Arcane Alchemy:The forbidden rites

200 years ago “Do you think we lost them?” Asha asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Probably,” Eamon muttered, glancing over his shoulder. For a while, the only sound was the steady thud of hooves against the damp earth. Fog filled the silent forest that night. “Do you think he was right?” Eamon finally asked. “The king?” Asha turned slightly toward him. “Yes,” Eamon said, his tone filled with doubt. “To order us to destroy it,the Ice Stone. It’s the heart of our power, the core of all healing,Alchemy and Arcane.” Mage Tavian, older and sterner than both, tightened his grip on the reins. “Because too many have died chasing it,” he said. “Because men who taste that kind of power forget they are men.” “The Ice Stone,” Asha murmured,her gaze dropping to the chest strapped against her saddle“the source of life… the bringer of death. They say it can bind souls, even bend the laws of death itself.” Eamon snorted. “And yet here we are,running to destroy it like cowards.” “No,” Tavian snapped. “We are saving what’s left of this world.” "What if the old mage can't destroy it?"Eamon asked. "we cannot destroy it ourselves,that’s why we ride to the mountains,he is the last of the Elemental Forgers,” Tavian confirmed. “He alone knows how to unmake what should never have been made. Steel cannot harm the Stone. Not even our strongest spells can scratch it.” “So the King trusts an old hermit more than the entire Mage Order?” Eamon muttered. “This isn't about trust,” Tavian said. “It’s about necessity. If the Stone falls into the wrong hands again….” Asha shivered. “Then we can’t fail.” Tavian nodded grimly. “We won’t. Not while we still draw breath.” A branch snapped somewhere in the dark. All three froze. Eamon’s hand went to his sword at his belt. “We’ve been followed.” Figures slipped out of the fog,It was assassins, their blades glinting. “Get out of here!” Tavian barked as he swung down from his horse, drawing his sword. “But” “Go, Asha!” he roared, slashing at the first attacker. “Now!” Asha’s eyes darted between them,Tavian and Eamon already locked in combat, magic flaring through the mist. Her hands trembled as she clutched the chest tighter against her. “Go!” Eamon shouted, his voice breaking through the chaos. Asha hesitated for only a heartbeat,then she kicked her horse and fled into the forest. Branches whipped at her face, and the wind roared in her ears. But she didn't stop. Asha’s horse lunged through the trees, She clutched the chest to her chest, praying Tavian and Eamon were still alive,praying she wasn’t too late. Then, TWANG, An arrow lodged into her horse. The horse screamed as it buckled, Asha hit the ground hard. Pain shot through her shoulder as she rolled across the damp leaves. Her horse collapsed beside her with a dying groan, the arrow buried deep in its flank. The chest slipped from the saddle and burst open. The Ice Stone spilled out, its pale blue glow flickering like a heartbeat. Asha lunged forward,her fingers closed around it just as the shadows closed in. Boots crunched against the soil. Dark figures emerged from between the trees, forming a tightening circle around her. Steel glinted. Someone laughed softly. Then one assassin stepped forward. He revealed his face. Asha’s breath caught in her throat. “Lorian…?” Her voice cracked with disbelief. “You traitor,” she spat, holding the Stone close to her chest. “You betrayed the King. You betrayed Tavian. Eamon” “I betrayed no one,” Lorian cut in. “I am preventing a mistake. A terrible one.” Asha shook her head, fury rising. “You attacked us.” “Because you’re running to destroy the Ice Stone,” Lorian said simply. “A relic that holds power men have dreamed of for centuries. Power enough to reshape kingdoms, rewrite fate… even conquer death.” His eyes glimmered with hunger. Asha backed up until her boots hit the fallen horse. “No man should possess the Stone’s power. Not you. Not the King. No one.” Lorian chuckled. “That is where you’re wrong. Someone will possess it. Someone always tries. Better it be in the hands of those strong enough to use it… instead of fools who fear it.” “You don’t understand what you’re unleashing,” Asha whispered. He raised a finger as if correcting a child. “I understand perfectly.” He stepped closer. “Give me the Stone, Asha. Do not make this harder than it needs to be.” She tightened her grip. “Never.” Lorian shrugged. “well then,i guess i will have to take it by force.” But before he could take another step, A sharp c***k was heard in the forest. Every assassin turned toward the sound. Even Asha froze. Something moved there. At first, it was only shadows. Then the shadows stepped forward. Their bodies were white as snow. Dark veins were visible beneath their pale skin. Their eyes were turned over. Their mouths hung open,as if ready to devour their preys. Their fingers scraped against bark and dirt, leaving long claw-like marks. Everyone froze. Its face was slack and hollow, lips torn as though it had screamed for too long, too hard. Wisps of pale breath curled from its mouth like escaped souls fleeing its ruined body. Then, in the suffocating silence, It tilted its head… …and released a piercing, unnatural SCREECH.