Dark clouds gathered above Raven Hollow as Ethan, Maya, and Lucas left Old Samuel's shop.
None of them spoke for a moment.
The story Samuel had told them was still echoing in their minds.
An ancient civilization.
A powerful artifact.
And a mysterious guardian protecting it.
Lucas finally broke the silence.
"So… just to be clear," he said, "we're about to travel into cursed mountains guarded by some ancient warrior to find a dangerous artifact that could destroy the world."
Ethan shrugged.
"When you say it like that, it sounds bad."
Maya rolled her eyes.
"It is bad."
But she still smiled.
"Which is exactly why we're going."
Lucas sighed dramatically.
"Well… I guess every great adventure starts with a terrible idea."
They began walking toward Ethan's house to plan their journey.
None of them noticed the black car parked at the end of the street.
Inside the car sat a tall man with sharp features and cold gray eyes.
Victor Draven.
He watched the three teenagers carefully.
"So that's the boy," he said quietly.
Beside him sat a large man with scarred arms and a shaved head.
Ronan, leader of the Black Fang mercenaries.
"You want us to take the map now?" Ronan asked.
Draven shook his head.
"No."
He smiled slightly.
"Let them lead us to the treasure."
In the back seat sat two more members of the crew.
Silas, a thin man with quick eyes and the hands of a thief.
And Lena, a silent archer cleaning her bow.
"They're just kids," Silas said with a laugh.
Draven turned slowly toward him.
"Never underestimate curiosity," he said.
"It has led many people to their doom."
Across town, Ethan and his friends sat around the kitchen table again.
This time the table was covered with supplies: flashlights, ropes, notebooks, food, and camping gear.
Lucas held up a small pocketknife proudly.
"Every adventure team needs a survival expert," he said.
Maya raised an eyebrow.
"You watched three survival videos last night."
"Exactly," Lucas replied.
Ethan pointed to the map again.
"The path goes through Darkwood Forest first."
Maya nodded.
"After that we reach the foothills of the Blackstone Mountains."
Lucas leaned closer.
"And then… treasure."
Maya shook her head.
"And traps, mercenaries, collapsing ruins, and possibly a supernatural guardian."
Lucas paused.
"Right."
"Still worth it though."
Ethan rolled up the map and stood.
"We leave tomorrow morning."
A mixture of excitement and fear filled the room.
This was really happening.
The three friends stood together in silence for a moment.
Adventure waited beyond the forest.
But danger was already closer than they realized.
Outside Ethan's house, hidden behind a large oak tree, Silas watched through binoculars.
He spoke quietly into a radio.
"They're leaving tomorrow."
Victor Draven's voice answered.
"Good."
Silas smiled.
"The treasure hunt begins."