Dawn bled across the sky like an open wound as Reed Nightblade gazed upon the assembled team. Six of his most trusted warriors stood before him, their faces etched with determination and fear in equal measure. The expedition to locate the second artifact was not for the faint of heart—Reed had made this abundantly clear during his selection process.
"The wilderness beyond the Ashen Mountains has claimed countless lives," Reed's voice cut through the morning chill. "And we're about to discover why."
Strapped to his hip was the blue fragment, its surface pulsing with an ethereal glow that intensified whenever pointed northwest—toward their destination. Three days had passed since the mysterious royal mage had delivered his cryptic message about the "game of fragments" beginning, and Reed refused to play from a position of weakness.
