"Alaric!" My scream tore through the sacred grove as I cradled his head in my lap. The black veins continued spreading across his skin, creeping toward his face, pulsing with malevolent energy. His breathing grew shallow, his body trembling against mine.
"Take the shard," he gasped, his voice barely audible. "Complete the mission."
I felt frozen in place, torn between the glowing Shard of Sacrifice beside us and the dying man I loved more than life itself. The dark tendrils were spreading faster now, his skin growing ashen.
"Isabella!" Sir Kaelen shouted, fighting off another cultist. "We don't have much time!"
With shaking hands, I reached for the third shard. As my fingers closed around it, searing heat shot up my arm, not painful but intense—as if the crystal recognized me. I now held all three: the Shard of Valor we'd claimed from the mountain fortress, the Shard of Wisdom from the ancient library, and now the Shard of Sacrifice.
