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Chapter 99 - The Eclipsed Heart Artifact

The second I laid eyes on it, I knew. "Oh my God…"

Carter knelt, careful hands reaching for it like it might disappear if he blinked. His fingers hovered, trembling.

"It's beautiful…" he whispered.

But it wasn't an artifact. Not this time

A river.

Water.

Real water.

I felt my chest seize with relief.

"Wow… you were right," I gasped.

It shimmered beneath the moonlight.

Carter chuckled, a tired grin breaking through his dirt-streaked face. "Told you. Soldier instincts never die."

It felt almost unreal, like a piece of another world dropped into this hell.

I knelt at the bank, plunging my hands into the cold water. I splashed my face, shivering as the coolness chased away the dust and heat. Then I lowered my head and drank. It tasted like life itself.

"This is… peaceful," Carter murmured.

We sat back against a broad rock near the stream. For a moment, the chaos of the Trials felt distant.

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