Chapter 21: The Relic Beneath the Blood Moon


    <hr>


    Hunting outside academy-sanctioned missions was strictly forbidden.


    Which, of course, meant we were doing exactly that.


    <hr>


    The Hunt Begins


    A week after the attack, strange mana surges were detected in the forest outside Arkadia.


    The instructors ignored it. They were focused on security, assuming it was leftover from the battle.


    But we knew better.


    Something was out there.


    And we were going to find it first.


    <hr>


    Into the Wild


    The forest was dense and unnatural, a place where reality frayed at the edges.


    Emilia shivered. "The mana here feels… wrong."


    Iris frowned. "It’s not just mana. It’s old."


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    Noctis stretched lazily on my shoulder. "Oho, secrets buried beneath the earth. My favorite."


    I gripped Nyx, instincts sharp.


    "We keep moving."


    <hr>


    The First Encounter


    We didn’t get far before we were ambushed.


    A pack of twisted creatures burst from the shadows—mutated beasts, their flesh marked with glowing runes.


    Iris moved first, her ice spears piercing their hides.


    I followed, cutting through the gaps in her attacks.


    Emilia stayed back, casting defensive wards, keeping us alive.


    It was quick. Efficient.


    We were getting better.


    But as the last beast fell, something shifted beneath it.


    A stone slab.


    Covered in ancient, pulsing runes.


    A doorway.


    Nyx pulsed against my palm. "This is not meant to be found."


    Which meant—


    We were going in.


    <hr>


    The Relic of the Forgotten


    The entrance led into a buried ruin, a place untouched by time.


    The air was thick with power, and at the center of the chamber—


    A relic.


    Floating above a pedestal, glowing with blackened light, whispering in a language we didn’t understand.


    I reached out—


    And the system reacted violently.


    <blockquote>


    [WARNING: UNIDENTIFIED ARTIFACT DETECTED.]


    [RELIC: ???]


    [DO NOT TOUCH.]


    </blockquote>


    I ignored the warning.


    Because whatever this was—


    It was meant for me.