The climb down from the chamber was grueling. The icy winds that had howled through the mountains earlier had calmed, leaving an eerie silence in their wake. Rannah and Hannah trudged through knee-deep snow, their breath visible in the frigid air. The Fragment of Unity rested securely in Rannah’s satchel, its faint glow barely visible through the fabric.
“Do you feel that?” Hannah asked, breaking the quiet. She kept her bow drawn, her sharp eyes scanning the shadows that stretched across the mountainside.
Rannah paused, glancing around. There was an unnatural stillness in the air, a heavy weight that pressed down on her chest. She nodded slowly. “We’re being watched.”
Hannah cursed under her breath. “It’s probably the dark mage’s lackeys. They must have followed us from the tower.”
Rannah tightened her grip on the hilt of her dagger. “If they’re here for the fragment, they won’t get it without a fight.”
The sisters pressed on, their movements cautious and deliberate. The path wound steeply downward, bordered by jagged cliffs on one side and sheer drops on the other. The snow crunched softly beneath their boots, each step echoing in the oppressive silence.
Suddenly, a shadow flickered at the edge of Rannah’s vision. She stopped, raising a hand to signal Hannah.
“There,” Rannah whispered, pointing toward a cluster of boulders partially buried in snow.
Hannah squinted, her bowstring taut. “I see it.”
Before Rannah could respond, a dark figure stepped out from behind the rocks. Cloaked in black, its face obscured by a hood, it radiated an aura of malice. Behind it, more figures emerged, their silhouettes sharp against the snowy backdrop.
Rannah’s heart sank. At least a dozen of them were clad in similar dark robes. Their leader stepped forward, lowering their hood to reveal a sharp, angular face framed by silver hair. Their crimson eyes gleamed with cruel intent.
“So, these are the infamous shard-hunters,” the figure said, their voice smooth and mocking. “I must admit, you’ve caused quite a stir.”
“Who are you?” Rannah demanded, her dagger glinting in the dim light.
The figure smirked. “I am Zephyr, servant of the true master of the shards. You’ve done well to gather three fragments, but they don’t belong to you. Hand them over, and I might let you live.”
Hannah laughed bitterly, her arrow trained on Zephyr. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”
Zephyr’s smile widened. “How predictable. Very well.”
With a wave of Zephyr’s hand, the robed figures surged forward, their movements unnaturally fast.
“Get behind me!” Rannah shouted, stepping in front of Hannah.
She thrust her dagger into the air, and the Fragment of Unity reacted instantly. Its light bursting from her satchel in a radiant arc, the energy swept across the battlefield, halting the advancing enemies for a brief moment.
“Nice trick,” Hannah muttered, firing an arrow that struck one of the figures squarely in the chest. The figure dissolved into smoke, but more took its place.
“They’re shadows!” Rannah yelled. “Aim for the heart or they’ll just keep coming!”
Hannah nodded, loosing arrow after arrow with deadly precision. The sisters fought side by side, their movements synchronized as though they were one. Rannah’s dagger glowed with the same energy as the fragment, cutting through the shadowy attackers with ease.
But for every figure they felled, more seemed to rise from the darkness. Zephyr watched from a distance, their expression one of mild amusement.
“You’re wasting your energy,” Zephyr called out, their voice carrying over the chaos. “You can’t defeat us. The shadows are endless, just as the power of the shards will be when my master awakens the Core.”
Rannah gritted her teeth, her arms aching from the relentless battle. She glanced at Hannah, who was breathing heavily but still holding her ground.
“We can’t keep this up,” Rannah said.
Hannah loosed another arrow, her movements slower now. “Then what’s the plan? I don’t see an exit!”
Rannah’s mind raced. The Fragment of Unity pulsed against her side, as if urging her toward something. She focused on the rhythm of its energy, feeling it tugging her toward the cliff’s edge.
“Hannah, trust me!” Rannah shouted, grabbing her sister’s arm.
“What?!” Hannah yelped as Rannah pulled her toward the edge.
The sisters reached the precipice, the abyss yawning below them. The shadows closed in, their eerie, shapeless forms swarming like a living tide.
Rannah held the fragment aloft, its light intensifying until it was almost blinding. “Hold on!” she yelled.
With a surge of will, Rannah channeled the fragment’s power, releasing it in a brilliant wave. The light erupted outward, engulfing the shadows and driving them back. Zephyr shielded their eyes, their smirk finally faltering.
In the same instant, the ground beneath the sisters gave way.
Rannah and Hannah plunged into the abyss, the world spinning around them in a blur of light and shadow. The last thing Rannah saw before darkness claimed her was the look of shock on Zephyr’s face, and the faint glimmer of the Fragment of Unity in her hand.
Then, everything went still.