Chapter 21. A False Trail

  The flickering light of old torches cast trembling shadows as Lionel, Stan, and Ethan leaned over the ancient scroll. The record of the three Dark Lords unsettled them. They knew time was running out. The rift between worlds was weakening, and no one knew how much longer it would hold.

  “We must find a way to close the rift,” Lionel said resolutely.

  “If such a way even exists…” Ethan ran his hand doubtfully over the pages of the book. “There are too many gaps here.”

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  “But there’s something,” Stan interjected. “Look at this.”

  On the book’s margins, faint runes were barely visible—an ancient language, long forgotten even in this world. They spoke of a ritual—a ritual that could stop the Lords.

  “‘Three must sacrifice a part of their essence to seal the boundary between worlds’…” Lionel read aloud.

  “A part of their essence?” Ethan frowned. “That could mean anything.”

  Stan pondered.

  “Maybe it’s connected to magic or the soul. Or something else entirely…”

  Lionel looked at his friends.

  “We need more information. But if this is true… if we can close the rift, we have to take the risk.”

  At that moment, a sound came from outside—someone moving in the corridor.

  “Someone’s listening,” Ethan whispered.

  Stan quickly extinguished the nearest torch, and the three of them held their breath. The footsteps stopped. Silence.

  But they knew—the enemy was already close

  . And time was slipping away.