Ariana smiled, and for a moment, I saw a glimmer of the woman she once was, before the weight of her duties as Guardian consumed her.
The first artifact is the Crystal of Souls, she said. It is hidden in the underworld, guarded by the spirits of the dead.
I nodded, my mind already racing with the challenge ahead. Then let us go, I said.
Ariana led me to a portal that would take us to the underworld. As we stepped through, I felt a chill run down my spine. The underworld was a place of darkness and shadow, where the dead roamed free.
We walked for what felt like hours, the only sound the soft crunch of gravel beneath our feet. Finally, we came to a great crystal cave, the walls glittering with crystals that shone like stars.
In the center of the cave stood a pedestal, upon which rested the Crystal of Souls. It glowed with a soft, pulsing light, and I could feel its power calling to me.
But as we approached, a figure stepped out of the shadows. A woman with long, flowing hair and eyes that burned with a fierce inner fire.
You shall not have it, she said, her voice dripping with malice.
Who are you? I asked, my hand on the hilt of my sword.
I am the Queen of the Underworld, she said. And this crystal is mine.