Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women

The seeker chuckled, a hollow sound. "You speak as if you understand. But you do not. The past is not meant to be buried. It is meant to be reclaimed."

Jude's heart pounded. He had seen what happened to those who defied the seekers. They didn't negotiate. They didn't leave witnesses.

The lead seeker raised his hand once more. "You will give us the artifact. Or you will be buried beneath these sands."

Jude glanced at Lyara. She met his gaze, her expression firm. There was no surrender here. Only a fight.

The first blow came fast. Lyara was already moving, her blade flashing in the sunlight as she ducked beneath the seeker's outstretched hand. Her strike was precise, cutting through the fabric of his robe, but he barely flinched. Another seeker lunged at Jude, and he barely managed to dodge, stumbling backward over the uneven ground.

Jude reached for his dagger, parrying the next strike. These seekers weren't just scholars. They were trained combatants. Lyara took down one, then another, but more emerged from the shadows.

"We're outnumbered!" Jude gasped, barely avoiding a blow aimed at his ribs.

Lyara gritted her teeth. "We don't have to win. We just have to escape."

Jude ducked as another seeker swung at him, then turned and ran. Lyara was right behind him, her blade cutting a path as they sprinted toward the ridge. The seekers gave chase, their movements eerily silent despite their speed.

The valley loomed ahead, its entrance marked by towering stone pillars. If they could just reach it,

An explosion of sand and force sent Jude sprawling. He hit the ground hard, coughing as dust filled his lungs. Lyara was beside him in an instant, pulling him to his feet.

A new figure stepped forward, draped in heavier robes than the others. His hands glowed with a faint, unnatural light. A mage.

Jude's stomach twisted. "That's not fair."

Lyara gritted her teeth. "Nothing ever is."

The mage raised his hand, another surge of energy crackling between his fingers. Jude braced himself,

And then the ground trembled.

A deep, resonating sound echoed through the valley, shaking the very air around them. The seekers hesitated, their heads turning toward the entrance of the valley. Jude followed their gaze.

The pillars at the valley's entrance pulsed with light. A shimmering barrier flickered into existence between them, and within the glow, a shape began to emerge. A figure, barely visible, standing in the light.

Jude's breath caught. The second figure from the vision.

The seekers took a step back, uncertainty flashing across their hidden faces. Even the mage lowered his hands slightly, as if sensing something beyond his control.

Lyara grabbed Jude's arm. "Now's our chance."

They didn't wait. They ran toward the valley, the light parting for them as they crossed the threshold.

And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the barrier vanished.

The seekers were left outside, unable to follow.

Jude's chest heaved as he looked around. The valley stretched before them, ancient ruins scattered along its floor. But his gaze was drawn to the figure standing a few paces away, still bathed in that faint glow.

The figure turned toward them.

And spoke.

"You are not the first to seek the hidden flame. But you may be the last."

The glow surrounding the figure flickered like the last embers of a dying fire, casting eerie shadows against the ancient stone. Jude swallowed hard, feeling the weight of those words settle in his chest. Not the first, but the last? The air in the valley felt heavier, charged with something unseen yet undeniable. Lyara, ever wary, kept her hand close to her blade, though she didn't draw it. The figure took a step forward, and the glow surrounding them began to fade, revealing a woman clad in tattered, flowing robes. Her face was lined with age, but her eyes held an ageless depth, as if she had seen centuries pass.

"You carry the remnants of an old war," she said, her voice like wind whispering through hollow ruins. "The burden is not light, nor is the path ahead free of sorrow."

Jude glanced at Lyara, his pulse quickening. "Who are you?"

The woman studied him for a long moment before speaking. "I am what remains of the last Keeper of the Hidden Flame. The light you see is not mine, but what lingers of the flame's power." She lifted a hand, and a faint flicker of light danced at her fingertips before vanishing. "I have waited in this valley for those who would seek the truth. But the truth is not always kind."

Jude shifted, gripping the strap of his satchel tightly. "We didn't come here for power. We came because we need to stop what's coming."

A wry smile touched the woman's lips. "So many have said the same." She turned, motioning for them to follow. "Come. If you truly seek answers, they lie ahead."

Jude hesitated only for a second before stepping forward, Lyara close beside him. The valley stretched before them, ruins half-buried in the sand, their inscriptions worn by time. As they moved, Jude couldn't help but feel the weight of the history around him. Each crumbling pillar, each broken wall, was a testament to something lost.

"The seekers outside," Lyara said, her voice low. "They wanted the same thing, didn't they?"

The woman nodded. "They believe knowledge belongs to those who have the will to claim it. They seek the flame, but they do not understand it." She glanced at Jude. "Do you?"

Jude exhaled. "We know it's connected to the artifacts. And that someone is trying to use them to awaken something."

The woman slowed her steps, turning to face them. "Not something. Someone."

A shiver ran down Jude's spine. "The figure from the vision. The one in darkness."

The woman nodded. "He is not merely a shadow of the past. He is bound to the cycle of conflict, rising again each time the flame's power is disturbed." She gestured to the ruins. "This valley was once a sanctuary. A place where the balance between light and dark was preserved. But the war changed everything. The flame was hidden, its Keepers lost. And now, after centuries of silence, the cycle begins again."