As Torrack walked back to the village, the Nightbloom's soft glow guiding his steps through the darkened path, he felt a sense of fulfilment he hadn't experienced in years. He had saved Mycela, restored her true magical potential, and in doing so, he had discovered something profound about his own abilities. But little did he know that this act of healing would soon ripple far beyond the quiet boundaries of his village.
Word of Torrack's remarkable feat spread quickly through Sirco. The villagers spoke in hushed, awed tones about the blind boy who could see more clearly than anyone else, who had managed to diagnose and cure the lord's daughter when no one else could.
People from neighbouring villages soon heard the tale, and they, in turn, shared it with others. Like a stone cast into a still pond, the story's ripples expanded outward, reaching distant towns and cities.Within weeks, news of Torrack's miracle reached the ears of travelling merchants and wandering minstrels, who carried the tale even further afield.
The story of a young blind healer with a mysterious gift—a boy who could see into the very essence of people's ailments—captured the imagination of everyone who heard it.Eventually, the story found its way to the capital, to the bustling streets of the king's city. It was said that even the courtiers began to whisper of this prodigy from Sirco, this boy who had defied the limits of ordinary magic and achieved something extraordinary.
In time, the tale reached the royal court itself, the news carried on the lips of an emissary who had passed through the region.The king, intrigued by the story of the young healer, summoned his most trusted advisor. "Tell me more about this boy from Sirco," he commanded, his voice filled with curiosity.The advisor, who had already heard rumours of the miraculous healing, recounted what he knew. "He is called Torrack, Your Majesty. A boy with no sight, yet he sees more than any of us.
They say he can perceive auras—know the true nature of a person's affliction just by being near them. And recently, he cured Lord Simtrek's daughter of a terrible curse, one that no healer in the land could identify or dispel."The king's eyes narrowed with interest. "A child with such a gift… Could it be true?" he mused aloud. "Or is this merely the exaggeration of idle gossip?"The advisor shook his head. "From all accounts, the story is true, Your Majesty.
Even the healers of Lord Simtrek's court have confirmed it. If what they say is accurate, this boy possesses a talent unlike any we've ever seen."The king leaned back in his chair, his mind racing with possibilities. "Send word to Sirco," he finally ordered. "I want this boy brought to me.
If he truly has such a gift, he could be of great service to the realm. And if he is a charlatan…" The king's voice grew hard, "…we shall see to it that such deception is not allowed to flourish."As the royal messengers prepared to depart, the king's court buzzed with the news.
The boy from Sirco, the one who had healed with a power beyond magic, was about to be summoned to the capital. His name was on the lips of every noble and servant alike.Back in Sirco, unaware of the attention his actions had garnered, Torrack continued his daily life, practising his aura skills, helping Haron with healing, and studying the Nightbloom's mysterious properties.
He had no idea that soon, his life would change in ways he could never have imagined. Forces far greater than the small village of Sirco were now taking an interest in him.The road ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: Torrack's journey had only just begun, and the world was about to witness the emergence of a new kind of healer—one who could see beyond the physical, into the very heart of magic itself.
Torrack, curious about the nature of curses after his experience with Mycela, decided to spend some time at the village's small library. The library, a modest building made of stone with a thatched roof, was nestled between the village square and a cobbler's shop. It was one of the few places in Sirco where Torrack could immerse himself in the written word, even though he couldn't see the texts himself.
The old librarian, Mistress Thara, knew of his ability to read with his fingers, and she had taken it upon herself to assist him whenever he visited."Good morning, Mistress Thara," Torrack greeted as he entered the library, his cane tapping lightly against the stone floor."Ah, Torrack! Always a pleasure to see you, dear boy," Mistress Thara replied warmly. She was an elderly woman with a sharp mind and a kinder heart. "What brings you here today?""I'm looking for information," Torrack began, his brow furrowed in thought. "About curses.
Specifically, if they could be… sentient. Alive in some way."Mistress Thara raised an eyebrow at that. "Sentient curses, you say? That's quite an unusual topic. We don't have many books on curses, I'm afraid, but you're welcome to look through what we do have."She led him to a corner of the library where a few old tomes and scrolls were kept. Torrack ran his fingers over the spines, feeling the texture of the old leather and parchment, before selecting a few volumes that seemed promising.
He sat at a small wooden table and began to read, his fingers moving quickly over the raised ink.Hours passed as he sifted through the limited information available. Most of the texts described curses as malicious spells cast by powerful mages, intended to harm or control their victims. There was no mention of curses being sentient or having any sort of consciousness.
Torrack's brow furrowed deeper. Could it be that his experience with Mycela's curse was unique? Or perhaps there was knowledge about curses that was lost to time?He decided to switch his focus and searched for information about auras. He had always been curious about his ability to see them and what they meant, but the more he searched, the more frustrated he became.
There was nothing in the library's collection about auras—no descriptions, no theories, not even a mention of the word. It was as if the concept didn't exist in the minds of the scholars who had written these books.Feeling a mix of frustration and determination, Torrack closed the last book with a soft thud. There was so much he didn't know, and the small village library wasn't going to give him the answers he sought. He leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. If the answers weren't here, then where?
Mistress Thara, noticing his troubled expression, came over and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not much luck, I take it?""No," Torrack admitted. "Nothing about sentient curses, and absolutely nothing about auras. It's like these things don't exist in any written record.""Perhaps not here," she said thoughtfully. "But that doesn't mean the knowledge doesn't exist somewhere. Sometimes, Torrack, the answers we seek aren't written in books.
Sometimes, they must be found in the world itself, in places beyond our little village."Torrack nodded, taking her words to heart. He realised that his search for understanding might take him beyond the confines of Sirco, into lands unknown. If no one here could answer his questions, then perhaps he would find those answers in the larger world—a world that was becoming more mysterious and intriguing to him with each passing day.