Aethera led us through the portal that would take us to the underworld. As we stepped through the shimmering veil, I felt a sense of trepidation. The underworld was a place of darkness and terror, a realm where even the bravest warriors feared to tread.
The air was thick with the stench of decay and death, and the ground beneath our feet seemed to writhe and twist like a living thing. We walked through a landscape of twisted rock and burning lava, the heat intense and oppressive.
As we journeyed deeper into the underworld, we encountered creatures that defied explanation. Twisted, nightmarish beings that seemed to be crafted from the very darkness itself. They watched us with cold, calculating eyes, their presence making my skin crawl.
Aethera moved with a confident stride, her knowledge of the underworld guiding us through the treacherous terrain. But even she seemed to be affected by the darkness, her eyes flashing with a fierce determination.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking, we reached the heart of the underworld. A great, cavernous space filled with a lake of burning lava. And in the center of the lake, a small island rose, upon which rested the artifact we sought.
But as we approached the lake, a figure emerged from the shadows. A figure with eyes that burned with an inner fire, and a presence that seemed to command the very darkness itself.
"Welcome, travelers," he said, his voice like the rumble of thunder. "I have been waiting for you."
Aethera's eyes narrowed. "You are the guardian of the underworld," she said. "And we have come for the artifact."
The guardian's gaze seemed to bore into our souls. "You will not leave this place alive," he said. "Unless you can answer my riddle."
I felt a surge of fear. What riddle could possibly be worth risking our lives for? But Aethera's eyes seemed to gleam with determination.
"We will answer your riddle," she said. "And we will claim the artifact."
The guardian's smile was like a crack in the earth. "Very well," he said. "Here is the riddle: What can be broken, but never held? What can be given, but never sold?"