Lyrien's piercing gaze locked unto Aries and Thrain,his expression a mix of surprise and curiosity.
"Aries,what happened?". He asked,his voice low and demanding.
"I sensed a disturbance in the energies...and Thrain,you are injured". His eyes narrowed,inspecting the pieces of scattered papers all over the place.
"Those...creatures,they were not of this world". Aries said walking towards Lyrien,she looked at him inquiringly.
"You felt their energy right,it was strange and...and disturbing. I need answers Lyrien,you know what they are right?". Aries voice quivered slightly. Lyrien's countenance change.
"I didn't see them ,I only felt them alright,i have no idea of what they are".
Aries was beginning to get frustrated,she ran her hand through her golden-brown hair.
"But you are a wizard Lyrien and a librarian at that,so I believe someway somehow you might have read about them in the books,I need to know why they attacked me". Now Lyrien was getting annoyed
"I assure you Aries,I don't know what those creatures are. My knowledge is vast but not infinite,perhaps they are dark entities I've yet to encounter . I also don't see why they won't attack you,your magic is very powerful". He paused,his gaze softening.
"We have to investigate,it's a good thing we have access to ancient texts and knowledge,if there's any mention of these creatures,we will find it".
Thrain now partly recovered,watched the exchange with interest. He sensed a subtle tension between them,a hint of distrust. He wondered what secrets Lyrien might be hiding.
Aries sighed deeply,she had no alternative than to agree with what Lyrien said,even though deep down she can sense that he's hiding way more than he claims to know. Her relationship with him have always been strict and straight forward,no warmth,no laughter just Aries being Lyrien's apprentice.
Her memories flashed back to the day she was brought to this very tower,a frightened 10 year old girl with uncontrolled powers. Lyrien had rescued her from an orphanage home that feared her abilities. He promised to teach her control and protection,which he did. But Aries soon realized she was more of a project than a protégee. Lyrien's tutelage was strict and their interactions remained formal,devoid of warmth.
"Come with me,we might be able to find something,maybe related but helpful". Lyrien said walking towards the main library. Aries followed him into the towers' vast library,Thrain got up and followed too,limping slightly. They were met with the usual scent of old parchment,shelves upon shelves of ancient tomes stretched towards the ceiling,their leather covers adorned with different symbols and markings.
Lyrien gestured to a specific section and Aries eyes widen as she realized the significance of the texts that lay before her.
"These are the chronicles of Eldrida". Lyrien said, his voice low and reverent.
"The oldest and most powerful of our ancient texts,they might hold the secrets of the creatures you faced". He said looking at Aries intently.
"Wait,before we go on,I...I saw a strange book before those monsters attacked me,it had some bizarre writings in it". Aries said recalling the incident.
Lyrien's eyes snapped towards Aries,his gaze intense.
"A strange book you say? With bizarre writing,describe it to me, Aries. Every detail is crucial".
Aries closed her eyes recalling the encounter.
"It was bound in black leather with a strange symbol etched into the cover.The pages were yellowed and worn,but the writings... they seemed to shift and move as I looked at them,I couldn't decipher it at first,it felt too dark...".
"I fear you may have stumbled upon a forbidden text Aries, one that could hold the secrets of those monsters, but also poses a great risk to your own soul ". Lyrien cut in,his expression grave and solemn.
Thrain who had been quietly listening, spoke up.
"What kind of risk, Lyrien, what exactly are we dealing with here?".
"Wait Thrain" Aries said raising her hand at Thrain before she began pacing up and down.
"At some point,I was able to read and understand that strange text,I don't know how it happened but it did,the words danced...I felt i could reach out and touch them...".
Lyrien's eyes widen,his gaze piercing"what did you just say, you understood the language? But...but that's impossible. The shadow realm tongue is forbidden,only a select few have been able to decipher it and none lived to tell the tale ".
Thrain's brow furrowed.
"And you said you couldn't read it at first, but suddenly you could? That's not just a coincidence Aries, something triggered your understanding ".
Aries nodded, her mind racing." I know right,it was like... something inside of me clicked and I could comprehend it. But what does it mean?".
"It means you somehow have a connection to the shadow realm, Aries ". Lyrien said,his expression thoughtful.
Thrain's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword, ignoring the pain in his shoulder.
"Or a connection that could put us all in greater danger,we need to be cautious Lyrien,we don't even know what we are dealing with precisely ".
"We won't be needing this book anymore, this matter is way more than I imagined". Lyrien said ignoring Thrain,he closed the book of the chronicles of Eldrida and put it back on the shelf,he moved to another section searching for another book.
Aries contemplated on what she just heard, she was starting to get really worried.
"The shadow realm tongue is a forbidden language,so how was i able to understand it?". She asked rhetorically.
Thrain studied her face for a moment,he noticed how anxious she was,who wouldn't be worried sick in a situation like this,he thought to himself.
He reached out and touched here slightly, bringing her back to reality.
"Are you alright?,I know am not supposed to ask cause it's quite obvious but still".
Aries regarded his concern for her and let out a dry grin.
"I should be the one asking you that, how is your shoulder now, feeling any better?".
Thrain's gaze softened,his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled.
"My shoulder will heal Aries, it's nothing compared to what you're going through. You're the one who's been through an ordeal facing those creatures on your own and now... this connection to the shadow realm".
Aries grin faltered,her eyes dropping to the floor.
"I don't know what is happening to me Thrain,I feel like am unraveling, like there's something inside of me that is trying to get out,I don't know...".
Thrain's hand reached out,his fingers brushing against hers in a gentle touch.
"We will figure it out Aries, together, you are not in this alone".
Lyrien, still searching the shelves, seemed to sense the moment and turned back to them, his eyes narrowing.
"I think I found something,a text that might explain your connection to the shadow realm, Aries".
Both Aries and Thrain moved closer to Lyrien, they all stared down at the text strangely. It was written in an old tongue, making the situation worse.
"I don't think anything here can help us,if I'm not mistaken this is written in an old tongue". Aries said loosing hope.
Lyrien looked at Aries intently. "Yes it's indeed written in an old tongue but the good thing is, you Aries now have the ability to read and understand, it's a gift ".
Aries eyes widen as she realized what Lyrien was implying.
"No Lyrien no...". She said moving away. "The situation back then was different".
"I know but just like I said, it's a gift you are not supposed to take lightly,if you were able to understand the shadow realm tongue,then this should be a piece of cake". Lyrien said, his expression solemn.
"Am scared Lyrien,am so scared".
"I know that as well, that's why you need to try,we need to know what this text is saying".
Aries hesitated, then reached out a trembling hand to touch the parchment. As her fingers made contact,the symbols and the writings began to shift, rearranging themselves into words only she could understand.