Kain, a 20-year-old rogue, rowed against the raging waves of the Tempestamic Ocean, his small boat creaking under the sea's fury. Salty spray stung his eyes, and icy water soaked his tattered tunic. He couldn't help but think back to simpler days—pickpocketing rich merchants, no magical maps or whispered promises of treasure to complicate his life.
"Selya, you idiot… dragging me to some ruins over rumors?" he muttered, his sarcasm drowned by the roar of the waves.
In his pocket, the map Selya swore was enchanted pulsed with a faint blue glow. Runes danced across the worn parchment, forming an arrow that pointed north, like a living compass.
"If this is a scam, I'll make you eat that parchment," Kain thought, his thief's instincts screaming distrust.
A flash of memory hit him: Selya, months ago, diving into dark waves to save him, her hoarse voice cutting through the wind:
"Don't die, little thief!"
"Damn debt… Without her, I'd be fish food," he admitted to himself, his chest tightening.
A current yanked the boat, and an island loomed out of the mist. Jagged rocks glowed with red runes, pulsing like living veins. Kain leapt to the shore, his boots slipping on slick moss. The map in his pocket vibrated, almost warm. Ahead, a ruined temple rose, its twisted columns shrouded in mist, moss glimmering with a faint greenish light.
"Where's the treasure, Selya?" he grumbled, then froze as a shadow moved.
It was her. Tunic torn, a taunting smile on her lips, a silver bracelet glinting on her wrist.
"Took you long enough, Kain. Thought I sent you to drown?" Selya said, her brown eyes sparkling.
"If this is a trap, you're toast," Kain shot back, waving the map.
"Oceanic gems hold power, little thief. Don't you dare sell it," she replied, eyeing the columns that seemed to bleed light.
"If it's a bust, I'm selling you to the first bidder," Kain retorted, noticing her bracelet hum, as if mocking his greed.
"Really? That bracelet would rat you out," Selya teased, her laugh echoing in the gloom.
Before Kain could snap back, a chill sliced through the air. Shadows slithered between the columns, black lanterns flickering like malevolent eyes. A low chant rumbled, words scraping like claws:
"The King will return, and the world will bow!"
"Friends of yours, Selya?" Kain thought, his heart racing.
She yanked him behind a column, the moss cold against his skin.
"The Order of the Chain," she whispered. "Fanatics hunting the King's key. That gem's one of them."
"Of course. You forgot to mention the murder cult. Brilliant plan," Kain hissed.
A beam of black light shattered the column, shards flying like knives. Selya drew a curved dagger.
"Run, Kain!"
He pocketed the map and bolted for a moss-covered staircase, chains clinking behind him, the darkness closing in like a beast.
"If you die, Selya, I'm handing you over to them," he muttered as the temple shook with chants.
Kain stumbled on the slick steps, but Selya grabbed him.
"Don't die, Kain! Who's carrying the map, huh?" she hissed, half-mocking, half-urgent.
"Stop attracting cults, princess!" he shot back, the sound of chains growing closer.
They reached a vast chamber where red runes pulsed like a heartbeat. At its center, a blood-red gem glowed on a pedestal.
"The Ruby!" Selya gasped.
Kain snatched it. A searing heat shot up his arm, ancient whispers echoing in his mind. The gem morphed into a blood-red sword.
"Great, now it's a bigger knife," he muttered.
He spun, blocking a silver chain midair. Metal clanged. With a quick slash, he cut into a hooded figure's shoulder, who collapsed with a groan. Selya leapt at another, stabbing their arm, her bracelet pulsing wildly. A chain lashed out, tearing into her side. Blood stained her tunic. Guilt burned in Kain's chest.
"She saved me… and I let this happen?"
Gripping the Ruby, he pictured speed and blinked behind another cultist, plunging his dagger into their back.
"I'm starting to like this toy," he thought.
Runes fired beams of light. A column exploded, dust choking the air.
"This Ruby's worth it, Selya! I'm not selling you!" Kain shouted, pulling her behind a pillar, her blood leaving a trail.
The Order advanced, chains rattling. The temple pulsed, alive. A piercing cold flooded the chamber. Yariv emerged—torn cloak, scarred face, icy eyes locked on a glowing blue sapphire. Frost crawled across the floor.
"The key is mine!" he roared, hurling an ice spear that shattered a pillar.
Kain barely dodged.
"Why do you only attract lunatics, Selya?" he grumbled.
Selya lunged at Yariv, but an ice blast pinned her to the wall. Her scream was muffled, her bracelet flaring desperately. Before Kain could be skewered by ice spikes, a figure appeared. Lirien, 19, blonde hair blazing like fire, her dagger pulsing with runes. She deflected the spikes, which exploded against the walls.
"Run, kid!" Lirien shouted, her voice steady.
"Who're you, blondie?" Kain growled, trying the Ruby's speed again. The temple spun, his vision blurred, and the ground seemed to swallow him. He reappeared in the same spot, nausea rising.
"Damn Ruby, obey me!" he yelled.
The map thrummed, nearly tearing his pocket. The Order screamed "The key!" as Lirien parried chains with precision. Yariv raised his sapphire, and an icy vortex tore Selya from the wall. Her body spun, blood dripping. Her bracelet flew off, landing on the floor, pulsing silver.
"Selya!" Kain shouted.
Selya drove her dagger into Yariv's arm.
"You'll regret this, mage!" she snarled.
Ice chains wrapped her, cutting her skin.
"Other keys will unseal him!" Yariv taunted.
Kain slashed the ice barrier with the Ruby, shards flying. A rune beam flung him into a column. Gasping, he remembered Selya in the waves, yelling for him to live.
"She saved me… and I failed her."
Lirien charged.
"Let her go, or you're dead!" she roared.
The mist turned frigid, swallowing Yariv and Selya. Kain staggered up, the Ruby hot in his hand, Selya's bracelet pulsing on the ground.
"Without it, she's defenseless. I'm not losing her now," he thought.
Lirien approached, green eyes glinting with secrets.
"Who are you, kid? Yariv doesn't forgive key-bearers."
"Kain, my heroine," he replied, sarcasm masking fear. "Let's find this Yariv, blondie. He's got Selya, and I'm not losing her."
Lirien hesitated, touching the silver pendant at her neck.
"This world's dangerous, kid. The Faceless King can't be freed. Legends speak of eternal darkness, kingdoms swallowed. Six keys unlock his seal: three oceanic gems, three relics. You've got one. Yariv's got another. Four remain."
Kain eyed the bracelet, then the map, its runes now pointing east.
"Know what this is?" he asked.
"A mystery," Lirien said, frowning.
"Selya with her bracelet. Me with this Ruby. I hate this game," Kain thought, the weight of his debt, the threat of the Faceless King, and the map's mystery crashing together.
The temple's darkness swallowed them.