The morning was unnaturally quiet. No birds chirped. No wind blew. Only the soft crunch of ash beneath their boots could be heard.
Kael and Selene reached the edge of a burned valley. The land was lifeless, covered in gray ash, as if a massive fire had destroyed everything here. Charred tree trunks stuck out of the ground like broken bones.
At the valley's center, half buried in a hill, stood a strange black structure. An old shrine made of obsidian. Even though the land around it had been destroyed, the shrine was untouched. Not a single crack showed on its surface.
"This has to be it," Selene said quietly.
Kael's chest throbbed with heat. His curse mark was reacting again.
They walked closer. The entrance was small, just big enough for one person to crawl through. Odd symbols were carved around the opening. When Kael stared at them too long, they seemed to move.
"Do you think it is safe?" Kael asked.
Selene shook her head. "Not at all. But we have to go in."
Kael took a deep breath and crawled inside first.
The air was cold. The walls were smooth and black, almost like glass. A soft red light pulsed deep within the tunnel. The same color as the Thorn that marked Kael's chest.
He followed it until the tunnel opened into a larger chamber.
At the center of the room was a stone altar. On it lay a mask. Blackened, cracked, and ancient. Even from a distance, Kael could feel its power. Around the altar, bones were arranged in a perfect circle, long turned to dust.
The mark on Kael's chest burned stronger.
He stepped closer. Suddenly, a low hum filled the room.
Voices whispered around him. Not in any language he knew, but in feelings: warning, recognition, and something else. Like a call.
Selene entered behind him, eyes wide. "Kael, this shrine was built for you."
He stared at the mask. "But why?"
"I think you are about to find out."
Kael reached toward the mask. The moment his fingers brushed it, the altar lit up with glowing lines. The walls shook. Shadows twisted around them like smoke.
The whispers turned into screams.