Chapter 3: "Unveiling Shadows"
Citadel of the Arcanum
Early morning hours inside the high-walled Citadel of the Arcanum provided contemplation as well as ample time and opportunity for strategies to be pondered. It was a melancholy air that drifted through the courtyard where the rank-and-file Guardians drilled, having achieved their goal in reestablishing peace to the village the previous day.
Aria sat on a stone bench and looked at the sunrise during which, even the sky was painted orange and pink. She replayed in her mind all the events of yesterday. She tapped into a part of her she barely knew, of connection with the natural world to allow her to wield light against the darkness.
"I didn't know I could do that," Aria confessed to Nia, who was seated beside her, wrapping bandages around her hands.
Nia smiled softly. "We all have depths, my dear Aria. Part of this journey finding them it is. Your connection with nature, it is a rarity."
Lyra entered conversation, twirling an arrow between her fingers in a careless manner. "It's about you learning to harness that power, control it. You did well but there is always more to learn."
The rest of the day passed under rigorous training of the Guardians. Master Eldrin pushed more forcefully than ever, emphasizing a strong lesson on teaching their students to understand and master their abilities.
Aria continued with earnest training, resorting to experimentation channeling natural energy. It came clear to her that manipulating light was not the only thing she could do but also sense the life force of the world around her. This excited and daunted her at once.
A guard of the Citadel burst into the training ground - his face etched with urgency. "Guardians, you are required immediately. There has been an occurrence in the city - a creature of darkness like nothing we have before seen."
Without any hesitations, the guard went hastily and the Guardians followed him through the curvy streets of Valoria. Soon after, at the central square of the city, they stopped facing a big crowd with faces full of fear.
The Guardians ventured into the heart of Valoria, Caden at the helm in his search for what had set his senses alight. As he led them deeper, the atmosphere was electric, a strange tension hanging in the once lively streets.
They arrived at the central square, and the source of disturbance came into sight. High above formed a vortex of dark energy, crackling with ill power. From it descended creatures of shadow more formidable than any they'd met before.
"These are no mere minions; they're stronger, more coordinated," Idris observed, his voice laced with urgency.
The Guardians sprang into action only to realize just how much difficult these shadow creatures were proving to be unlike the rest they had fought before. They proved to be quite stubborn and easily warded off all their initial attacks.
Aria, struggling to even attempt to capture her natural magic, found her powers disturbed by the chaotic energy of vortex. Her usual connection with world outside was clouded and her beckoning towards light faltered beneath this oppressive darkness.
Caden realized the creatures were learning, changing defense as they attacked. "They learn, change defense as we attack!" he shouted over the din of battle as he set them loose a barrage of spells.
Lyra, taking arrow after arrow and a hit from a shadow tendril that sent her tumbling to the ground. Nia rushed to her side with healing support but half of her focus was set on tending to the injuries as well as keeping at bay the encroachment of the darkness.
Theron fought manfully, swinging his sword through the shadows, but with every creature that fell another seemed to take its place. The tide of darkness turned about them.
"It's the vortex! It's fueling them!" Aria called out, a realization dawning on her. "We need to close it!"
Idris quickly thought in his mind, a plan. "Caden, Lyra, fire cover! Nia, keep us on our feet as much as possible! Theron, with me. Aria has one job — disrupt the vortex!"
The Guardians pushed back and realigned, not just against the creatures but the source of their power. Aria moved to centering herself and reached deep down inside her repositorium, to the heart and essence of her magic.
With a concerted effort, Theron and Idris made their way to the base of the vortex, opening up through the sheer strength of their collective force. Aria, at the risk of loss of energy supply, surged her light magic through their united willpower.
The vortex quaked under her assault as the shadows twisted in distress. With one more determined push, Aria manages to pierce into the heart of the vortex with her light, eliciting its collapse with an ear-shattering roar within itself.
As the vortex dissipated and the shadow vortexes winked out as well, so too did the shadow creatures vanish with a final spasmic series of shudders running through their forms--their link severed to whatever norm they had adapted from. The square fell silent, the threat subdued, but not without cost.
The Guardians regrouped, their bodies and spirits battered. Lyra nursed a wounded arm, and others bore various bruises and cuts. They had won, but it was a harsh reminder of the dangers they faced and what they could not do.
"We can go on like this," Aria said with her voice thick of weariness. "Each battle takes its toll while the enemy grows stronger."
"You are right," Theron responded as he sheathed his sword. "We have to be smarter about this, find a way to get ahead of this menace."
As they returned to the Citadel, the Guardians resumed their silence. The magnitude of the battle had rocked them deeply, revealing darkness of completely untraveled territories in their perception of the enemy before them.
Returning, the Citadel buzzed with anxious energy. Master Eldrin waited them, grave-faced. "You have done well to protect Valoria, but I fear this is only the beginning. We must uncover the source of these attacks," he led them to a secluded chamber.
Within the chamber had been located the Oracle of the Arcanum, a enigmatic relic reputed to hold the wisdom of ages. The Oracle, glowing with its own light, was a structure composed of softly luminescent crystal and was a relic from one of the other ages.
"Guardians, the Oracle may give guidance we very much need," Master Eldrin explained. "But take heed that its answers are oft cryptic and comes with too much meaning."
The Guardians formed a semicircle around the Oracle with eyes toward its hypnotizing light. Aria felt how this object was pulling her towards itself and moved closer. She reached out her hand, and the radiant of the Oracle gleamed more brightly than before, recasting the entire room in growing luminescence.
Images and visions flooded their minds when the light went out—a succession of ancient battles, hidden realms, glimpses of a shadowy figure looming over Arcadia. The visions were disjointed, but one symbol recurred throughout—a dark sigil that none of them could have recognized.
The experience left them stunned. "What does it all mean?" Caden asked, his voice echoing the confusion they all felt.
"It's a puzzle," Idris mused. "A history, warnings, threats yet to manifest. Sigil must be key to understanding enemy."
Master Eldrin studied the Guardians reactions. "You must delve into these, visions, and uncover their meaning. Time is not on our side, and knowledge will be your greatest weapon."
Night had come to Valoria and changed the course of Guardians' mission. They no would remain mere defenders against darkness but seekers for truth which twisted mysteries surrounding them in time lost in annals.
She felt the weight of the day's revelations lying awake in her room. The physical toll from battle sounded much more bearable than the torrent of questions that now plagued her mind. The Oracle's visions, especially the recurring sigil, seemed to beckon her, a puzzle piece that was vital for their quest.
She had only just closed up her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to force her mind into making some manner of sense of the outrageous visions she was having every night when a soft knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. It was Lyra, and her face was serious. "Aria, we need to talk. There's something about the sigil in the visions. I think I've seen it before, back in my tribe. It could be important."
Aria sat up, the fatigue temporarily flying out of the ballpark as Lyra began to outline her suspicion. With the revelation of the mysterious sigil, an excitement went through her like a jolt of lightning.
"In my tribe, up north in the forests, there are ruins," Lyra's voiced low but intense, explicated. "I remember carvings, symbols that resemble the sigil in the visions. It's a long shot, but it might be connected."
Aria felt major pieces of a larger puzzle starting to fall into place. "If there's even the smallest chance that these ruins hold answers, we need to explore them," she urged, mind beginning to race as to what could be down there.
The concept of such an unknown to face, a seeking for answers centuries old and hidden, kindled the fire within Aria. No longer would she be but a defender making counterblows to threats; she was growing into a seeker in the seek for truths pivotal to the unraveling of the darkness threatening their world.
Lyra nodded, her signature playful demeanor set aside for a moment to show the steely resolve Mathurin had only very rarely seen. "It won't be easy. The northern forests are treacherous and the ruins are said to be cursed. But the risk might be worth it."
Thoughts swirled in her mind. The sigil was a clue, a beacon in the darkness they'd been blundering through. It was a chance at the upper hand, to understand their enemy, to discover the link to the Arcanum.
"We should take this to Master Eldrin at first light," Aria said, her mind already formulating plans. "His counsel and possibly his blessing will be needed."
As Lyra left, silence once more settled over room of Aria while the air was filled with an almost tangible anticipation. Leaning back to her bed, looking at the ceiling, Aria felt that her heart struck almost equal combination of fear and excitement.
To the ancient ruins of Lyra's tribe, their journey to the northern forests had been more than a quest for answers; it had been a test of their courage, their resolve and their role as Guardians. It was the path fraught with danger but knowing that their victory over darkness was finding secrets of the past. Aria knew about it.
She finally slept, but her dreams were fitful she saw the shadowy sigils, and whispered of forgotten ruins and lost magic.