The calm that settled over the valley was deceptive. The air, once thick with an ominous pressure, was now clear and still, yet Elara couldn't shake the feeling that something was lurking beneath the surface, just beyond their reach. The wraith, though vanquished for the moment, was not the true enemy. The relic hummed quietly in her hands, its power now stabilized, but it had left her feeling drained, as if it too had given all it could in their confrontation.
Morgana stood beside her, her fingers still trembling from the effort of holding the wards they'd conjured. Thorne had already begun scanning the area, his sharp eyes catching every minute detail as he prepared for the next move. He didn't speak, but the tension in his shoulders was unmistakable.
"We need to find the source of this shadow," Elara said, her voice steady but heavy with the weight of what lay ahead. "The wraith was just a manifestation, something sent to guard whatever is hidden here."