Chapter 43: The Artifact’s Power

Gideon’s voice cut through the darkness like a knife. “We can’t stay here much longer, Sera. Whatever that thing is, it’s not just a trap—it’s alive.”

I could barely breathe as I felt the cold stone walls press in around us, the chamber groaning as if it were a living entity ready to crush us at any moment.

“Alive? What do you mean?” My voice wavered, barely more than a whisper.

He held up the artifact, its surface gleaming with an eerie light that seemed to pulse with every beat of my heart.

“This… this isn’t just a piece of history. It’s a weapon. A curse. And it’s feeding off our energy.”

My eyes were drawn to the artifact, unable to tear away from its hypnotic glow. It looked ancient, its inscriptions barely visible, but I could feel the raw power radiating from it—an energy that tugged at something deep within me, something primal and terrifying.

“We need to get out of here,” Rowan said urgently, his eyes darting to the cracks forming in the walls. “Now.”

But Gideon wasn’t movi