The Eternal Sketch

A heavy silence fell over the courtyard as Ryo, Elara, and Callus stood frozen, the professor's journal in Ryo's hands. The words I hear whispers in the stone. I think they know I'm here burned in his mind. The shifting shadows, the unnatural cold—something was still lurking in the ruins, unseen but watching.

Elara's hand hovered over the hilt of her dagger. "So, uh… anyone else getting the feeling we're about to have company?"

Callus scanned the surroundings with narrowed eyes. "Stay close. Whatever's here doesn't want intruders."

Ryo swallowed and glanced at the Echo Shades lingering near the archways. They weren't advancing, but their flickering forms swayed as if reacting to an unseen force. His illusion of the ancient city was still active, and he wondered if it was the only thing keeping them from hostility.

"Professor Alden must be deeper inside," Ryo said, closing the journal. "If we find him, we'll find out what happened."

Elara sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."

With careful steps, they pressed on through the ruins, passing broken statues and overgrown streets. The deeper they went, the more the atmosphere changed. The air felt thick, charged with an unnatural energy. The ruins here were different—less eroded, as if time had barely touched them.

Ryo stopped in his tracks. "This part of the city… it shouldn't be this intact."

Callus nodded grimly. "That's because it isn't. Look closely."

Ryo squinted, then realized what Callus meant. The buildings ahead shimmered faintly, like a mirage. He raised his brush and carefully sketched a line in the air. As the ink connected, the illusion wavered, revealing the true form beneath—crumbled stone and decay, just like the rest of the ruins.

"A powerful illusion," Ryo murmured. "Someone—or something—didn't want this place to look abandoned."

Elara shuddered. "Great. So we're dealing with something smart enough to cast large-scale magic."

As they moved forward, Ryo kept his brush at the ready, dispelling more of the false structures. Then, ahead of them, they saw it—a temple-like building, mostly intact, with a massive stone door covered in ancient glyphs.

Ryo's pulse quickened. This had to be where Professor Alden went.

Before he could move closer, a voice echoed through the ruins—

"You should not have come."

The voice wasn't loud, but it resonated in their bones, as if it came from the ruins themselves. The Echo Shades around them suddenly stiffened, their forms trembling.

Then, the ground beneath them shook.

Ryo barely had time to react before something erupted from the cracked stone—a massive, inky-black hand clawing its way into existence.

A guardian.

Something ancient. Something angry.

Ryo's instincts took over. He sketched rapidly, reinforcing the stone beneath their feet so they wouldn't lose their balance. "Callus!"

"I see it!" Callus lunged forward, blade in hand, striking at the massive arm. But his sword passed through it like smoke.

Elara cursed and threw a dagger. The weapon hit but was swallowed by the inky darkness.

Ryo's mind raced. He had seen similar beings in old texts—manifestations of magic given form. If it was made of ink-like energy, then maybe…

He dipped his brush in enchanted ink and drew a counter-symbol in the air, willing it to disrupt the guardian's form.

For a moment, the creature hesitated. The ink lines trembled. Then, it roared.

The fight had only just begun.