The Relic’s Price

The ruins were collapsing around us, a groaning, creaking symphony of crumbling stone and distant echoes. The ziggurat, once a monumental testament to some forgotten god, was now little more than a pile of rubble. Behind me, the creature—the guardian—stalked through the wreckage with a savage hunger, its three heads snapping in unison, each more terrifying than the last.

"Faster!" the giant bellowed, his voice echoing through the dust-choked air. The ground trembled under his feet, but the creature was closing in, its claws raking across the earth with a ferocity that made the ground tremble beneath us. I felt the distant ache of ancient stone breaking beneath its weight, and something deep inside me, something primal, knew that we weren't going to escape unless something changed. Fast.

The giant's magic flared—a violent burst of shadows and forgotten spells—but it was too late. The guardian was too close, its gleaming claws tearing through the underbrush. The giant's spell barely slowed it down, a brief flicker of power that did nothing but anger the beast. The air was thick with tension, the world around us thickening like smoke.

I didn't have time to think. I didn't have time for anything but survival.

I pulled the amulet from beneath my shirt, the cool metal instantly heating against my skin as though it recognized the urgency. I didn't even need to ask anymore. There was no question whether I was going to use it. The cost had already been paid in full, or so I thought.

"Ahmed!" The giant's voice cracked through the haze. "Use it!"

I didn't think twice. Not really. At that point, there was only now. There wasn't anything else. There was no choice but to act.

I gripped the amulet, the cold carving digging into my palm, and I felt it—more than saw it—felt the connection snap between me and something older than the world itself. The relic hummed, thrumming with an ancient power, the whispers of forgotten things flooding my senses.

"By the relic of the ancients," I forced out, my throat tight. The words came too easily, like an incantation etched in my mind, as though the relic had been waiting for this moment.

And then the light exploded.

It was a torrent, a searing flood of energy that sent me stumbling back, my heart pounding in my chest like a drumbeat from some distant war. The light blasted outward, forcing the guardian to rear back, its heads snapping in confusion, the confusion of something that could not comprehend what it was up against. The power was intoxicating. It surged through me, an overwhelming flood of force and fury, and for a moment, I thought I might drown in it.

And then I felt it—the draining, gnawing sensation in the pit of my stomach. Something was being pulled from me, but I couldn't stop it. My vision blurred at the edges. I felt like I was unraveling, like the magic was tearing at the threads that held me together.

"Hold it together!" The giant's voice rang in my ears, snapping through the haze, and I fought to keep my feet under me. I could see the guardian faltering—its claws scraping the earth, its heads snapping in fury as the light pushed against it, forcing it backward. But that wasn't enough.

It wasn't enough until the relic had taken its pound of flesh.

I didn't know how much it took, but when I felt it—when I felt the power drain from me like sand through an hourglass—I knew. A tenth. A tenth of my life force.

I couldn't breathe.

I collapsed to my knees, my fingers still clutching the relic, which now burned hotter than before, as though it had just absorbed what it needed from me. The guardian, howling in frustration, was being turned to dust. Its body evaporated in a cascade of glowing particles, swept away by the energy of the relic, leaving nothing behind but a faint, lingering scent of burnt ozone.

For a moment, everything was silent. The world held its breath.

I couldn't move. My body felt hollow, the edges of my vision dimming as the power I had just used hung like a shroud over me. My hands shook as I stared at the relic in my palm, feeling the subtle hum of energy that, just moments ago, had nearly consumed me.

"Did we—" My voice was a rasp, barely more than a whisper. "Did we do it?"

The giant stood in front of me, unmoving, his massive form blocking out the light. His face was impassive, but something in his eyes flickered—a hint of something. Relief? No, not quite. But something.

"For now," he said, his tone flat, like he was already planning the next step. "But we need to keep moving."

I dragged myself to my feet, feeling the weight of the world press down on me. My body felt like it was made of lead, and every breath was shallow, strained. "We need to get out of here," I managed, barely able to keep my balance. "That thing… it took from me."

The giant's gaze shifted, and he turned toward the jungle ahead, where the treeline parted to let in the first hints of sunlight. "Yes. The relic takes its toll. You felt it, didn't you?"

I nodded, swallowing the taste of bile in my throat. The amulet, still clutched tightly in my palm, felt like a cold weight now, a reminder of what I had just sacrificed. It was as though a piece of me had been chipped away, stolen without my permission. But there was no time to dwell on it. Not yet.

"What do we do with it?" I asked, my voice ragged.

The giant's steps were long, deliberate. He didn't even glance back at me. "We take it with us. And we find the next one."

I wasn't sure how much more of this I could take. The whole ordeal felt like a cruel game, and I was getting played like a pawn. I had no idea what the next relic would demand, but I couldn't shake the feeling that whatever it was, I wasn't going to be ready for it.

I stared at the relic again, still glowing softly in my hand. I wanted to believe it was just a tool. A key. Something I could use, something that would help me survive. But the cost was too steep. It was clear that whatever this relic was, it had its own agenda. And I was just a pawn caught in its game.

"Why me?" I muttered under my breath.

The giant heard me. "You are the only living one left in this place," he said, his voice low. "Your presence is just.....convenient."

I looked at him, but his face was unreadable, a mask of indifference that had been drilled into him over centuries. "And what happens when all the relics are collected?" I asked, my voice small in comparison to the enormity of the question.

"Power beyond comprehension," he said, as though it were the simplest thing in the world. "More than the gods could ever wield. Power that could reshape the world."

"Great," I said bitterly, "so we're playing for the crown of the universe now."

He didn't even flinch. "That's exactly what we're doing."

I couldn't breathe. This wasn't a quest for glory. It was a race for survival, and the more I learned, the more I hated the stakes. But as much as I wanted to argue, to rebel, to scream at him, I knew it would change nothing. We were bound by this relic. Bound by a fate that had already been written long before I ever stepped foot in this place.

"You think I'm just going to follow you?" I asked, finally stepping away from the giant, my legs unsteady beneath me.

He turned his head, those cold eyes locking onto mine. "You have no choice."

"I think I do," I shot back, feeling the spark of defiance ignite within me. "I didn't sign up for this. I didn't pinkie swear."

The giant's gaze hardened. "Don't test me, boy."

His words were more than a threat—they were a promise. And in that moment, I realized the enormity of what I was up against.

He moved toward me, his massive hand reaching out as if to snatch the amulet from my hand. But before he could, something flickered in the air—a momentary shift, like the wind was breathing down my neck.

And then everything went black.