"What the..." Soda cursed under her breath, jerking her foot back.
A sharp glow pulsed beneath her boot, flooding the dark forest floor with waves of eerie green light. The ground seemed to hum— low, steady and alive. She crouched slowly, her heart hammering against her ribs, She brushed away the loose dirt with her fingers until her breath caught in her throat.
The relic.
It wasn't what she expected. It looked alive— like it was breathing, each pulse of light syncing faintly with her heartbeat. The emerald hue danced across her pale face, reflecting in her eyes like fire in a mirror.
Soda's lips parted in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me…" she muttered, blinking rapidly as if the relic might disappear if she stared too long.
For a moment, she just knelt there, staring at it in silence. The forest was unsettlingly still. Not even the crickets dared to sing. Only the relic's pulse, soft and hypnotic, filled the air.
