Page 150 of Dark Fate

I rise to my feet, brushing off the chill of the snow, and extend my hand toRhyland. With a solid tug, he’s back on his feet beside me.

"Stick tight to my side; I’m fond of that…heat you’re giving off,"Rhylandcommands, seizing my waist firmly.

My flames may have flickered out, but my internal wellspring of power hasn’t stopped radiating warmth like a miniature sun burning bright inside my core.

"Of course, you’ve snagged prime real estate next to the mystical space heater. Must be nice, basking in the glow of your own personal inferno while the rest of us plebeians are left to freeze our asses off in the metaphorical cheap seats."Lucianjeers, rolling his eyes with a scoff that echoes his disdain for missing out on the warmth.

The collapsed trail above seals our fate, and the icy cave below is our reluctant new path. "We need to move," I assert, the chill of the cave urging haste. "I’m pretty sure there’s a way through these tunnels."

I pause, shutting my eyes to concentrate, casting out my inner senses like a net, searching for that magnetic tug of the stone. It beckons me to the left with a nearly imperceptible pull, guiding me with invisible threads. Satisfied with the direction, I conjure a glowing orb of light and hurl it ahead into the gloom.

It bobs gently in the air, transforming the suffocating dark into a landscape of shadows and ice. The cavern ahead, narrow but manageable, unfurls before us. My homemade beacon is a makeshift flashlight, illuminating uneven walls and frozen formations.

We edge forward, tentative but resolute, my light leading the way deeper into the heart of the cave.

Traversing this frozen domain, we find ourselves ensnared in a world that time seems to have forgotten, an icy sepulcher untouched by the sun’s warm embrace. It’s a realm of eternal winter, where the heavy shroud of silence is so profound you become aware of the rhythm of your heartbeat, a solitary drum thumping in your chest, echoing in your ears.

We press forward, carving a path through the serpentine passageways of this wintry labyrinth. It’s as if we're tracing the ghostly path of a river, long since surrendered to the cold’s embrace. In places where the ceiling dips low, whispering secrets of eons past, we duck our heads, forming a tight procession, following the soft luminescence of my light.

Time turns elastic down here, each hour feeling like a marathon in slow motion, with nothing but the steady crunch-crunch of our boot-clad feet against the frosty floor to keep any semblance of time. Every now and then, I half-expect some ice-loving boogeyman to pop out for a "gotcha" moment—this place is prime real estate for a monster mash. But there's zip, zilch, nada; not even a snow flea to break the monotony. Guess the cave’s cold shoulder is too much for the local wildlife.

Occasionally, I play my own version of tag, laying a fleeting touch here and there among my frost-nipped friends. It’s my personal brand of 'warm-up service,' a little heat 'n' run to take the icy sting out of the air.

"May I speak?"Adrianpipes up after a long stretch of silence.

I glance over atRhyland, searching his face for clues about his thoughts. He meets my gaze with a look that screams he couldn’t give a shit aboutAdrian’s two cents, but he catches the hopeful curiosity in my eyes. With the slightest lift of his chin—a silent, begrudging yes—he gives me the nod. It’s my go-ahead to listen to whateverAdrian’s got to pitch.

"Sure," I toss the word toAdrianlike it’s my last piece of gum.

"The Soul Stone," he launches in, all matter-of-fact. "It appears to be split into three pieces."

I knit my eyebrows together, puzzled. "And how did you trip over that tidbit?" I probe, curiosity piqued.

He exhales, the sound carrying the weight of ancient tomes. "It's in the Book of Shadows," he reveals as if talking about some bestseller.

"The Book of what now?" I raise an eyebrow; I can't say I’ve seen that on any bookshelf.

He’s unphased. "There’s a book for every realm," he says with the ease of someone discussing the weather.

"Okay…" I say, egging him on.

Adrianobliges, "In its pages, it speaks of the Soul Stone—a powerful entity tied to the essences of shadows, souls, and darkness. The text alludes to a secret: He who reunites the three will wield the ultimate power."

My scientist's curiosity, ever the driving force, kicks into gear asAdrian’s words sink in. The Soul-Shadow Stone—shadows, souls, darkness—is the trifecta of power every good story warns you about.

Adrianspeaks with a blend of reflection and realization. "At first, I didn't grasp its significance," he admits. "I assumed it referred to three separatestonesor perhaps three powerful individuals. But now it clicks, especially after learning Amara had a piece and considering Azrael's pursuit of it. We couldn’t connect with the realms until you came along... And with Azrael tapping into the realm here and discovering the shard—"

"It all adds up," I say, completing his thought with a cheeky nod. "Three shards, one whole stone—one big power-up. Classic!"

"You hold one piece,"Adrianreminds me, his voice as calm as a steady current.

Ah, yes. The little malignant jewel I've been safeguarding—a trinket of darkness, Amara's shard. It's just one part of the equation, like the initial ingredient in a cosmic recipe. Now, to secure Azrael’s piece and sniff out the final shard, and then—voilà! The stone is complete, and there is another notch in my tiara.

"Do you think this piece I've got will pull any stunts for me?" I casually toss the question toAdrianas my foot skids on a treacherous patch of ice—swift as a shadow,Rhyland’s there, his reflexes keeping me upright. "Thank you," I murmur to him, my appreciation whispered like a secret between us.

"Have you tried slipping it into your tiara?" he counters, a sliver of suggestion in his tone.

The notion had only just grazed the edge of my consciousness. "No... I haven't," I admit, feeling the cogs in my mind begin to whir at the fresh possibility. "The last thing I want is for that object to go soul-snatching—mine or anyone else’s." My eyes shift toRhylandas I ponder the implications, seeking reassurance or a shared sense of concern in his gaze.

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