The Tample of ashes
The ruins stretched before us, eerie and silent. Vines wrapped around the crumbling stone like fingers gripping a long-forgotten past. The air was thick with damp earth and something else—something wrong.
Kael studied the ancient carvings, his expression unreadable. "This place belonged to warriors who once defied the throne spirit," he murmured. He ran a hand over a symbol etched into the stone, his voice distant. "They paid the price."
A chill crawled down my spine. "What happened to them?"
Kael didn't answer. Instead, he turned toward the gaping entrance ahead. "We'll find out soon enough."
Marlik shifted beside me, muscles tense. "I don't like this."
"Neither do I," Roran muttered. "But we're here, so let's get this over with."
Something inside me whispered that stepping forward meant more than just claiming a weapon. But I had no choice.
We walked into the darkness.
---
The Dagger's Chamber
The moment we stepped past the threshold, the doors slammed shut behind us. A sudden, suffocating silence swallowed the space. My heart pounded as my eyes adjusted to the dim glow flickering from the chamber's center.
There, resting on a pedestal, was the dagger.
It was unlike any weapon I had ever seen—black as midnight, its edges pulsing with a faint crimson light. The hilt was wrapped in something that looked like leather, but when I reached out, it was ice-cold against my skin.
Roran moved closer, his fingers twitching toward it—
A deep growl rumbled from the shadows.
I froze.
Something moved in the darkness.
---
The Guardian Awakens
A monstrous figure emerged, its body shifting like shadows and bone woven together. Its three heads snarled in unison, eyes molten gold and filled with hunger.
"You seek the dagger?"
The voice slithered into my mind, deeper than words, pressing against my thoughts.
I forced my voice to stay steady. "Yes."
The beast took a step forward, and the ground trembled beneath its weight.
"Then you already know… its price."
I exchanged a look with Kael, but his expression was unreadable.
"What price?" Roran asked, his fingers curling around the hilt of his sword. "What is it talking about?"
The beast laughed, the sound grating like stone against stone.
"The dagger does not serve without payment." Its golden eyes flickered between us. "Blood must be spilled. One of you must pay."
My breath caught. One of us had to die?
A heavy silence fell over us.
Roran's muscles tensed, but Kael placed a hand on his arm. Marlik stood still, his gaze dark, unreadable.
The beast waited.
---
The Test of Fire
Without warning—flames erupted from the ground.
The fire surged between us, separating me from the others. The heat wasn't real, but the visions were.
My father stood before me, his face twisted with disappointment.
"You are not worthy of the throne."
Marlik's voice came next, dripping with cold hatred.
"You were never more than a pawn."
Then I saw Kael and Roran.
They turned their backs on me, their figures dissolving into the fire's glow.
My heart pounded. No. This isn't real.
Then, a soft glow in my palm.
The water the guardian spirit had given me.
Without hesitation, I lifted it to my lips and drank.
The illusions shattered.
The fire vanished. And the beast?
It was watching me.
It chuckled, slow and deep. "Clever, child. But the sacrifice remains."
---
Claiming the Dagger
The pedestal stood before me once more, untouched. The dagger's crimson glow pulsed, almost as if it were alive.
I stepped forward, wrapping my fingers around the hilt. A sharp sting shot through my palm.
A single drop of blood fell onto the blade.
And then, whispers coiled around my mind.
Blood for blood.
Kael's voice was quiet but firm. "That blade was made to kill a king, but it may claim you, too."
My grip tightened. Had I just sealed my fate?
---
The Ominous Exit
As we turned to leave, the air thickened with something unseen.
The ground rumbled beneath our feet.
Storm clouds swirled above, swallowing the last traces of light.
And standing at the temple's entrance—
A shadowed figure. Watching. Waiting.