Chapter 18: The Final Relic
The air in the cursed graveyard felt colder than usual as Jace and Juniper cautiously made their way through rows of crumbling headstones. The ground beneath them squelched with every step, and the ominous sound of crows cawing in the distance filled the silence. In the pit of Juniper’s stomach, she felt a growing unease. Their mission was almost complete—retrieve the final relic and help Jace regain his body—but something about this place made her skin crawl.
Jace, hovering just a few inches above the ground, glanced at Juniper. “You alright? You’re quieter than usual.”
Juniper pulled her jacket tighter around herself and forced a smile.
“I’m just thinking… this place is giving me serious horror movie vibes. The kind where the protagonist makes a dumb decision and ends up being dragged off by some creepy spirit.”
Jace grinned.
“Well, lucky for you, you’ve got a ghost for backup. I’ve got the whole ‘creepy spirit’ thing covered.”
Juniper rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her. “Yeah, yeah. Just make sure your ghostly powers are on point. I have a feeling this last relic isn’t going to be easy to get.”
Jace stopped in his tracks and gestured ahead with his translucent hand. “Well, you’re not wrong. Look.”
Juniper’s gaze followed his gesture, and her breath hitched. In the center of the graveyard, looming between twisted, gnarled trees, stood an ancient crypt. The entrance was marked by a set of massive iron doors, rusted and worn from centuries of neglect. An unsettling greenish mist swirled around its base, making the entire structure look like something straight out of a nightmare.
“So, the final relic is in there, huh?” Juniper asked, her voice quieter now.
Jace nodded. “Yup. And if what the Grim Reaper told us is true, the spirit guarding it isn’t exactly friendly.”
Juniper exhaled sharply. “Great. As if this whole thing hasn’t been challenging enough already.”
“Well, on the bright side,” Jace said with a smirk, “this is the last one. Once we get it, we’re that much closer to getting my body back.”
Juniper’s expression softened at that. “Right. One last relic, and then we’re almost there.”
Together, they approached the crypt, their footsteps—or rather Juniper’s footsteps—echoing eerily in the empty graveyard. The mist curled around their ankles, and the iron doors seemed to creak in anticipation, as if waiting for them to make the first move.
“Alright,” Jace said, floating to Juniper’s side. “Here’s the plan: I’ll go inside first and check for traps. You stay here and—”
Before he could finish, the iron doors swung open with a deafening screech. Juniper and Jace both jumped back, startled. Standing in the entrance, barely visible through the mist, was a hunched figure draped in tattered robes. Its eyes glowed an unnatural shade of green, and its skeletal hands clutched a crooked staff.
“Visitorsss…” the spirit hissed, its voice raspy and dripping with malice. “You dare enter my domain?”
Juniper instinctively stepped behind Jace, who floated forward, trying to appear braver than he felt. “We’re just here for the relic,” Jace said, his voice steady. “We don’t want any trouble.”
The spirit cackled, its laughter sending chills down Juniper’s spine. “Trouble? Oh, you will find plenty of that, little ghost. If it’s the relic you seek, then you must earn it.”
Juniper peeked out from behind Jace. “Earn it? How? We don’t exactly have a lot of time for games.”
The spirit tilted its head, its glowing eyes narrowing. “A game, you say? Very well. We shall play a game. If you win, the relic is yours. But if you lose… well…” It smiled, revealing sharp, jagged teeth. “You’ll join the others who have failed.”
Jace floated closer to Juniper, his eyes never leaving the spirit. “What’s the game?”
The spirit’s green eyes gleamed with wicked delight. “A simple task. You must retrieve the relic from the depths of the crypt before the clock strikes midnight. But beware... the crypt is filled with my traps and illusions. Only those with sharp minds and steady hands survive.”
Juniper frowned. “Illusions? Traps? This is sounding worse by the second.”
Jace turned to her, offering a reassuring smile. “We’ve handled worse. We’ll get through this.”
The spirit stepped aside, allowing them to enter the crypt. “Time is ticking,” it rasped. “Let the game begin.”
---
Inside the crypt, the air was thick with dust and the faint smell of decay. The walls were lined with ancient carvings, and flickering torches cast eerie shadows that danced across the stone floor. Jace and Juniper moved cautiously, their senses on high alert for any sign of danger.
“So far, so good,” Juniper whispered. “No traps yet.”
Jace glanced around, his ghostly form shimmering slightly as he used his powers to scan the room. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t get too comfortable. Something’s bound to happen soon.”
As if on cue, the ground beneath Juniper’s feet began to shift. She yelped, jumping back just in time to avoid a section of the floor that collapsed into a pit of spikes.
“See?” Jace said with a smirk. “I told you.”
Juniper shot him a glare. “You could’ve warned me a second sooner!”
“Hey, I’m working with ghostly reflexes here,” Jace teased, floating over the pit. “Come on, let’s keep moving.”
They navigated through the crypt, avoiding more traps and puzzles designed to test their wits and agility. At one point, they were faced with a series of levers that, when pulled in the wrong order, would release a torrent of poisonous gas. With Jace’s ability to phase through walls and Juniper’s quick thinking, they managed to solve the puzzle and move deeper into the crypt.
“Alright,” Juniper said, wiping sweat from her brow. “This is getting ridiculous. How many traps does one spirit need to protect a single relic?”
Jace chuckled. “I guess when you’re stuck guarding something for eternity, you’ve got to keep things interesting.”
They turned a corner and found themselves in the final chamber. At the center of the room, illuminated by a shaft of moonlight, sat the relic—a small, intricately carved pendant glowing with an otherworldly light. But between them and the relic stood the spirit, grinning maliciously.
“You’ve made it this far,” the spirit said, its voice echoing through the chamber. “But this is where your journey ends.”
Jace floated forward, his eyes narrowing. “We’re not leaving without that relic.”
The spirit cackled again, raising its staff. “Then let’s see how you fare against my final test!”
With a flick of its staff, the spirit summoned a swirling vortex of energy that filled the room with chaos. The walls began to shift, turning into a labyrinth of moving stone slabs. From the shadows, spectral hands reached out, grabbing at Juniper and Jace.
“Great, a haunted maze,” Juniper muttered as she dodged one of the grasping hands. “Because that’s exactly what we needed right now.”
Jace used his telekinesis to push back the spectral hands, creating a path for Juniper. “Just stay close to me. We’ll figure this out.”
Together, they navigated the shifting maze, dodging traps and avoiding the spirit’s attacks. The room seemed to twist and turn with every step they took, but eventually, they reached the center where the relic waited.
Just as Juniper reached for the relic, the spirit reappeared, blocking her path. “You think it’s that easy?” it sneered.
Jace floated forward, his eyes glowing with determination. “No, but we’re not backing down now.”
With a sudden burst of energy, Jace used his ghostly powers to push the spirit back, giving Juniper enough time to grab the relic. The moment her fingers closed around it, the room began to shake, and the spirit let out a furious wail.
“You may have won this time,” the spirit hissed as it faded into the shadows. “But your journey is far from over.”
As the crypt crumbled around them, Jace and Juniper dashed for the exit, narrowly avoiding falling debris and collapsing walls. When they finally made it outside, they collapsed on the grass, breathing heavily.
Juniper held up the relic, grinning triumphantly.
“We did it.”
Jace smiled, floating beside her.
“One more relic down. One step closer to getting my body back.”
Juniper glanced at him, her smile softening.
“Yeah… and one step closer to prom night.”
Jace chuckled, shaking his head.
“I can’t believe you’re still thinking about prom after all this.”
Juniper shrugged.
“Hey, a girl’s gotta have her priorities.”
They both laughed, the tension from the crypt fading as they basked in their victory. But in the back of their minds, they knew the real challenge was yet to come.