For a brief moment, no one moved.
The only sound was the wind howling through the endless chasm behind Kael. It rose from the darkness below like the breath of some ancient beast, cold enough to send a shiver through his body.
Kael's hand tightened around the hilt of his father's sword.
His gaze swept across the faces before him.
Marcus stood in front, his blade already drawn.
Darren raised his shield, his expression conflicted.
Elena nocked an arrow, though her fingers trembled ever so slightly.
Only Finn remained rooted to the ground, staring at the others in disbelief.
"You can't be serious," Finn said, his voice barely above a whisper. "We've known each other since we were children."
Marcus didn't look at him.
"Move aside."
"No."
Finn stepped between Kael and the others.
"If this is about the relic, we can report it to the Hunter Association."
Marcus let out a short laugh.
"And tell them what? That we found an ancient treasure worth a kingdom, then handed it over?"
"It's the right thing to do."
"The right thing?" Marcus repeated, his smile fading. "Do you think the nobles became powerful by always doing the right thing?"
Silence answered him.
Marcus lowered his sword slightly.
"My family has lived in poverty for generations. Every opportunity was stolen by people born with wealth and influence. This relic..." His eyes drifted toward Kael. "...is the one chance I'll ever have."
Kael shook his head.
"I would have shared whatever I found."
Marcus met his gaze.
"I know."
"And that's exactly why you don't understand."
His words carried no anger.
Only certainty.
To Marcus, this decision had already been made.
Finn looked desperately toward Darren.
"Say something."
Darren remained silent for several seconds before finally speaking.
"I'm sorry."
His voice was heavy.
"But Marcus is right."
Finn stared at him.
"You too?"
Darren looked away.
"I have a younger brother."
"He needs treatment."
"My family can't afford it."
"If that relic can change our lives..."
He couldn't finish the sentence.
Kael felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Not from a weapon.
From disappointment.
He turned toward Elena.
She had always been the calmest among them.
The one who settled arguments before they became fights.
She still held her bow lowered.
"Elena?"
She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again.
"My family serves House Frost."
Her voice was quiet.
"They ordered me to recover anything unusual we found during the trial."
"You knew?"
"No."
She shook her head.
"I didn't know we'd actually find something."
Kael slowly exhaled.
"So everyone had their reasons."
Marcus nodded.
"Everyone."
"Except Finn."
Finn clenched his fists.
"I won't help you."
Marcus sighed.
"Then stay out of this."
"No."
Finn stepped beside Kael.
"If you want him..."
"You'll have to go through both of us."
A faint smile appeared on Kael's face.
At least one friendship had been real.
Marcus's expression hardened.
"So be it."
He disappeared.
Kael's eyes widened.
Marcus had always been fast.
But never this fast.
Steel flashed toward his chest.
Kael instinctively drew his sword.
Clang!
The two blades collided, sparks scattering between them.
The impact forced Kael backward.
Before he could recover, Darren charged from the side.
His heavy shield slammed into Kael's shoulder, sending him stumbling several steps toward the edge of the cliff.
"Kael!" Finn shouted.
A burst of wind erupted from Finn's hands, forcing Darren back just enough for Kael to regain his footing.
"You alright?"
Kael nodded.
"Barely."
Marcus attacked again.
This time, Kael met him head-on.
Their swords clashed repeatedly.
Marcus fought with precision.
Every strike targeted a vital point.
Kael knew his style well.
They had trained together for years.
He blocked a thrust aimed at his neck before twisting his blade, forcing Marcus to retreat.
For the first time, Marcus frowned.
"You've improved."
"So have you."
An arrow whistled through the air.
Kael barely turned in time.
The projectile grazed his left arm, tearing through his sleeve and drawing blood.
Elena lowered her bow slightly.
She had deliberately missed his heart.
Marcus noticed.
"Don't hesitate."
She remained silent.
The brief distraction was all Darren needed.
He rushed forward again.
Kael sidestepped the shield, but Marcus anticipated the movement.
A fist crashed into Kael's ribs.
Pain exploded through his side.
Before he could recover, another blow struck his back.
He fell to one knee.
Finn tried to cast another spell.
Marcus kicked a loose stone toward him.
The distraction broke the mage's concentration just long enough for Darren to close the distance.
The shield struck Finn squarely in the chest.
He was thrown several meters across the rocky ground.
"Finn!"
Kael tried to reach him.
Marcus blocked his path.
"It's over."
Kael's breathing became heavier.
He looked around.
Four against one.
Finn was injured.
He couldn't win.
Not here.
Not like this.
Marcus slowly approached.
"I don't want to kill you."
"Then stop."
"I can't."
He extended one hand.
"Give me the relic."
Kael laughed bitterly.
"I've told you already."
"I don't know how."
Marcus's eyes hardened.
"Then we'll find it ourselves."
He raised his sword.
Kael saw the attack coming.
He tried to block.
But Elena's next arrow struck his shoulder.
The pain slowed him for a fraction of a second.
Marcus's kick landed directly against his chest.
Kael staggered backward.
His heel found nothing but empty air.
His heart skipped a beat.
The edge of the cliff crumbled beneath his weight.
For one impossible moment, he balanced between life and death.
Marcus reached out.
Kael's eyes widened.
Hope flickered inside him.
Then Marcus smiled.
And pushed.
Time seemed to slow.
Kael watched the sky drift farther away.
He saw Finn struggle to stand.
He saw Elena lower her bow in horror.
He saw Darren freeze.
The last face he saw was Marcus's.
Expressionless.
Cold.
Then the world disappeared beneath him.
The wind roared in his ears as he fell into the endless abyss.
Jagged cliffs rushed past on either side.
Ancient ruins embedded within the stone flashed by before vanishing into darkness.
He tried to grab the rocky walls.
His fingers found only empty air.
The light above grew smaller.
Smaller.
Until it became nothing more than a distant star.
His body slammed against a protruding rock.
A sharp crack echoed through the abyss.
Pain tore through his ribs.
Blood filled his mouth.
Still he continued falling.
Consciousness slowly slipped away.
His father's face appeared in his mind.
His mother's smile.
Lena's promise.
"You'll come back... right?"
A tear escaped the corner of his eye.
"I'm sorry..."
The darkness swallowed him whole.
Far above, the opening to the abyss had become a tiny speck of light.
Far below, where no human had set foot for thousands of years, something stirred in response to the scent of fresh blood.
And as Kael's consciousness finally faded, a faint pulse of black light spread from deep within his chest.
The relic had awakened.