The night was unnaturally quiet as the group left the ancient ruins behind.
The soft blue glow of the Hammer of Technology disappeared beneath Vile's cloak, though he could still feel its steady hum in his hands. Every now and then he glanced down at it, almost expecting it to speak.
The mountain path stretched into rolling hills bathed in silver moonlight.
For several minutes...
No one said a word.
Then Ethan stopped walking.
"..."
Alex looked over his shoulder.
"Ethan?"
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
He stared into the darkness ahead, his brow furrowed.
"...Do you hear that?"
The others listened.
Only the wind answered.
Liam let out a nervous laugh.
"I... I don't hear anyth
Clink... Drag...
The metallic scrape echoed faintly through the valley.
Everyone froze.
Clink... Drag...
This time it was louder.
Vile instinctively tightened his grip on the Hammer.
"...That definitely isn't normal."
He adjusted his glasses, though they had barely moved.
"The Hammer isn't reacting... whatever that sound is, it isn't connected to this weapon."
Mya rested a hand near the hilt of her weapon.
"I've got a bad feeling."
Kaelor twirled his staff once before resting it on his shoulder.
"I usually enjoy mysterious adventures."
He looked toward the darkness.
"...This one feels personal."
Rose quietly observed the landscape.
"So much silence..."
"There shouldn't be this much silence."
Even the insects had stopped.
Alex scanned the hills.
"Stay together."
"No one wanders off."
The group continued toward the sound.
The grass slowly gave way to cracked earth.
Broken stone markers appeared beside the trail.
Then dozens more.
Until graves surrounded them on every side.
Liam swallowed.
"...We're in a cemetery."
Rose gently shook her head.
"No."
Her compassionate gaze swept across the endless field.
"This was once a battlefield."
Moonlight revealed the truth.
Thousands of rusted weapons lay scattered across the valley.
Broken shields rested where soldiers had fallen.
Spears jutted from the earth like forgotten monuments.
Ancient armor had become part of the ground itself.
The battlefield stretched farther than anyone could see.
Even Kaelor had no joke.
"...That's a lot of history."
Ethan barely heard him.
Something was pulling him forward.
Not physically.
It was a feeling buried deep inside him.
A strange sense of familiarity.
As though this place had been waiting.
Without realizing it...
He started walking.
"Ethan," Alex called.
"I know."
Ethan didn't stop.
"I don't know why..."
"But I need to see what's ahead."
Alex exchanged a brief glance with Kira before following.
The others stayed close.
The metallic rhythm grew stronger.
Clink... Drag...
Clink... Drag...
Eventually they reached the center of the battlefield.
A massive crater split the earth apart.
Ancient stone pillars circled its edge, each wrapped in enormous iron chains that disappeared into the darkness below.
Some chains were broken.
Others looked untouched by time.
The sound came from beneath them.
Vile slowly knelt beside one of the chains.
He reached toward it...
Then froze.
"...Impossible."
"What?" Mya asked.
"It..."
His voice became quieter.
"...It's moving."
Everyone stared.
The chain twitched.
A second later...
Another chain shifted.
Then another.
The ground rumbled beneath their feet.
Dust rolled down the walls of the crater.
The ancient chains slowly rose into the air, scraping against the stone with a deafening metallic scream.
Liam stumbled backward.
"I don't like this!"
"Neither do I," Lyra admitted softly, though she stood her ground beside him.
Without warning
One of the chains lashed across the battlefield.
CRASH!
It struck the ground with explosive force, carving a deep trench through the ancient earth before snapping back into the darkness.
Alex immediately stepped forward.
"Formation!"
Kira moved to his side.
Mya and Lyra covered the left flank.
Rose quietly guided Liam behind the front line.
Kaelor spun his staff into a ready stance.
"I officially miss ancient puzzles."
Even Ethan didn't smile.
His eyes never left the crater.
His heartbeat matched the rhythm of the chains.
Clink... Drag...
The darkness below stirred.
A skeletal hand wrapped in broken iron chains gripped the edge of the crater.
Then another.
Slowly, a twisted figure pulled itself into the moonlight.
Fragments of rusted armor clung to its body, while pale blue flames burned inside empty eye sockets.
It let out a hollow, inhuman cry that echoed across the battlefield.
Silence followed.
Then more hands reached out from the darkness.
One...
Three...
Ten...
Dozens.
The dead were rising.
Alex drew his sword and planted his feet.
"Hold the line!"
The first of the chained wraiths charged.
And the battle for the forgotten battlefield began.