Following the path he had seen in his dream, Elias returned to the forest.
Hours later he found something hidden beneath vines and moss.
Stone ruins.
Ancient pillars carved with symbols older than the village itself.
At the center of the ruins stood a half-buried temple.
Inside the temple walls were carvings telling a forgotten story.
A great beast.
A ring forged to bind it.
And a warning.
"The bearer shall awaken what sleeps."
Elias realized something terrible.
The ring was not the curse.
The ring was the lock.
And he had just removed it.