The Heart of Darkness

As the first light of dawn cast a pallid glow over the desolate landscape of the Shadowlands, Emily stood at the edge of their makeshift camp, her gaze fixed on the looming fortress in the distance. The air was heavy with an unnatural chill, the kind that seeped into the bones and settled there like a permanent resident. Today, they would infiltrate the heart of the darkness, and every fiber of her being was focused on the task ahead.

The team gathered around her—Valen, Darius, Lira, and Alaric. They were battle-hardened, but even they could not completely mask the tension in their eyes. This mission felt different, more perilous. The Shadow Orb, the source of so much pain and destruction, lay within that fortress, and the thought of confronting its malevolent power weighed heavily on them all.