The streets were still, as if the city itself was holding its breath. Emily, Mara, and Calem made their way through the narrow alleys, moving quickly but cautiously. Each shadow seemed to stretch longer, the encroaching darkness feeling like an entity in itself, watching, waiting. Emily felt the weight of the relic around her neck more than ever, its faint pulse synchronized with the rising tension in the air. The stranger's warning echoed in her mind, repeating like a haunting refrain: the relics were not just tools; they were pieces of something far more dangerous.
As they approached the inn, Emily couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Her instincts were on high alert, but there was nothing visible—just the lingering sense of something malevolent, hiding in the unseen corners of the city.