The night was thick with fog as Quinn and Kaelen slipped through the ruins of an ancient crypt, hidden beneath the shattered city.
Velux whispered urgently, This place holds answers—and danger.
Kaelen's gaze scanned the shadowed walls, etched with runes that pulsed faintly with corrupted qi.
---
"Look at this," Kaelen said, tracing a jagged symbol glowing with dark blood magic. "This marks the origin of the Voidborn plague—a curse born not from outside, but from our own bloodline."
Quinn's heart tightened. "You mean… it came from us?"
Before Kaelen could answer, a soft shuffle echoed behind them.
---
They spun—blades drawn—but it was a figure they both recognized: Liora, her eyes cold and unreadable.
"I see you're digging where you shouldn't," she said, voice low but sharp.
Quinn tensed. "What do you want, Liora?"
Liora smiled thinly. "To protect what's left of our kind—even if it means betraying a few shadows along the way."
---
Suddenly, shadows exploded around them as Liora vanished into a flurry of shadow daggers and blood spikes.
Quinn and Kaelen fought back fiercely—blades clashing, magic blazing, the crypt shaking with their battle.
Liora's skill was unmatched, her attacks swift and precise, fueled by a desperate will.
---
Velux warned, She's not just an enemy—she's a warning.
Quinn summoned his Crimson Eclipse Whip, entangling Liora's arms and yanking her close.
"Why betray us?" Quinn demanded.
Liora struggled, eyes blazing. "Because some truths are too dangerous. The Voidborn plague isn't a curse—it's a weapon. And those who created it want to use it to control us all."
---
Kaelen nodded grimly. "That means there's a deeper conspiracy. One we haven't seen yet."
The battle intensified, but now the stakes were clear: uncover the traitor's network, or be consumed by the shadows they barely understood.
---
As the dust settled, Quinn and Kaelen stood over the defeated Liora.
Velux's voice was grave. Trust is broken. The war is no longer just against the Voidborn—it's within.
Quinn's eyes burned with resolve. "Then we root out the darkness—no matter where it hides."