The Price of Power

The world plunged into darkness.

Emma felt herself falling, the weight of the collapsing chamber pressing in from all sides. The air rushed past her ears, and then—

Impact.

She hit the ground hard, pain jolting up her side. Dust filled her lungs, and for a terrifying moment, she couldn't move.

Somewhere above, the tunnel was caving in, sending chunks of stone raining down like the wrath of an angry god.

Then—a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Emma!"

Alexander's voice cut through the chaos, and she felt herself being pulled upright.

She gasped, sucking in a lungful of stale, dust-choked air. Her vision cleared enough to make out the dim glow of their flashlights—scattered, flickering like dying stars.

They weren't alone.

The Revenant were still here.

Some of them had fallen alongside them, their dark cloaks blending with the shadows.

Emma's pulse hammered. "Where's Marcus? Hawthorne?"

Alexander scanned the debris. "I don't know. We need to move."

The ground beneath them shuddered.

The obsidian shard.

It still pulsed, radiating a sinister energy that made Emma's skin crawl.

One of the Revenant groaned, attempting to rise. Alexander didn't hesitate—he slammed his elbow into the man's face, sending him sprawling.

"Go," Alexander ordered, shoving Emma toward the tunnel ahead.

They ran.

---

Lost in the Depths

The underground passages twisted and turned, a labyrinth of forgotten stone and buried secrets.

Their flashlights barely cut through the oppressive darkness.

Emma's breathing was ragged. "We have no idea where this leads."

Alexander shot her a look. "We don't have a choice."

Behind them, the echoes of pursuit grew louder.

The Revenant weren't letting them escape that easily.

Emma pushed forward, her legs burning. The tunnel narrowed, forcing them to squeeze through jagged rocks and half-collapsed archways.

And then—

A faint light appeared ahead.

Hope surged in Emma's chest. "An exit?"

They stumbled toward it, emerging into a vast cavern.

A massive underground lake stretched out before them, its surface black as ink, reflecting the faint shimmer of bioluminescent fungi clinging to the ceiling.

And at the center—

A stone altar, eerily similar to the one above.

Alexander's jaw tightened. "This place…"

Emma swallowed hard. "It looks like a tomb."

A low chuckle echoed from the darkness.

They weren't alone.

---

The Revenant's Trap

The golden-eyed man stepped forward, his cloak barely stirring in the still air.

"You've come so far, only to end up exactly where we wanted you."

Emma's fingers curled into fists. "You planned this?"

"Of course."

The man gestured around them. "This isn't just a cavern. It's a sacrificial chamber. Built centuries ago to contain the power you foolishly seek to steal."

Alexander moved in front of Emma, his body tense. "We're not here for power."

The man smiled. "Ah, but power is here for you."

The obsidian shard in Alexander's hand flared, reacting to something unseen. The energy in the cavern shifted, a deep thrumming resonating through the stone.

Emma's stomach twisted.

Something was waking up.

The Revenant moved.

Alexander barely dodged the first attack. A knife slashed past him, glinting in the dim light. He twisted, grabbing the attacker's wrist and snapping it back.

Emma ducked, swinging her flashlight into another Revenant's ribs.

The cavern erupted into chaos.

Blades clashed. Shadows danced. The air crackled with ancient energy, a force so old and powerful that it made the hair on Emma's arms stand on end.

And then—

The ground split apart.

A deep, resonating pulse shook the chamber, and Emma barely managed to grab onto a rock before the entire cavern lurched.

The obsidian shard had shattered.

And something was coming through.

---

Awakening the Darkness

A gust of icy wind swept through the cavern, howling like the voices of the dead.

Emma's breath caught.

A figure was rising from the altar.

Not human.

Not fully formed.

A shadow, wreathed in black mist, its golden eyes burning like twin suns.

The golden-eyed Revenant dropped to one knee.

"We have succeeded," he whispered. "The Guardian has returned."

Emma's chest tightened. Guardian?

The shadowy figure turned its gaze toward them.

"Who… dares disturb my slumber?"

The voice was ancient, layered with something that didn't belong in this world.

Alexander straightened. "We mean no harm."

The entity's eyes narrowed. "A Blackwood. I remember your bloodline."

Emma stiffened. "You know him?"

The entity exhaled, the force of it rattling the walls.

"His ancestors… imprisoned me here."

The cavern shook.

Stone cracked.

The lake began to rise.

Emma's heart pounded. "Alexander, we need to go. Now."

But the Guardian wasn't finished.

It raised a hand, and the air around them turned to ice.

"You will not leave. Not until the debt is repaid."

A cold chain wrapped around Emma's wrist, yanking her toward the altar.

Alexander lunged. "Let her go!"

The Guardian's eyes gleamed. "Will you offer yourself in her place?"

A stunned silence filled the chamber.

Alexander's expression darkened.

"If that's what it takes."

Emma's stomach dropped. "No—"

But before she could stop him, he stepped forward, placing himself between her and the ancient entity.

The Guardian smiled.

"Then the bargain is sealed."

A pulse of black energy erupted from the altar.

Emma screamed as Alexander was ripped away from her.

And the cavern collapsed.