I found Yan with the stolen artifact once again.
"Wait, brother, what are you doing?"
No response. The air around us cracked like glass.
A fragment trembled in Yan's hand, humming with a pulse that didn't belong to this world. One drop of blood slipped from his cut finger and hit the surface and that was all it took.
The artifact screamed.
A dark crimson light burst outward, spiraling into runes that slithered through the air like serpents, wrapping around Yan's arm, his chest, his throat. The air turned heavy, vibrating with a power that made my bones ache. I tried to pull him back, but his feet were rooted to the floor, eyes wide with terror.
"Yan! Drop it!" I shouted, but he couldn't hear me. The sigils pulsed brighter, feeding off him.
[Warning: Forbidden energy detected. Containment protocol unavailable.]
