Page 20 of Demon Monster's Little Human

It’s buried inside one of the elf-wrought structures, pulsing in tandem with whatever dark thing is being dragged from the depths of the mine.

The elves are digging for something old.

Something wrong.

It’s in my magic—an interference, an unnatural pull.

It’s messing with my body, my senses, my control.

Something about this place is more than just rock and chains.

Liora feels it, too. I see the way she shifts, the way her breath hitches, the way her fingers flex as if something inside her recognizes it.

She doesn’t understand what it is.

Neither do I.

But I don’t like it.

“They have a purna artifact,” I murmur.

Her brow furrows.

I tilt my head toward the largest structure, where the unnatural pulse comes from. “In there. They’re using it.”

“To find you?”

“Yes.”

A slow exhale. I don’t like that she looks at me with understanding.

“How?” she whispers. “Purna artifacts are…I’ve heard of the whispers, not much though...” She trails off.

Rare. Sacred.

Not meant to be in dark elf hands.

I don’t have an answer.

Movement stirs at the edge of the encampment, a shift of bodies, a ripple of alertness.

They feel me.

Liora notices it too. Her breath quickens. “They’re looking for something.”

“No.” My grip on her tightens. “They’re looking for me.”

Before we can move, before we can decide anything.

The artifact’s pulse explodes.

A shockwave rips through the cavern, a violent burst of energy that sends dust crashing from the ceiling, tremors rumbling through the rock.

Magic surges. Old magic.

The elves react instantly.

They turn toward us.

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