Chapter 19

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The cavern opened into a massive chamber, its ceiling lost in darkness. At the center of the room stood a crystalline pillar, its surface glowing faintly with shifting light.

"That has to be it," Calypso said, her voice filled with awe.

"The artifact," Bruce said, stepping forward cautiously.

But before they could reach it, the ground trembled beneath their feet. The crystalline floor cracked and splintered, and the air filled with a deafening roar.

From the shadows emerged a massive golem, its body twice the size of the ones they had faced before. Its crystalline form glowed with an ominous red light, and its movements were slow but deliberate.

"Of course there's a giant one," Leo said, summoning flames to his hands.

"Focus!" Zane snapped, stepping forward. "We can't let it stop us."

The Battle for the Artifact

The Guardians sprang into action, their powers combining in a desperate attempt to stop the golem. Bruce created barriers of stone to block its attacks, while Skye's winds carried Jasmine's water to strike at its joints.

Leo's flames danced across its surface, but the creature seemed unfazed.

"This thing's tougher than the others!" Skye shouted, narrowly dodging a swipe of its massive arm.

"Then we hit it harder," Bruce said, slamming his fists into the ground.

Zane froze time briefly, darting behind the creature to analyze its movements. He spotted a glowing shard embedded in its chest—a weak point.

"There!" he shouted, pointing to the shard. "Aim for the chest!"

A Desperate Move

The team redirected their attacks, focusing on the glowing shard. Jasmine summoned a wave of water, freezing it into jagged ice that struck the golem's chest. The shard cracked but didn't break.

Zane moved closer, his powers surging as he prepared to freeze time around the golem. But before he could act, Jasmine stumbled, her ankle caught on a jagged piece of crystal.

"Jasmine!" he shouted, rushing to her side.

The golem's massive arm swung toward them, but Zane acted on instinct. Time slowed to a crawl as he pulled Jasmine out of harm's way, the attack missing by mere inches.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice tight with concern.

Jasmine winced but nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

He helped her to her feet, his hand lingering on hers for a moment longer than necessary.

Victory and Questions

With one final combined attack, the Guardians shattered the shard, and the golem collapsed into a heap of crystal. The cavern fell silent, the whispers fading into nothingness.

Zane turned to Jasmine, his expression uncharacteristically soft. "Stay close to me next time."

She smiled, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I'll try."

As the group approached the artifact, the air seemed to shift, the energy around them calming. But Zane couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning.

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