The wind howled across the old town of Raven Hollow, rattling loose shutters and sending dry leaves dancing through the empty streets. Most people were already inside their homes, sitting near warm lanterns and telling stories to pass the cold night.
But Ethan Carter was not like most people.
At seventeen, Ethan had always been curious about the things others feared. While the townspeople believed the forest beyond Raven Hollow was cursed, Ethan believed there was always a reason behind every legend.
And tonight, he was about to discover one.
Ethan climbed the narrow wooden stairs of his late grandfather's attic. The air smelled of dust, old books, and forgotten memories. A single lantern flickered in his hand as he searched through boxes filled with strange objects his grandfather had collected during his travels.
"Let's see what secrets you were hiding, Grandpa," Ethan muttered.
Most of the boxes held ordinary things—old journals, rusty tools, and faded photographs. But one small chest in the corner caught his attention. It was made of dark wood and locked with a strange iron clasp carved with symbols Ethan had never seen before.
His heart began to beat faster.
After a few minutes of trying, the old lock snapped open.
Inside the chest was a rolled parchment, tied with a red thread that had faded with time.
Ethan carefully unrolled it.
It was a map.
Not just any map.
It showed the forest outside Raven Hollow, the mountains beyond it, and deep within those mountains was a symbol drawn in black ink—a skull surrounded by strange markings.
At the top of the map were three words written in bold, uneven letters:
THE FORBIDDEN TREASURE
Ethan felt a chill run down his spine.
The treasure from the old legends… the one people said was cursed… the one no one had ever found.
He looked closer and noticed something else.
Written at the bottom of the map was a warning.
"Those who seek the treasure must face the guardian of the mountain. Many have tried. None have returned."
Ethan should have rolled the map back up and forgotten about it.
But curiosity burned in his mind like fire.
If his grandfather had hidden this map, there had to be a reason.
And Ethan had just made a decision that would change his life forever.
He was going to find the Forbidden Treasure.
What he didn't know was that he wasn't the only one searching for it.
Outside the attic window, hidden in the shadows, a pair of eyes had been watching him the entire time.
And whoever they belonged to wanted the treasure too.