*Chapter 12: "The Whispering Ruins (and the Forgotten Prophecy)"**

The portal spat us out in a rain-soaked forest, the artifact now inert in Kaela's hands. Around us, ancient stone pillars jutted from the earth like broken teeth, covered in glowing runes that pulsed with a faint blue light.

"Where are we now?" I groaned, wringing water from my tunic.

Lyra traced her fingers over the nearest rune. "These are elven markings. Ancient ones. This place... it's the Whispering Ruins."

Garrick stiffened. "The ruins from the old tales? The ones that—"

"—disappear and reappear at random?" Ryn finished, scowling. "Fantastic. Just what we needed."

Kaela's eyes widened as she deciphered the script. "It's a warning. 'Beware the Sleeper in the Dark.'"

A gust of wind howled through the ruins, carrying with it a whisper—a voice that wasn't there. My skin prickled. "Did anyone else hear that?"

Lyra's ears twitched. "No. But my bow just started glowing."

The artifact in Kaela's hands flared to life, its light illuminating a path deeper into the ruins. "It's reacting to something. Something powerful."

We followed the light, the whispers growing louder, until we reached a circular chamber. At its center stood a pedestal, and atop it—a sword, its blade forged from blackened silver, veins of crimson light pulsing within the metal like a heartbeat.

Garrick sucked in a breath. "That's not just any sword. That's *Veythari*, the Blade of the Blood Moon."

Ryn whistled. "The one from the legends? The one that's supposed to be cursed?"

Kaela hesitated. "It's also said to be the key to sealing the Void Rifts."

The whispers crescendoed. Then—silence.

A shadow detached itself from the wall, coalescing into the form of a man—or something that had once been a man. His eyes were voids, his skin cracked like dried earth, and when he spoke, his voice was the sound of crumbling stone.

"You are not worthy."

Lyra's arrow was already nocked. "Yeah? Let's test that."

The battle was unlike anything we'd faced before. The shadowed figure moved like smoke, his strikes leaving trails of darkness that corroded whatever they touched. Garrick's sword passed through him like mist, and Ryn's daggers found no purchase.

Kaela's magic was the only thing that seemed to hurt him. "He's weak to light!" she shouted, her staff blazing like a star.

I lunged for the sword. The moment my fingers closed around the hilt, agony lanced up my arm—and then, warmth. The crimson veins in the blade flared, and suddenly, I *knew* things. The ruins' true name. The Sleeper's nature. The prophecy etched into the sword's core.

*"When the blood moon rises, the Sleeper awakens. Only the Unbound can wield the blade and silence the whispers forever."*

The shadowed figure recoiled. "Impossible."

I didn't think. I just swung.

Veythari cut through him like he was made of paper, the blade drinking in the darkness. The figure screamed—then shattered, his form dissolving into motes of light.

Silence.

Then the ground trembled. The ruins began to collapse.

"Run!" Garrick bellowed.

We barely made it out before the entire structure caved in behind us. Panting, I stared at the sword in my hands, its glow fading.

Kaela's voice was hushed. "Leo... what *are* you?"

I had no answer.

Because etched into my skin where the sword had burned me were the same runes from the ruins—and they were *spreading*.

**SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: QUEST UPDATED**

**"THE SLEEPER'S PROPHECY" ACCEPTED**

**WARNING: BLOOD MOON IN 7 DAYS**

Ryn groaned. "Oh, come *on*."