The Dragon's Chosen

The sun barely pierced through the thick canopy as Eira and her companions followed Selya's lead. The forest was quieter than before too quiet, as if the land itself feared what lay ahead. The cursed mark on Selya's palm still pulsed faintly, a grim reminder that Malgrin was watching.

"We're close," Selya murmured, brushing her fingers against a twisted vine. "The path to the next medallion lies in the ruins of Vareth."

"Vareth?" Valeria's brow furrowed. "That city was destroyed centuries ago. What's left?"

Selya glanced back, her expression unreadable. "More than you want to find."

As they emerged from the dense forest, the ground shifted beneath their feet. Before them stretched the broken remains of Vareth, a city swallowed by time. Crumbled towers jutted from the earth, and jagged obsidian shards pierced through the ruins a sign of Malgrin's corruption.

"This place…" Ryven muttered. "It reeks of dark magic."

Eira's stomach tightened. The air hummed with power, thick and oppressive. "Why here?" she asked. "What does Malgrin want with a dead city?"

Selya hesitated, then said quietly, "Vareth wasn't just a city it was a prison. The last place the Ancients sealed a being of unimaginable power."

Kael's grip on his sword tightened. "And let me guess the next medallion is inside."

Selya nodded. "If Malgrin unlocks the prison, that creature will destroy everything in its path."

Without another word, they moved forward.

The ruins grew colder the deeper they ventured. Strange symbols glowed faintly on the walls, whispers drifting through the air echoes of the past.

"This doesn't feel right," Valeria muttered. "It's too easy."

As if in answer, the ground trembled.

A jagged stone arch rose ahead a gateway sealed with glowing chains of magic. But as Eira stepped closer, the chains snapped apart with a deafening crack.

A shadow shifted beyond the gate.

"No…" Selya's voice trembled. "It's awake."

From the darkness emerged a towering figure an Umbraknight, an ancient warrior bound by cursed magic. Its armor was blackened, cracked by centuries of imprisonment, and its eyes glowed with cold fire.

Without warning, it lunged.

Kael met the charge, his sword sparking against the creature's blade. The clash of metal rang through the ruins as Valeria struck from the side, her daggers leaving faint cuts on the Umbraknight's armor.

Eira focused her magic, fire blooming in her palms. She hurled a blast toward the creature's core but it absorbed the flames, growing stronger.

"It's feeding on magic!" Ryven warned, throwing a knife that barely scratched its helm.

"Then we take it down the hard way," Kael growled, slashing low and driving the creature back.

But the Umbraknight was fast. With a sweep of its arm, it sent Kael crashing against the stone wall.

"No!" Eira's power surged uncontrollably. Blue fire flared around her as she unleashed a storm of energy, forcing the creature to stumble.

The ancient seal beneath their feet glowed brighter as the Umbraknight weakened.

"It's bound to the seal," Selya called out. "We break the pattern, we break it!"

Valeria moved swiftly, slicing through the glowing sigils on the ground while Ryven distracted the creature with shadow-stepping attacks.

With a final blast of fire, Eira shattered the last symbol.

The Umbraknight froze its body fractured, then collapsed into ash.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then, from the center of the ruins, a pedestal rose. Upon it rested a medallion the seventh key.

Eira staggered forward, her hands trembling as she lifted it. The magic thrummed against her skin ancient, powerful, and dangerous.

But as she turned back to her companions, a chilling voice echoed through the ruins.

"You are too late, Dragon's Chosen."

Malgrin's laughter lingered in the air, and the earth trembled beneath them.

And in the shadows of the broken city, something else stirred.