The interior of the ruins was unlike anything Raven had ever seen. Ancient stone walls loomed high above, etched with intricate carvings that seemed to pulse faintly in the dim light. The air was thick, almost suffocating, carrying a metallic tang that sent shivers down her spine. The oppressive silence was broken only by the soft echo of their footsteps on the cracked stone floor. Ember held her glowing orb aloft, the light casting flickering shadows that danced across the walls. “This place was built by the first spellbinders,” she explained, her voice hushed as though afraid to disturb the heavy air. “They were the ones who first encountered the Forbidden Curse and sealed it away. Whatever we need to know, it will be here.” Raven scanned the carvings, her eyes drawn to the images of battles between light and shadow, of creatures twisted by dark magic. It was as if the walls themselves told the story of an ancient war—one she was only now becoming part of. “Why would they seal it here?” Raven asked, her fingers brushing against one of the carvings. The stone was cold, almost icy to the touch. “To protect the knowledge,” Ember replied, stepping forward cautiously. “This library holds the secrets of curses that no one was meant to use. But knowledge, as dangerous as it can be, is also the only weapon we have against them.” They reached a massive door at the end of the hall. It was carved with a sigil that seemed to shimmer, even in the faint light. Ember traced her fingers over it, muttering an incantation under her breath. The sigil flared brightly, and the door groaned as it slowly swung open. The room beyond was vast, lined with towering shelves that stretched impossibly high. Books and scrolls, some crumbling with age, filled the shelves, their spines marked with runes and symbols Raven couldn’t decipher. In the center of the room stood a circular platform, its surface engraved with intricate patterns that seemed to glow faintly as they approached. “This is it,” Ember said, her voice tinged with awe. “The Library of Shadows.” Raven hesitated at the threshold, the weight of the place pressing down on her. “How do we know where to start? There’s so much…” Ember stepped onto the platform, her movements deliberate. “The spellbinders left a system—a way to guide us to what we need. But it’s risky. The magic here is old and volatile. Stay close.” Raven followed Ember onto the platform, watching as the older woman knelt and placed her hands on the glowing patterns. Ember’s eyes closed, and she began to chant softly. The air around them seemed to hum, the runes on the platform lighting up one by one in response to her words. Suddenly, the light flared brighter, and the room seemed to shift. The shelves around them blurred, replaced by a swirling vortex of light and shadow. Raven stumbled, her hand darting out to steady herself. “What’s happening?” she asked, her voice sharp. “The library is responding,” Ember said, her tone steady despite the chaos around them. “It’s searching for what we need.” The vortex stilled, and the shelves reappeared, but they were no longer where they had been. A single shelf stood before them, its contents glowing faintly. Ember reached out and pulled a large, leather-bound book from the shelf. The cover was marked with the same sigil as the door, its edges frayed with age. “This is it,” Ember said, her voice heavy with certainty. “The history of the Forbidden Curse.” As she opened the book, the faint glow intensified, and Raven saw the words shift and shimmer on the page. They weren’t written in any language she recognized, but Ember seemed to understand them. “The Forbidden Curse wasn’t created,” Ember murmured as she read. “It was… discovered. A fragment of primordial magic, older than the world itself. It’s not just a curse—it’s a force of nature, one that can’t be controlled or destroyed. Only contained.” Raven felt a chill creep down her spine. “Contained? Then how did it get out?” Ember’s expression darkened. “The seal was broken long ago. Not fully, but enough for the curse to begin leaking into the world. And now, with Nightshade’s defeat, the balance has been upset. The curse is gaining strength again, feeding on the chaos we unleashed.” Raven’s stomach twisted. “So we caused this?” “Not intentionally,” Ember said, closing the book gently. “But it doesn’t matter. What matters is finding a way to contain it again before it consumes everything.” A low rumble echoed through the room, and Raven tensed. The light from the runes on the platform flickered, and the air grew colder. “Something’s here,” Raven said, gripping her dagger. Ember nodded, her eyes scanning the room. “The library doesn’t just hold knowledge—it protects it. And it doesn’t take kindly to intruders.” As if on cue, the shadows in the corners of the room began to writhe, coalescing into a dark, humanoid figure. Its form shifted and flickered, its eyes glowing with an unnatural light. “A shadow warden,” Ember said grimly. “A guardian of the library. We’ve disturbed it.” The warden stepped forward, its movements fluid and unnatural. Raven’s heart pounded as it raised an arm, tendrils of darkness spiraling toward them. “Get behind me,” Ember said, her voice firm as she began to chant again, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air. But Raven didn’t move. Her grip on her dagger tightened as she stared down the warden. She had faced shadows before—Nightshade himself had been a creature of darkness. This was no different. The warden lunged, and Raven leapt forward, her dagger slicing through the tendrils of shadow. The warden recoiled, its form flickering, but it didn’t retreat. Instead, it let out a low, guttural growl and surged forward again. Ember’s spell erupted in a burst of light, striking the warden and sending it sprawling. “Raven, don’t!” she shouted. “It can’t be defeated by force!” Raven stepped back, her chest heaving. “Then how do we stop it?” “We don’t,” Ember said, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the exit. “We run.” As they fled the library, the warden’s growls echoed behind them, growing louder with every step. The Forbidden Curse might have been their greatest threat, but it was clear they weren’t the only ones hunting for answers.