The Dragon's Chosen

With Valeria reluctantly joining their cause, the group pressed onward toward the next medallion. Their journey led them to the Whispering Ruins a forgotten city swallowed by time, where the wind carried voices from the past.

As they reached the outskirts, Eira felt a chill run down her spine. The air was thick with magic, old and restless. Broken stone towers pierced the sky, and the ground trembled beneath their feet.

"This place feels… wrong," Seren murmured, tightening her grip on her staff.

Valeria scoffed, arms crossed. "Ghost stories won't stop me."

Kael scanned the ruins. "Stay sharp. If the medallion's here, it won't be unguarded."

As they moved deeper, faint whispers floated through the air indistinct voices calling their names. Eira shuddered as a voice, soft and familiar, brushed against her mind.

"Mother…?" she whispered, heart pounding.

Kael caught her wrist. "It's not real. The ruins are playing tricks."

But the illusion felt too real too personal. The ruins weren't just haunted they were reading their fears.

At the heart of the ruins stood a massive stone archway etched with glowing runes. Suspended within was the fifth medallion, shimmering with silver light.

Ryven whistled low. "Easy pickings."

He stepped toward it only for the ground to erupt beneath him. A monstrous figure emerged, draped in shadowy armor. Its face was hidden beneath a broken helm, and its eyes burned a ghostly blue.

"The Warden of the Forgotten," Valeria said grimly. "A cursed knight bound to these ruins."

The Warden raised a jagged sword, and the air grew heavy with dread. Without warning, it struck.

Kael met the Warden's blade mid-swing, the impact sending sparks flying. "Eira, get the medallion!" he barked.

Eira sprinted toward the archway while Seren and Ryven flanked the Warden. Valeria summoned a wall of crimson fire, forcing the creature back.

The closer Eira got to the medallion, the louder the whispers became. Images flashed in her mind visions of dragons falling in battle, a dark figure rising from the ashes.

The magic of the ruins was trying to break her.

"You're stronger than this," she told herself, reaching for the medallion.

The moment her fingers brushed it, the ruins trembled. The Warden let out a roar, knocking Kael back with inhuman strength.

Eira turned, magic crackling around her hands. "Enough!"

A blast of golden light surged from her, striking the Warden and burning away the shadows clinging to its armor.

The Warden staggered, its helm cracking. Beneath it, a pale face was revealed a young man's face twisted with sorrow.

"Release me…" the Warden whispered.

Eira hesitated. "Who are you?"

The Warden's voice trembled. "I was once Therion, protector of these lands. But the medallion's curse binds me here. Free me… or join my fate."

Valeria sneered. "He's already dead. Let's end this."

But Kael raised a hand to stop her. "Eira?"

Eira's heart ached. Therion had been trapped for centuries. "There has to be another way," she said softly.

The medallion pulsed in her hands, revealing an inscription: Only through compassion may the curse be broken.

Eira knelt beside the Warden and placed the medallion against his chest. "I release you from this burden," she said, pouring her magic into the curse.

The shadows melted away, and Therion's form dissolved into light. His voice, free at last, echoed through the ruins.

"Thank you…"

As the last of him faded, the ruins grew silent. The curse was broken but the echoes of his pain lingered.

Valeria scoffed. "We're wasting time on lost souls. The real battle lies ahead."

Eira met her gaze, unyielding. "Every soul matters."

Kael stepped to her side, his voice low. "You did the right thing."

With the fifth medallion in hand, they left the Whispering Ruins behind but Eira couldn't shake the feeling that Therion's fate was a warning.

And somewhere in the shadows, Malgrin's power grew stronger.