Tap. Tap. Tap.
Julian's feet pounded against the dirt as he ran through the dark forest. Tree branches hit his face and roots grabbed at his ankles, making him stumble. His chest burned and he could barely breathe, but he didn't dare stop.
"Get him!"
The voices behind him were getting closer.
He refused to look back. If he looked back, he would slow down, and if he slowed down, they would kill him.
Blood ran down his injured arm, leaving drops on the ground for his hunters to follow. More roots tried to trip him but he kept moving forward, grinding his teeth together as his sight started going fuzzy.
"Faster!" someone yelled from behind.
Julian wanted to laugh at that. He was already running as fast as his body would let him.
Suddenly the trees opened up and he stumbled onto old, cracked stones. He glanced around quickly and saw ancient ruins all around him. Half-broken archways, walls falling apart, and old statues leaning to one side. Green moss grew over everything.
A broken stone pillar stood near the entrance with faded words carved into it:
[Ruins of the First Age]
Julian didn't care about it. Knowing history wouldn't help him survive. He jumped over a fallen gate and continued running deeper inside.
The footsteps behind him came to a stop.
"Tch. The old ruin."
Good. Maybe they were scared to come in.
"Then he can't escape," another voice said sharply. "Keep going."
So much for that hope.
He heard them coming in after him, their boots making loud sounds that bounced off the stone walls just like his did. The air inside smelled old and dusty. Broken statues stood along the pathway, their blank faces seeming to watch him.
Julian didn't see that his blood was dripping onto strange carvings on the ground. He was too busy trying to breathe and keep himself from falling over.
The carvings began to give off a soft light.
[Bloodline Detected]
[Seal Disrupted]
[Relic Awakening…]
[Searching for Vessel…]
[Error: No Compatible Host Found]
[Override Initiated]
[Forcing Fusion…]
[Relic Sync: 1% → 5% → 22%…]
[Binding in Progress]
Julian kept running forward, completely unaware of the glowing light spreading through the ancient building.
"Cut him off!"
One of the men chasing him held up his hand and dark flames appeared above his palm.
BOOM!
The fire blast smashed into the wall right next to Julian, making broken pieces of stone fly everywhere. He lost his balance and crashed into a stone pillar but somehow managed to stay standing.
He took steps backward until he felt cold stone against his back. He had reached a dead end.
His breathing came out in heavy gasps and sweat dripped into his eyes, stinging them. He couldn't feel his wounded arm anymore.
"You have nowhere left to run."
Another hunter walked toward him with bright lightning jumping between his fingers.
Julian's body froze in fear.
[Relic Sync: ...38%]
[Emergency Defense Activated]
WHUMM.
A glowing barrier suddenly formed around Julian's body. The lightning attack hit the barrier and broke apart into small sparks.
Julian looked at the strange shield in shock. "What the—"
The hunters seemed just as confused as he was, but then their confusion turned into anger.
"He's been hiding his real power this whole time."
"Then we'll just hit him harder."
All of them raised their hands at once and the air around them started crackling with magical energy.
Attack after attack slammed into the glowing barrier, making the entire ruin shake violently. Dust poured down from the ceiling above and long cracks split open across the stone floor.
[Integrity: 42%]
[Warning: Stability Failing]
Julian dropped down onto one knee and let out a loud scream as the barrier started cracking and breaking.
[Integrity: 31%]
[Collapse Imminent]
The shield shattered into pieces.
BOOM!
A huge explosion ripped through the ancient building, sending the hunters flying backward into walls and burying them underneath piles of falling rocks.
Julian's body hit the hard ground and his face pressed against the freezing stone. He couldn't tell if he was still breathing or choking on dust. His vision swam around until everything turned completely black.
One of the hunters managed to push himself up to his feet, fresh blood covering his face. Dark energy started gathering in the palm of his hand, ready to finish Julian off.
But right before he could attack—
WHSSK.
An arrow shot through the air and buried itself deep in the hunter's chest. A bright light flashed for just a second before both the arrow and the hunter's life disappeared completely. His body collapsed to the ground with lifeless eyes staring at nothing.
Far away on a hill overlooking the ruins, three figures in dark cloaks stood perfectly still, watching everything.
"Is that him?" one of them asked quietly.
"The mark matches," another one answered.
The third figure spoke in a calm, certain voice. "Not yet. We'll just watch him for now."
Their eyes stayed on Julian's motionless body lying in the broken rubble for a few more seconds. Then, moving as quietly as shadows, they turned around and disappeared back into the forest.
Back inside the ruins, the old building made creaking sounds as more dust fell from above. Faint light traced across the floor carvings again, but there was nobody left alive to see it.
[Relic Sync: 99% → 100%]
[Relic Status: Fully Online]
Nobody knew what had just happened. The hunters were either dead or trapped under heavy stones. The mysterious figures had already left.
Only the empty ruin remained behind, sitting in complete silence.