The trek to the rumored location of the artifact felt endless, but Seth had finally pinpointed the exact coordinates after hours of painstaking research. With every step closer to the hidden cave, the gravity of our mission pressed down on us. We had faced countless dangers to get this far, but something about this part of the journey felt different. Darker.

The memory of Ethan Woods' warning echoed in my ears: The closer you get to the artifact, the more dangerous it will become. He was right, and yet, we had no choice but to keep going. We arrived at the entrance just as the last light of day was fading from the sky.

“This has to be the place,” Seth said, voice tense with exhaustion and certainty. He wiped the sweat from his brow as he held up the crude map he had managed to piece together from ancient texts while Mascot leaned on him.

“Everything leads to this cave.” I glanced at the entrance, heart thudding in my chest. The cave loomed before us, its dark mouth like the entrance to another world. Clara's magic had confirmed it too—there was something powerful and old inside.

But the uneasy feeling clawing at my gut told me it wouldn’t be as simple as just walking in and retrieving the artifact. Seth stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger. "We move carefully. No one touches anything unless we’re sure it’s safe." Sarah, ever cautious, gripped her blade and glanced at Clara, whose face was pale with weariness.

Mascot was still unconscious, his body draped over Seth’s broad shoulders. We had no choice but to carry him; we couldn’t risk leaving him behind. Not with Eden’s forces still hunting them. I swallowed my fear and led the way into the cave. The air inside was thick, damp, and smelled of earth and decay.

Each step echoed in the space, the sound bouncing off the uneven stone walls. Seth lit a torch, and the flickering light cast eerie shadows that danced on the walls, making it hard to tell what was real and what was just a trick of the light. As we ventured deeper into the cave, the darkness seemed to swallow us thick and suffocating.

My fingers brushed against the hilt of my sword, as I tried to stay on high alert. I could feel the presence of something watching us, something angry. “There,” Seth said quietly, pointing ahead to an alcove tucked into the far end of the cave. “That’s where the artifact should be.” Clara stepped forward, her magic already humming in the air around her. She chanted softly under her breath, her hands glowing faintly as she reached out toward the stone walls.

The cave responded to her touch, the air rippling as ancient symbols began to appear, etched into the rock. “These are protective wards,” Clara whispered, her eyes wide with awe. “Whoever placed them here wanted to make sure no one could get close to the artifact without facing the consequences.”

Sarah shifted uneasily beside her. “Can you break them?” Clara hesitated, her brow furrowing in concentration. “I can try, but… whoever put these here was powerful. This isn’t just a simple spell. It’s dark magic. Strong.” My heart sank. Dark magic was nothing to take lightly. I had seen its effects firsthand—the destruction, the corruption. It had twisted Eden into the monster he was now, and it had the potential to destroy us all if we weren’t careful.

Seth knelt beside Clara, studying the symbols closely. “We don’t have much time. Eden’s forces are closing in. We need that artifact.” Clara nodded, determination hardening her features. She closed her eyes and began to chant again, her voice rising in pitch as the magic around her intensified.

The air grew colder, and the symbols on the walls pulsed with a dark energy that made my skin crawl. Suddenly, there was a loud crack, and the protective wards shattered, dissolving into a mist that disappeared into the air.

Clara staggered back, her face pale with exhaustion. “It’s done,” she said breathlessly. “But we need to hurry. The spell won’t hold forever.” I stepped forward, my eyes locking onto the object nestled in the alcove. The artifact. It was smaller than I had imagined, no bigger than a human skull, but its presence was undeniable.

It was made of a strange, black metal that seemed to absorb the light around it, and it brimmed with a power that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

Slowly, I reached out and touched it. The moment my fingers brushed against the cool surface, the artifact released a strange light, and the world around me dissolved. I was no longer in the cave. I was standing in a vast, empty land, the sky above me a swirling mass of dark clouds. In front of me stood Eden, his eyes glowing with the same hungry red light I had seen in the dark werewolves. His face was twisted into a cruel sneer as he stared down at me.

“Tasha,” he said, his voice echoing in the emptiness. “You think you can steal from me? You think you can take what is mine and escape unscathed?” She tried to speak, but her throat was dry, and no sound came out. Eden’s laughter filled the air, cold and mocking. “You don’t understand what you’re dealing with. That artifact… it’s more powerful than you can imagine. And it’s bound to me. You may have it in your hands now, but it will come back to me.” Tasha clenched her fists, her heart pounding in her chest. “You’re wrong. We’ll stop you.” Eden’s smile widened, his eyes glowing brighter. “You can try, little wolf. But by the time you realize what you’ve unleashed, it will be too late.”

The vision shattered, and I was back in the cave, the artifact still glowing in my hands. “Tasha!” Seth’s voice broke through my daze. “Are you okay? What happened?” I shook my head, trying to clear the lingering feeling of Eden’s presence. “I… I saw him. Eden. He knows we have the artifact.” Sarah cursed under her breath.

“Of course he does. We need to get out of here before—” A low growl echoed through the cave, cutting her off. My blood ran cold as the sound grew louder, closer. We weren’t alone. “Dark werewolves,” Seth whispered, his eyes wide with fear. “They’re here.” We turned as one, weapons drawn, but it was already too late. The dark werewolves had surrounded us, their glowing red eyes gleaming in the dim light of the cave.

Their bodies were massive, their muscles rippling under their matted fur as they bared their sharp teeth. “There’s too many of them,” Clara said, her voice trembling. “We’ll never make it out of here.”

“We have to try,” I said, my grip tightening on the artifact. “We can’t let them take this.” The dark werewolves advanced, their growls low and menacing as they closed in on us. My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline surging through my veins as I prepared to fight. But I knew, deep down, that we were outmatched.

The first werewolf lunged at us, its claws slashing through the air, and the battle broke out. Sarah fought with all the strength she had left, her blade cutting through the thick fur and muscle of the attacking wolves. Seth was beside her, his magic creating small barriers, though they barely slowed the onslaught. Clara was nearly spent, her magic weak from breaking the protective wards.

She stayed close to Mascot, using what little energy she had left to keep him shielded from the worst of the attacks. I swung my sword, my movements frantic and desperate as the dark werewolves closed in. There were too many. Far too many. In the midst of the chaos, the artifact began to glow brighter, pulsing with a strange energy that made the air around us sing.

My grip tightened on it, my mind racing. Is it trying to help us, or is it reacting to the dark magic of the werewolves? Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my arm as one of the werewolves clawed at me, ripping through my sleeve and drawing blood. I cried out, staggering backward, but I refused to let go of the artifact.

“We need to retreat!” Sarah shouted over the sounds of the battle, her voice hoarse. “We’re outnumbered!” But there was nowhere to go. The cave was too narrow, too deep. We were trapped. My breath came in ragged gasps as I swung my sword again, barely dodging another attack. The dark werewolves were relentless, their attacks brutal.

And with each passing second, the glowing light of the artifact grew brighter, until it was nearly blinding. Then, just as the dark werewolves were closing in for the kill, the cave shook violently, the ground beneath their feet trembling.

A deafening roar echoed through the cave, and the dark werewolves froze in place, their eyes wide with terror. The artifact in my hands pulsed one final time, sending out a shockwave of energy that rippled through the cave, knocking the dark werewolves off their feet. But the battle wasn’t over. The dark werewolves were already recovering, their glowing eyes locked on the artifact.

Their muscles bulged, the intensity in their eyes grew as they gave a blood-curdling howl. My heart raced as I realized we had only moments before we were overrun again.

The artifact wasn't just helping us, it was helping them too and there was nothing I could do about it. The artifact glowed in my hands again, as the dark werewolves began closing in on us again.

There was nowhere to run.