The small black crystal rested on the wooden table inside Arkon's study.
Everyone stood around it silently.
The Abyss Shard emitted a faint pulse of dark energy.
Lyra stared at it carefully.
"This is definitely a fragment of the Heart of Abyss," she said quietly.
Draven crossed his arms.
"So someone already has the power to create those shadow creatures."
Arian looked at the crystal thoughtfully.
"But why attack a small village like Riverfall?"
Arkon slowly walked toward the table.
"Perhaps the creature wasn't attacking," he said.
"Perhaps it was searching."
Lyra's eyes widened.
"For the shard?"
Arkon nodded.
"If these fragments are scattered across Eldoria, someone must be hunting them."
Arian felt the same heavy feeling he had felt before the battle with Malvyr.
"If someone collects all the shards… they could rebuild the Heart of Abyss."
Draven gave a half-smile.
"Then we should probably stop them."
Lyra suddenly noticed something strange.
The shard began glowing brighter.
Dark energy slowly rose from it like smoke.
Arkon immediately raised his staff.
"Everyone step back."
Ancient runes appeared around the crystal.
Arkon placed a magical barrier around the shard.
"This object is dangerous," he warned.
"We cannot carry it carelessly."
Arian looked toward the window.
Somewhere out there, someone had already started this dangerous hunt.
And they were probably already looking for the next shard.
"We need to move quickly," Arian said.
"If we stay here, Riverfall could become a target again."
Draven nodded.
"So where do we go first?"
Arkon opened an old magical map of Eldoria.
He pointed toward the northern mountains.
"There is an ancient tower in the frozen kingdom of Frostvale."
"Long ago, powerful sorcerers stored dangerous artifacts there."
Lyra's eyes sparkled.
"If an Abyss Shard appeared recently, the tower might detect its energy."
Arian nodded firmly.
"Then Frostvale is our next destination."
Outside the window, the cold night wind blew across the village.
Their new journey had begun.
But far away, hidden deep inside a dark fortress, a mysterious figure watched a glowing crystal.
And smiled.