Aira stood there, glowing faintly from the relic's aftershock, the weight of what just happened sinking into her bones. The others gathered around her—Leo leaning on a broken spear like a walking stick, Kairo dusting off blood from his shirt like it was just another Tuesday, and Lucien with that unreadable look in his eyes.
"Is it just me," Kairo asked, "or did anyone else feel the room shiver?"
"It's not just the room," Aira murmured, eyes narrowing.
She could still feel it.
A dull throb from the relic in her chest. Not pain—but pressure. Something was coming.
Lucien stepped beside her. "What is it?"
"The relic," she said. "It's reacting to something. The seal—another one—it's breaking."
Leo groaned. "Oh, joy. We just survived a chain witch tornado and now the world wants to throw another curse at us?"
Suddenly, the temple walls trembled again, but this time, it wasn't magic.
It was something underneath.
The floor cracked with a loud snap, and red light bled through the seams like lava veins. Dust rained down from the high ceiling. Everyone jumped back.
Kairo pulled Aira away just as a deep rumbling echoed beneath them. "We should not be here!"
Before anyone could run, the cracked floor burst open—exploded—with a gust of dark energy. And rising from it… was a figure.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Eyes like polished obsidian. His face was half-covered with a jagged golden mask, and his armor shimmered like living night.
Lucien froze. "No. It can't be—"
"Who is that?" Aira whispered.
Leo's voice was cold. "That… is Serak. The Second Chain."
The figure hovered slightly off the ground, his cloak fluttering without wind. He didn't speak—just looked directly at Aira. The glow from her relic flared again, as if recognizing him. As if warning her.
"He's one of the original relic guardians," Lucien said, stepping in front of Aira. "Corrupted. Sealed a hundred years ago."
"Sealed beneath this chamber?" Kairo said in disbelief. "Who builds a villain basement under a villain temple?!"
A flicker of something passed Serak's eyes. He raised one arm—and the very air around him cracked, turning red with ancient sigils.
Aira barely had time to react. She threw up her relic shield, but this time it wavered. The attack hit like a freight train. She flew backward, skidding across the stone.
"Aira!" Leo shouted.
Lucien charged at Serak, swords drawn—but Serak caught both blades with his bare hands. His strength was unreal.
Aira sat up, chest heaving. "He's… stronger than Zafira. He's not using chains. He's using—"
"Seal magic," Lucien growled. "He's a Breaker."
Serak finally spoke. His voice was like stone grinding against stone. "You broke the first lock. Now the second awakens. The Heart is waking… and when it does, none of you will be worthy."
With a pulse of dark red light, he vanished.
Gone.
The chamber quieted again, only the sound of crumbling stones and their heavy breaths echoing.
Aira slowly stood. "He's going after the third seal."
Lucien clenched his fists. "Then we have to get there before he does."
Leo looked around at the destruction. "Any chance we can take a day off first? Maybe a nap? Or a healing potion? My ribs are arguing with my lungs."
Kairo chuckled tiredly. "Just admit you're too pretty to die."
"I am too pretty to die," Leo replied, wincing. "Thank you for noticing."
Aira gave a small smile, despite the fear coiling in her chest. Serak was free. The second chain had broken. And the relic wasn't done pulsing yet.
That meant only one thing.
The real war was just beginning.
Aira stared at the spot where Serak had vanished, heart pounding like a war drum. The last fragments of his energy still clung to the air, thick and suffocating.
"That… was not a normal seal break," Lucien muttered, his voice low. "It felt like the relics called to him."
Kairo sat on a cracked pillar, rubbing his temples. "So we're dealing with corrupted relic guardians now? What's next? Talking dragons with attitude problems?"
Aira took a deep breath. "He said we weren't worthy. Like the relic is judging us."
Leo, who had finally gotten to his feet, snorted. "Great. Now I've got an evil ex-guardian and a judgmental jewel to worry about. Could this day get any better?"
Suddenly, the floor gave a tiny crack under Lucien's boot.
They all froze.
Lucien looked down slowly.
Kairo raised a brow. "Is that... the 'oops I broke something ancient again' face?"
Lucien stepped back, and a small hidden staircase revealed itself—spiraling downward into darkness.
Aira blinked. "There's more?"
Leo groaned. "Of course there is."
Despite their exhaustion, curiosity pushed them forward. Lucien led the way, a soft light glowing from his palm. The staircase was tight, the air stale, filled with the scent of dust and forgotten time.
At the bottom, they found a chamber. Smaller, circular, and covered in glyphs. At its center stood a pedestal—and on it, a glass orb, swirling with red mist.
The relic pulsed inside Aira's chest again. "That's... a memory core."
Lucien looked alarmed. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "The relic wants me to see this."
Kairo frowned. "Wait, are we just casually trusting the ancient magical artifact again? Remember last time it nearly melted your eyebrows off."
"I trust it," she whispered.
With a deep breath, Aira reached forward and touched the orb.
The room faded away.
FLASH—
She stood in another time.
A younger Serak was kneeling before a glowing heart-shaped relic. Around him were others—five in total—each bearing a chain across their back, like a sacred burden.
"Do you swear," a voice echoed, "to protect the Heart Relic, even from yourselves?"
Serak spoke. "I swear."
A blinding light, then fire. Screams. Chains shattering. Betrayal.
Aira clutched her head as visions tore through her. Serak breaking free. Darkness swallowing his heart. And something... deeper. A shape behind him.
Watching.
Laughing.
The vision shattered.
She gasped, stumbling back into the present, Lucien catching her before she hit the ground.
"What did you see?" he asked.
"Serak wasn't always evil. He was a protector. One of the original five."
"And now?" Leo asked.
She looked up, eyes wide. "Now… something else is using him."
Lucien frowned. "Something worse?"
Aira nodded slowly. "Something that wants the Heart Relic whole. And we're running out of time."
Just then, the ground above them rumbled again.
A shadow passed over the chamber's ceiling.
Kairo drew his dagger. "Please don't let it be another mask-wearing maniac."
But it wasn't Serak.
It was someone else.
Boots clicked on the top step.
A cloaked figure descended slowly, a smirk on her painted lips.
"Hello, darlings," she cooed. "Miss me?"
Lucien stiffened. "Isla."
Leo cursed under his breath. "Of course she's back."
Aira looked at her warily. "What do you want?"
Isla grinned, pushing her hood back. "Oh, nothing much. Just a little info... and maybe a front row seat to the end of the world."
Isla's boots clicked with elegance, each step echoing with confidence and venom.
Aira narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here, Isla?"
The woman's grin widened as she stepped into the glow of the relic. Her eyes sparkled with mischief—and something sharper, darker. "Oh, sweet Aira, always so suspicious. Can't I visit my favorite little band of relic hunters?"
Leo crossed his arms. "Not unless you come bearing snacks or peace treaties—which you never do."
Isla gave him a mock pout. "Ouch. I'm hurt."
Lucien didn't flinch. "Why are you really here?"
She twirled a silver pendant between her fingers, the metal glinting. "Because whatever you awakened here... it wasn't just a memory core. It was a signal."
Her smile faded, replaced by cold intensity. "You've stirred something. And not just Serak. Others felt it too."
Kairo stepped forward, daggers out. "Define 'others.'"
Isla chuckled darkly. "You know that little prophecy you've been dancing around? About the relic choosing its keeper, the five guardians breaking their oath, and the world folding in on itself?"
She glanced at Aira. "Congratulations. You're ahead of schedule."
Aira's pulse spiked. "What do you mean?"
Isla turned, pacing like a cat ready to pounce. "You woke Serak, yes. But more importantly—you activated the relic's next phase. And now, every lost guardian is going to come crawling out of the shadows. One by one. Hungry. Angry. Twisted."
A deafening silence filled the chamber.
"Wait," Leo said slowly. "Are you saying... Serak was just the first?"
Isla snapped her fingers. "Ding ding. And unlike Serak, the others aren't interested in speeches or warnings."
Lucien clenched his jaw. "How many?"
Isla's eyes gleamed. "Four more."
Kairo sighed dramatically. "Yay. That's only one for each of us. Should be a walk in the park."
But Aira wasn't smiling. She turned to the pedestal and placed a hand on it. The glass orb was dim now, spent. But the pulse of the relic in her chest still beat like a war drum.
"They're coming," she said quietly. "And this was just a warning."
Isla nodded, brushing imaginary dust from her cloak. "Right again, Empress Relic. And you better be ready, because the next one? He's not as… talkative as Serak."
A small chuckle escaped Leo. "Wonderful. A mute, murderous relic ghost. Just what I needed."
"Where is he?" Lucien asked.
Isla turned to the exit. "That's the fun part. He's already moving. Heading for the city of Vaelor."
Kairo stiffened. "That's your home, isn't it, Lucien?"
Lucien's expression hardened. "It is."
Aira stepped forward. "Then we go to Vaelor."
Isla turned back, eyebrow raised. "You're going to chase the storm now? Brave."
"We're not chasing it," Aira said. "We're going to end it."
The relic inside her flared—bright, bold, determined. It hummed louder now, syncing with her heartbeat, echoing through her bones. The next chapter of their journey had begun.
But none of them noticed the faint glow pulsing in Isla's pendant—the same color as the relic. And the smile that returned to her lips wasn't playful.
It was knowing.