The escape from Ohio had been too messy. Police sirens still echoed faintly in their memories, and exhaustion clung to the four teens like wet clothing. By the time they finally stopped running, the sun had barely risen.
The closest woodland outside Ohio became their hiding place but to them, it wasn't safe. Nowhere felt safe anymore.
Tall trees surrounded them, their branches stretching high enough to block most of the daylight. Fallen leaves crunched beneath their feet as they searched for somewhere hidden enough to rest.
"We need to stop," Kevin said between breaths. "Immediately."
"No argument there," Joyce muttered.
Cole barely listened. His mind was elsewhere. Still trapped inside Kenny Rogers' underground lab. He was still hearing those words.
"If your headmaster sent you on the quest..... Then you were never meant to find this one"
The sentence repeated over and over in his head like a warning.... Or worse - A truth.
They eventually found a quiet space deep within the woods and quickly rebuilt camp. No fire this time. No unnecessary risks.
Lenora immediately spread books and notes across the ground.
"We need to organize what we know," she said.
Kevin dropped dramatically against a tree.
"What we know is that everything somehow keeps getting worse."
"I mean, can't we just go home?.... Or return back to Nyro.... Nyro..."
"Nyroxia!" Joyce said. She crossed her arms.
"He's not wrong. Think about it. Things just keeps getting worse!"
Cole sat quietly, staring at the Artifact. The duplicate blood sat nearby inside the metal case Mr. Kenny had given them. Even now - The dark red liquid shifted strangely. Almost like something alive moved inside it.
Cole frowned. He wanted answers. Real answers. They all wanna real answers. But Cole still wanted one thing:....He wanted to talk to Mr. Bruce, the man who sent them on this impossible mission.
But how?....No phones, no way going back without finding those items, no trust..... Especially now. Cole started to think.... 'What if Mr. Kenny was right?' ..... 'What if this entire quest has been built on lies?'
"Cole!" He looked up.
Lenora watched him carefully.
"You okay?"
He hesitated.
"No."
That honesty surprised even him. "The doctor words still don't make sense," Cole admitted quietly.
"The doctor words??" Lenora asked. They all turned their attention to him
"When we were about to leave, he.... He said something to me" Cole began
"C'mon!. Tell us!. It should help is find the real blood, right?" Joyce said
"What did he say?" Lenora asked
And just like the way Mr. Kenny had told Cole, he repeated the statement word for word to them.
"Why would Mr. Bruce send us if we weren't meant to find it?" Kevin asked himself
"Well, that's the question!. That's the thing. Let's not also forget that he said this one is a duplicate " Cole said.
"Why??" That was the question they were all asking themselves. Nobody knew.
Hours passed. The more they did research, the more confused they were becoming. The old laboratory notes they gathered only made things stranger.
References to failed hosts, corrupted bloodlines, ancient warnings. And they also noticed one disturbing phrase repeated constantly in every note:
THE ORIGINAL MUST NOT AWAKEN
"What does that even mean?" Kevin asked.
"Does it mean we shouldn't even find this blood thing?"
Nobody had an answer. Suddenly, the Artifact moved. Everyone froze.
The crescent symbol began glowing faintly. Pulsing Bright silver..... Once, twice.... Then faster. Joyce stepped back.
"Uh....."
"That wasn't happening before."
The duplicate blood reacted too. The crimson liquid inside the vial suddenly shifted violently. Only partially - But enough. Tiny ripples formed inside it, as though responding.
Lenora's eyes widened.
"They're reacting together."
Suddenly, the air changed - Cold, sharp, heavy. The sky darkened unnaturally. Clouds rolled above them faster than natural weather should allow. The sunlight vanished.
The world turned pale-dark.
Kevin slowly stood.
"Oh, heavens!"
Cole's stomach dropped. He remembered this... Italy... The museum. It was the same darkness, the same feeling.
"No...." Joyce whispered.
The crescent symbol glowed brighter. The wind stopped completely. And then - The shadows moved..... Ahead of them. Between the trees, dark figures stretched unnaturally across the forest floor. Twisting, crawling - Growing..... Until they stepped forward. It was the Shadows. The same ones that attacked them in the woods before.
Only this time- They weren't alone. Several men stepped out beside them.
At least Human - They looked human. Tall figures dressed in dark coats. Their expressions calm. Almost amused.
One of them slowly smiled, Dangerously.
"Well," the man said smoothly.
"You children have been difficult to find."
Kevin immediately moved backward.
"Nope."
"Absolutely not."
Joyce narrowed her eyes.
"Who are you?"
The man bowed dramatically.
"Friends."
"Nobody bows like that in this era. It's doesn't even show friendship," Kevin muttered.
Another man chuckled softly. "You possess things that don't belong to you."
His eyes drifted toward the Artifact. Then the vial.
"The Lupercalia's Artifact."
"The Blood."
Cole stepped forward cautiously.
"What do you want?"
The first man smiled wider.
"Oh, that part is simple." He tilted his head.
"We want them." He gestured at the Artifact and Vial. The shadows behind them shifted restlessly. They were hungry, watching and waiting.
Lenora immediately moved. Her dagger flashed into her hand.
"I don't think so."
Joyce lowered slightly into position.
She was prepared to strike.
Kevin bounced nervously on his feet.
Hyperactive energy exploding from fear.
"Okay, okay - this feels really bad."
Cole stayed still, unsure, heart racing. Fear tightening around him.
But one thought stayed clear: 'We can't lose these. Not after everything.'
The man sighed dramatically. "You children really intend to fight us?"
Joyce smirked slightly.
"You're welcome to test that. An sure you guys are like us"
The shadows twisted violently. The sky darkened further. Branches cracked overhead. The wind finally returned but it was cold and furious.
Cole tightened his grip on the Artifact. His uncertainty remained.
But one thing was certain - They had to protect it no matter what.
The smiling man slowly stepped forward.
"Very well," he said quietly.
"Let's do this the hard way." The shadows surged.
Joyce launched forward.
Lenora raised her dagger.
Kevin shouted something nobody understood.
And Cole - Finally moved. To them, the clash had began.