Tales of the sorcerer

The first light of dawn barely touched the horizon when Elena and Adrian left the ruined warehouse. The scent of ash still lingered in the air, remnants of the hunters' attack from the previous night. Silence hung thick between them as they made their way toward the outskirts of the village, where a rusted, abandoned car waited.

Elena kept her distance from Adrian, her mind replaying everything that had happened. The hunters. The cryptic name—Excidium. The way Adrian had fought for her, as if his loyalty were unwavering. But trust was a currency she could no longer afford to spend recklessly.

"You're quiet," Adrian said as he adjusted his coat. "Planning another escape attempt?"

Elena shot him a glare. "If I was, you'd be the first to know."

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "I doubt that."

She exhaled sharply and pulled out the map they'd found. Faywood. That was their next destination. A forgotten town nestled between the hills and shadowed by legends of lost history. According to her father's journal, it held the next clue to unraveling the truth behind the artifact and its connection to the immortals.

But something gnawed at her—something she hadn't told Adrian yet. The symbol she had seen the night before. A mark that looked too familiar to be a coincidence.

She folded the map and climbed into the car, bracing herself for the long road ahead.

---

The journey was silent for the first hour, the cracked roads stretching endlessly before them. The once-thriving city of Calezar was now just a distant glow behind them, swallowed by the thickening wilderness.

"Faywood's a dangerous place," Adrian said after a while, his voice unreadable.

"You've been there before?"

He hesitated. "Once. A long time ago."

"Let me guess—you 'can't talk about it'?"

Adrian glanced at her sideways, but he didn't respond. His hands tightened around the wheel.

Elena sighed and looked out the window, watching the dense trees blur past. "Last night… one of the hunters had a symbol on his wrist. I've seen it before. In my father's notes."

Adrian didn't react immediately, but something flickered in his expression.

"What did it look like?" he finally asked.

"A circle with three intersecting lines through it."

Adrian's grip on the wheel visibly tensed.

"You know what it means," she accused.

He stayed silent.

"Damn it, Adrian," she snapped. "Are you ever going to start telling me the truth?"

His jaw clenched. "The truth will only put you in more danger than you already are."

Elena let out a bitter laugh. "Right. Because nearly getting killed every day isn't dangerous enough."

He didn't argue.

They drove in silence again, the tension between them thicker than before. But deep down, Elena knew one thing—Adrian was hiding more than just secrets. He was hiding something about her father.

---

The sun was setting when they reached Faywood. The town was a skeleton of its former self—abandoned streets, shattered windows, and a stillness that felt unnatural. The only sound was the wind howling through the empty buildings.

"This place is cursed," Elena muttered as they stepped out of the car.

"Not cursed," Adrian corrected. "Forgotten."

They moved cautiously through the ruins, following the map's coordinates to a rundown inn at the town's edge. The door was ajar, its hinges creaking as they stepped inside. Dust coated the floor, untouched for years.

Then—movement.

Elena barely had time to react before the first attack came. A mercenary lunged from the shadows, a blade flashing toward her throat. She ducked, twisting away as Adrian intercepted another attacker.

The fight was brutal, the air thick with the sounds of clashing steel and desperate grunts. Elena's movements were precise, her body remembering the combat lessons her father had drilled into her since childhood.

One of the mercenaries grabbed her wrist, yanking her forward—but as his sleeve pulled back, she saw it.

The symbol.

Adrenaline surged through her veins. She drove her knee into his stomach, knocking him back, and in one swift motion, she tore a patch from his jacket.

The fight ended as quickly as it began. The last mercenary fell, unconscious, at Adrian's feet.

Elena held up the patch, her breath uneven. "It's the same mark," she whispered.

Adrian exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "Then this just got a lot more complicated."

---

Using the coordinates they found on one of the mercenaries, they followed a hidden trail deep into the forest. The air grew colder, heavier, as if the place itself knew it harbored secrets.

Then they saw it—an outpost built into the cliffs. The structure was old, overgrown with vines, but still standing.

Inside, the air smelled of mildew and time. Shelves lined the walls, filled with aged books and metal cases. Elena's fingers skimmed the spines until she found something that made her heart stop.

A journal.

Her mother's journal.

Her hands trembled as she flipped through the pages, her breath catching on familiar handwriting. Entries about her parents' research. About the artifact. About Excidium.

Then, one line stood out.

"There is a traitor among us."

Elena's blood ran cold.

She turned to Adrian, but he was staring at something else—a letter, hidden in a compartment behind a cabinet.

A letter addressed to him.

---

Elena snatched the letter from his hands before he could react. The paper was old, the ink slightly faded, but her father's handwriting was unmistakable.

"Adrian, I trust you more than anyone, but if you are reading this, then the time has come. Protect her at all costs. And beware—the greatest threat is closer than we ever imagined."

Her chest tightened. "What is this?"

Adrian ran a hand through his hair. "It's… complicated."

"No. No more half-truths." She took a step closer, her voice shaking. "Why did my father trust you? What aren't you telling me?"

Adrian's eyes darkened. "Because he knew that if the truth reached the wrong ears, it would destroy everything."

"Then tell me the truth!"

He exhaled sharply. "Your father wasn't just studying the artifact. He was trying to hide it."

Elena's heart pounded. "Hide it from who?"

Adrian hesitated. "From you."

---

The weight of his words settled like a stone in her chest. But before she could push for more, a realization struck.

The journal. The letter. The map.

It all pointed to one place.

Excidium.

They gathered supplies and left the outpost behind, their destination now clear.

As they neared the base of the mountain, the air changed—thickening with an unexplainable energy. And then they saw it.

A massive, ancient door carved into the rock, covered in intricate symbols.

But what sent chills down Elena's spine was not the door.

It was the woman standing in front of it.

She had the same eyes. The same smile.

Elena's breath caught in her throat.

Her mother.

"You're dead," she whispered.

The woman smiled softly. "I've been waiting for you, Elena."

Elena took a shaky step forward, but Adrian grabbed her wrist.

"Be careful," he murmured. "Not everything here is as it seems."

But Elena barely heard him. Because as the ancient door creaked open, revealing a darkness that stretched into infinity—she knew.

The truth was closer than ever.

But so was the danger.