The forest thickened as the blood moon climbed higher, its crimson light filtering through twisted branches. Noona, Alice, Lisa, and Sky moved cautiously, each step echoing with tension.
"We need to follow the runes exactly," Alice said, tracing her fingers along a faded path etched in stone. "Any mistake… and the curse will strike before we can react."
Noona's grip on her blade tightened. "We've come this far. No turning back now."
Shadows flickered along the path, coiling around the roots and rocks, whispering temptations, threats, and memories of the past. Lisa murmured protective incantations, weaving a faint barrier of light around them.
Suddenly, a howl split the night. From the mist emerged twisted creatures—remnants of the curse's influence. Limbs bent unnaturally, eyes glowing red, teeth sharp as daggers. Sky leapt forward, striking with precision, while Noona and Alice flanked him, their weapons slicing through the shadows.
The ground beneath them trembled violently, and the runes pulsed brighter, reacting to the blood moon above. A dark energy began to coalesce at the end of the path, a swirling vortex of shadows and fire—the heart of the curse.
Noona's breath caught. "That… that's the source. We're finally here."
Alice nodded grimly. "And it knows we're coming. The guardian shadows are just the beginning. Beyond this… is the one who started it all."
Lisa tightened her grip on her staff. "Then we go together. Light against shadow, courage against fear. We end this… tonight."
The four of them stepped forward, united, ready to confront the darkness that had haunted centuries, aware that the true test had only just begun.