncontrollably. 

"That means we are in the right direction, you're trembling so badly, here take my coat" Zack gave her his coat.

"Are you sure it is extremely cold" she barely spoke.

"Yeah I was suffocating anyway" Zack assured.

They ventured even further and came across an ancient door with peculiar symbols etched onto its surface. 

"It says if someone is competent enough to choose the right symbol combination it would open up a long-forgotten chamber full of artifacts from an ancient civilization" Zack read it out.

"It's already open I can discern," Violet told.

"Yeah you are right" Zack asserted her statement while opening the door.

"I saw them, the devils we should hide behind this stone and wait" Zack whispered while dragging Violet behind the stone.

"It has to be somewhere around here, find it, find the cursed black stone, it is the last left we have to collect and then the destruction of this world is inevitable haha," the commanding devil said to his two fellow subordinates with evil laughter. 

They appeared to be in human bodies but their faces were covered with masks and they were wearing red blood pendants.

"Last left, this is bad then," Zack thought.

"We should contact Sir Jason" Violet added.

"Hmm you are right, we need immediate orders from him, we can't act without his permission." Zack agreed and turned the transponder on but before he can utter a word one of the devils destroyed the large stone they were hiding behind and said: "this much curse is hiding behind a stone hahaha".

"How? did they sense us, no that can't be, maybe it is just their luck but what now guess we have to fight" Zack began to think while dodging the stone pieces.

Violet also evaded and jumped back, but the other devil got behind her and grabbed her, and yelled "you are ours now lady".