The farther east they traveled, the colder the air became.
The ground turned jagged, broken by massive stone formations jutting from the earth like shattered teeth—the Stone Claws, as the orcs had called them. The sky dimmed unnaturally, and the wind howled like something ancient was buried just beneath the surface.
Monsters roamed here—real ones. Not oversized rats or angry boars. These were the kind of creatures that got written into old scrolls under titles like "Doombringer" and "Absolutely Not Worth It."
And then they heard it.
A deep, guttural roar that shook the stones.
The group raced toward it.
They crested a ridge just in time to see a figure in black and white robes hurled through the air, crashing into a rock wall and slumping to the ground with a grunt.
Kain.
The ice mage dragged himself to one knee, blood on his lip, eyes burning silver-blue. Before him loomed a massive minotaur, covered in jagged scars and armored with bone plating.
"Well," Marcus said, "he's still alive."
"For now," Derek muttered.
Bob cracked his knuckles. "Let's go help the ice cream thief."
The fight was brutal.
The minotaur swung a tree-trunk club, shattering rocks with every blow. Derek blocked its charge with Excalibur, digging his heels into the earth. Bob tackled it from the side, absorbing a savage backhand with his shield.
Bam launched a wave of controlled fire, searing its flank and causing it to roar in pain.
Kain, still recovering, raised one hand and froze the monster's leg in a block of enchanted ice, locking it down just long enough for Marcus to land a bolt in its neck and Derek to drive his sword into its chest.
The beast fell, shaking the earth.
Silence returned.
Kain groaned from where he was slumped. "I was… handling it."
"You were handling the air," Marcus replied.
Bob helped him up. "Hey, buddy. Missed your betrayal."
Kain chuckled, wincing. "You're not dead. That's good."
Bam crossed his arms. "Explain. Now."
Kain leaned back against a rock, breathing heavily, blood running from a cut on his brow.
"You're not like before," he said, smiling faintly. "You've grown. Stronger. Focused."
"Flatter us later," Derek said. "Why did you steal the Eye?"
Kain looked at each of them, then tapped his staff against the ground. The glowing rune on its head flickered weakly.
"I didn't take it to sell it. Or to betray you. Not really," he said.
"Then really explain," Bam snapped.
Kain nodded.
"There's a place," he said. "Farther east. Beyond these mountains. Forgotten by most. But not by magic."
They listened in silence.
"A temple from the Old Era," Kain continued. "Before kingdoms. Before empires. A place where magic didn't follow rules. It made them."
"An ancient magical temple?" Marcus blinked. "That actually exists?"
"I've been tracking it for years," Kain said. "The Arcane Eye was the key. It reacts to hidden magic—a compass, if you know how to read it."
Derek frowned. "So you stole it to find… this temple?"
Kain shrugged, winced. "Wasn't proud of it. But I knew the Eye wouldn't stay safe in Border Town for long. I had to move fast. Too fast."
Bam looked away. "You could've told us."
"You would've said no."
"We still might," Marcus added.
Kain chuckled, then coughed. "You found me anyway."
Derek stepped forward. "How close is it?"
Kain looked east.
"Close."
And with that, the next step revealed itself—not just recovering the Eye…
…but uncovering the magic buried by time.