The Blighted Plains stretched endlessly before them, an ocean of lifeless soil and swirling mist. The sisters moved cautiously, their weapons drawn and senses sharp. Each step carried the weight of uncertainty, the eerie silence broken only by the faint whispers carried on the wind.

  “I don’t like this,” Eira muttered, her ice-rimed spear held close. She scanned the horizon, her sharp blue eyes narrowing at the faint green glow in the distance. “It feels like we’re walking into a trap.”

  “It’s not paranoia if you’re right,” Zarya said, her voice low. She adjusted the satchel at her side, the shard inside humming faintly. “The shard’s… reacting. Whatever’s out here, it knows we’re coming.”

  “Wonderful,” Vira grunted, her warhammer resting on her shoulder. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to us first.”

  Rhea raised a hand, signaling a halt. She crouched low, her piercing blue eyes scanning the ground ahead. The brittle soil was marked with deep grooves, as if something large had dragged itself across the plains.

  “Tracks,” she said. “Fresh.”

  “What kind of tracks?” Nala asked, stepping closer. Her green eyes were wide, a mix of fear and curiosity. She gripped her short sword tightly, her knuckles pale.

  “Big,” Rhea replied, her tone grim. “Too big.”

  ---

  They followed the tracks in silence, their footsteps careful and deliberate. The mist thickened as they pressed forward, the green glow ahead growing brighter. Each sister kept her weapon at the ready, their movements instinctive and precise.

  After what felt like hours, they reached the edge of a shallow crater. The ground around it was charred and cracked, as if something had struck with immense force. In the center of the crater, a stone obelisk jutted from the earth, its surface etched with glowing runes.

  “An outpost marker,” Zarya said, her voice filled with recognition. She moved closer, her amber eyes locked on the obelisk. “It’s old—very old.”

  “How old?” Rhea asked, her hand resting on the haft of her greataxe.

  “Older than the Spire,” Zarya replied. She reached out, her fingers brushing the runes. The shard in her satchel pulsed violently, and she staggered back, her eyes wide.

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  “Zarya!” Nala cried, rushing to her side. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Zarya said, though her voice was shaky. She clutched the satchel, her hand trembling. “The shard… it reacted to the marker. Whatever magic is here, it’s connected.”

  ---

  The sisters gathered around the obelisk, their expressions a mix of curiosity and unease. Vira knelt beside the base, her fingers tracing the grooves in the earth.

  “This crater wasn’t here by accident,” she said. “Something powerful struck this place.”

  “Or something powerful came out of it,” Eira added, her tone grim.

  The mist around them began to shift, swirling faster and thicker. The faint whispers on the wind grew louder, forming words too distorted to understand.

  “We need to move,” Rhea said, her voice firm. She tightened her grip on her greataxe. “Now.”

  Before anyone could respond, a guttural snarl echoed through the mist. Shapes began to emerge, their forms twisted and monstrous. Glowing green eyes pierced the haze, and claws scraped against the ground.

  The sisters fell into formation, their weapons raised. Rhea stood at the front, her greataxe gleaming in the dim light. Vira took her place at her side, her warhammer ready. Eira and Nala flanked them, while Zarya moved to the rear, her quarterstaff raised.

  “They’re drawn to the shard,” Zarya said, her voice steady despite the tension. “They can sense it.”

  “Then let’s give them a reason to regret it,” Rhea said, her tone cold.

  ---

  The battle was fierce and chaotic. The creatures moved with unnatural speed, their clawed limbs striking with deadly precision. Rhea’s greataxe cleaved through the first attacker, its body disintegrating into ash. Vira swung her warhammer in a wide arc, scattering a group of smaller creatures.

  Eira darted in and out of the fray, her spear finding its mark with every strike. Nala stayed close, her blade flashing as she protected her sister’s flank. Zarya channeled bursts of energy from her quarterstaff, the shard’s hum growing louder with each attack.

  Despite their skill, the creatures kept coming. For every one they felled, two more emerged from the mist. The sisters began to tire, their movements slowing under the relentless assault.

  “Fall back to the obelisk!” Rhea shouted. “We can’t hold them off forever!”

  They retreated in unison, their backs against the glowing stone. The creatures hesitated, their snarls echoing in the mist. The runes on the obelisk began to glow brighter, pulsing in time with the shard’s hum.

  “What’s happening?” Nala asked, her voice trembling.

  “The obelisk is reacting to the shard,” Zarya said. She stepped forward, placing her hand on the stone. The runes flared to life, and a wave of energy burst from the obelisk, sweeping across the crater.

  The creatures let out a collective shriek before disintegrating into ash. The mist around them began to thin, the whispers fading into silence.

  ---

  The sisters stood in the aftermath, their breaths heavy and their bodies weary. Zarya removed her hand from the obelisk, her amber eyes glowing faintly.

  “It’s a beacon,” she said. “It’s tied to the shard—and to whatever is out here.”

  Rhea nodded, her expression grim. “Then we keep moving. The answers we need are ahead.”

  The faint green glow on the horizon pulsed steadily, a reminder of the challenges yet to come.