Chapter 123: The Artifact of Destruction

The air was thick with tension as the sounds of battle raged behind him. Joan ran as fast as his legs would carry him, his heart pounding in his chest. His father, Alex, and the rest of the group were fighting for their lives, holding off Shona and his army of undead so that Joan could reach the Artifact of Destruction. The stakes had never been higher, and the weight of responsibility pressed down on Joan's young shoulders. He was only sixteen, but he felt much older—this battle had forced him to grow up faster than he could have ever imagined.

The rocky plains stretched out before him, a desolate landscape broken only by jagged outcrops and the occasional twisted tree. The ground was uneven, littered with the remnants of past battles—scorched earth, cracked stones, and the eerie remnants of those who had fallen before. Above, the sky churned with dark, swirling clouds, the ominous prelude to the storm that was approaching.