I was still scanning the battlefield below when the system chimed again.
"Side Quest Unlocked: The Shadow Prince's Heirloom."
"Objective: Recover the lost relic before the Abyss claims it."
"Another quest already?" I muttered.
Jian leaned on her spear, the wind tugging at her silver hair. "You're acting surprised. Did you forget where we are?"
I chuckled. "Point taken."
A new marker flashed on the system map—deep in the heart of the ruined city. Whatever this relic was, the system seemed desperate for us to find it.
"We head down," I said, adjusting the Demon Devourer on my back. "If there's something tied to the Abyss, we can't leave it unguarded."
Jian nodded. "Agreed. And if the relic is connected to the Shadow Prince—"
"—It's probably cursed," I finished for her.
We made our way down the jagged cliffside, the heat from the battlefield rising like a wave. The air felt heavy, thick with magic. Each step we took echoed in my bones—a reminder that the Demon Devourer was still hungry.
I couldn't rely on it too much. Not unless I wanted to burn through my soul.
Halfway down, Jian broke the silence. "You think we're the only ones after this relic?"
"Doubt it," I said. "But we're probably the most underprepared."
We hit the ground just as a distant roar shook the city.
A shadow swept across the sky. Something—huge—was moving through the ruins.
Jian tightened her grip on her spear. "We should move. Fast."
I didn't argue. Whatever that thing was, I wasn't interested in meeting it unprepared.
We slipped through the broken gates into the city. The streets were a graveyard—burned-out carriages, shattered glass, and bodies that had long since turned to ash.
A new prompt blinked into existence:
"Warning: Abyssal Corruption detected."
Great.
We followed the system's marker through twisting alleys until we reached the entrance of an ancient cathedral. Its stained-glass windows were shattered, and the massive doors hung crooked on their hinges.
The relic was inside.
"You ready?" I asked.
Jian gave a grim smile. "Always."
We pushed the doors open and stepped into the dark.
What we saw was a magnificent building the one who built it must have poured his heart out. They walked deeper being led by the system until they arrived before before a vault which seemed to contain darkness itself sealed.