The sun blazed down mercilessly as we trudged forward, the sand shifting beneath our feet with every step. My legs already felt like they'd been replaced with jelly, and we'd barely begun. Darius walked a little ahead of me, his shoulders set with determination like he somehow knew where we were going. Spoiler alert: he didn't. None of us did.

The only thing that seemed to have any clue was the pendant. Every so often, it would glow faintly, the light dancing across the shifting dunes before it would hover, tugging me gently toward a certain direction. Honestly, it was a bit creepy.

"So... we're just going to follow the magical GPS necklace now?" I asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Great plan. Definitely not how horror movies start."

"It's guiding us somewhere," Darius said, glancing back at me. He didn't even sound annoyed. Maybe he was too tired to argue, or maybe he'd gotten used to my commentary. Either way, I wasn't going to stop.

"Yeah, and that 'somewhere' could very well be straight into another monster's lair," I muttered, kicking at a clump of sand. It puffed up and immediately slapped back at me, because even the desert hated my attitude.

"Do you have a better idea?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I glared at him but didn't answer. Mainly because I didn't have a better idea. And, as much as I hated to admit it, the pendant had protected us last night. Whatever that thing was that had stalked us, it didn't come close to the room. Not even when it clearly could have. The pendant had done something, and for now, that was enough to keep me from chucking it into the nearest sand dune.

We walked in silence for a while, the soft shimmer of the pendant's light the only guide in the endless sea of golden dunes. The quiet was suffocating, and naturally, I couldn't help but break it.

"So, about this armor thing," I said, keeping my eyes fixed on the pendant as it hovered and glowed like it was playing a very slow game of 'hot or cold.'

"What about it?" Darius asked without turning around.

"You know, the magic cosplay suit you showed off back there," I said, quickening my pace to walk beside him. "How do you even use it? Is there some sort of activation word? A special dance? Do you have to, like, spin in a circle and shout, 'Power up!' or something?"

He gave me a sideways look, the corner of his mouth twitching. "It's not that complicated."

"Oh, good," I said, rolling my eyes. "Because my pendant did that armor thing once too, back when I first got here. Except I have no idea how it happened. One second I was trying not to die, and the next I was dressed like I belonged in some ancient Egyptian action movie."

Darius slowed his pace, his expression turning thoughtful. "The pendant activated it for you?"

"Yep," I said, popping the 'p.' "But only the one time. I've been through a lot of near-death experiences since then, and it hasn't done squat."

"That's... odd," he murmured, more to himself than to me.

I waved my hand in front of his face. "Hello? Earth—or whatever this place is—calling Darius. Focus."

He blinked, shaking himself out of his thoughts. "Sorry. It's just... the pendant seems to respond to danger, but it also seems connected to you in some way. Maybe it's not about the situation but about your state of mind."

"My state of mind?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You mean like if I'm scared or angry or something?"

"Something like that," he said. "The bracelet works the same way. It responds to my intent, but it also draws on my energy. Maybe the pendant does something similar."

"Great," I muttered. "So what you're saying is that I need to figure out how to not die and manage my emotions at the same time. Awesome. No pressure."

Darius smirked. "You're already doing better than most people would in your situation."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," I said, but I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips.

We continued walking, the pendant's glow leading us further into the desert. The dunes seemed endless, each one looking exactly like the last. It was like we were walking in circles, except the pendant kept pulling us forward, insisting there was something ahead.

The silence stretched again, but this time it wasn't as oppressive. Maybe it was because Darius was here. As much as I hated to admit it, he made this whole mess a little less terrifying. At least I wasn't alone.

"So," I said after a while, "if this pendant really is as powerful as everyone says, why hasn't it turned me into a superhero yet? I mean, if it can make armor, why not, like, a sword? Or a flamethrower? Or, I don't know, a fully equipped battle tank?"

Darius laughed softly. "I don't think it works like that."

"Well, it should," I grumbled. "If I'm going to be stuck in this nightmare, the least it can do is give me a decent weapon."

He shook his head, still smiling. "You're unbelievable."

"I know," I said, flipping my hair dramatically. "It's part of my charm."

The pendant pulsed brighter for a moment, tugging us toward a particularly large dune. I groaned, already dreading the climb.

"Of course it wants us to go up," I said, glaring at the glowing piece of jewelry. "Because walking on flat ground wasn't exhausting enough."

Darius chuckled. "Come on. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can rest."

"Rest," I repeated with a snort. "That's funny. Do you even know the meaning of the word? Because I don't think we've done it since we started running for our lives."

"Just keep moving," he said, already starting up the dune.

I sighed heavily but followed, muttering under my breath the whole way. If the pendant didn't lead us to something worth all this effort, I was going to throw it into the sun.

As we crested the final dune, my legs trembling with every step, the sight before us made me stop in my tracks. My jaw dropped, and for once, even my sarcasm had nothing to say.

In the middle of the desert, surrounded by endless waves of sand, lay a small, crumbling town. Buildings—or what was left of them—rose unevenly from the ground, their walls battered and weathered by what must have been centuries of neglect. Stone archways stood crooked, windows gaping like hollow eyes, and rooftops had long since caved in. Vines and desert plants crept along the ruins, as if nature had tried to reclaim what had been abandoned.

"What the...?" I muttered, trailing off as I squinted to take in the scene.

Darius stopped beside me, his brow furrowing in confusion. "I've never seen this before."

"Well, I hope not," I said, finding my voice again. "Because if you had and just forgot to mention it, I'm going to strangle you."

He didn't respond to my jab, his eyes fixed on the town. His expression was unreadable, but I could see his mind racing, trying to piece together the impossible.

"This isn't on any map," he said, almost to himself. "I've studied every part of the kingdom and the surrounding areas, but there's nothing about a settlement here. Nothing."

"Yeah, well," I said, crossing my arms, "it's definitely here. Either that, or we're both hallucinating from heatstroke, which honestly wouldn't surprise me at this point."

Darius stepped forward, his boots sinking into the sand as he descended toward the ruins. I followed cautiously, my eyes darting around like I expected something—or someone—to jump out at us.

The closer we got, the more unsettling the town became. It wasn't just the decay or the eerie silence; it was the feeling in the air. A heaviness that pressed down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. It was like the town itself was holding its breath, waiting for something.

We walked past what must have once been a marketplace. Stalls made of crumbling stone and rotting wood lined the street, their wares long gone, leaving only empty shelves and broken pottery. I kicked a shard of clay with my boot, watching it tumble across the ground.

"This place looks like it was hit by a war," I said, my voice echoing in the stillness. "A really, really old war."

Darius nodded, his face grim. "The damage is extensive. But... this doesn't make sense. If there was a war here, it would have been recorded. Even if it happened centuries ago, there would be some mention of it in our histories."

"Well, clearly your historians missed a spot," I said, gesturing to the ruins around us.

He didn't rise to the bait, too lost in thought. His eyes scanned the area, taking in every detail like he was trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces.

We turned a corner and came across what must have been the town square. In the center stood a massive stone statue, or at least what was left of it. The figure's face had been eroded by time, its features unrecognizable, but the posture—tall, proud, and commanding—was unmistakable. The statue held a staff in one hand, the other outstretched as if to protect or command.

"That's..." Darius trailed off, stepping closer to the statue. His voice was tinged with something I couldn't quite place—fear? Awe? Maybe both.

"What?" I prompted, following him.

"I don't know who this is," he admitted, his hand brushing against the worn stone. "But this style... it's ancient. Far older than anything I've seen in the palace archives."

I frowned, looking up at the statue. "So, what? This place predates your kingdom?"

"It must," he said, though he didn't sound convinced. "But if that's true... why hasn't anyone found it before? Why isn't there any record of it?"

"Maybe they didn't want it to be found," I suggested, half-joking.

He didn't laugh. Instead, his eyes darkened, his gaze fixed on the statue. "Or maybe it was forgotten on purpose."

The thought sent a chill down my spine, despite the blazing sun. I looked around the square, noticing for the first time just how deliberate everything seemed. The layout of the buildings, the positioning of the statue, the strange markings etched into the stone walls—it all felt... intentional.

"What kind of war could do this much damage?" I asked, breaking the silence.

Darius shook his head. "I don't know. But it wasn't just a war. Look at the scorch marks."

I followed his gaze to a nearby wall. Blackened streaks marred the stone, spreading out in jagged lines. They didn't look like regular burn marks; they were too precise, too unnatural.

"What could cause that?" I asked, my stomach twisting.

"Magic," he said simply.

I stared at him, my heart sinking. "You're telling me someone blew this place to pieces with magic?"

"It's possible," he said, his voice heavy. "If the war was as old as this town, magic might have been more common. More destructive."

I swallowed hard, my hand instinctively reaching for the pendant around my neck. The idea of magic being used as a weapon was terrifying enough, but knowing that I was walking around with a magical artifact capable of who-knows-what? That was a whole new level of anxiety.

"We should keep moving," Darius said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Right," I said, tearing my eyes away from the scorch marks. "Because standing around in a cursed ruin is such a great idea."

We started walking again, the eerie silence following us like a shadow. The pendant remained quiet, its glow dim as if it, too, was wary of this place.

As we passed another crumbling building, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. I glanced over my shoulder, half-expecting to see something—or someone—lurking in the shadows. But there was nothing. Just the empty town, the wind stirring up little clouds of sand.

"You feel that too, right?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

"Feel what?" Darius asked, though his hand drifted to the bracelet on his wrist.

"Like we're not alone," I said.

He hesitated, his eyes scanning the area. "I don't see anything. But this place... it doesn't feel right."

"No kidding," I muttered, tightening my grip on the pendant.

We walked a little faster, the oppressive feeling growing with every step. It wasn't just the ruins or the silence; it was the sense of history, of lives lived and lost, of a story long forgotten.