The morning sun was just beginning to filter through the windows of the Aldrin estate as Lucian, Elara, and Seraphina gathered the final ingredients for the ritual. The tension in the air was palpable. Every step they took toward freeing the guard from the Shadow Hand's control felt like a step closer to revealing the dangerous truth—yet they all knew the risk. If the ritual failed or if they were caught, the consequences could be devastating.
"We're ready," Elara said, her voice steady as she handed Lucian a small vial of powdered silver, one of the key components. "Everything is in place."
Lucian nodded, his jaw set in determination. "Let's do this."
The infirmary, where the guard remained unconscious, had been cleared of staff. Only Lucian, Elara, and Seraphina remained inside, the door locked behind them to ensure no one could interrupt the ritual. The guard lay still on the cot, his chest rising and falling steadily, his face pale from days under the sleeping spell.
Lucian glanced at Elara, who held the ancient tome that described the ritual. The symbols on the pages glowed faintly in the dim light of the infirmary, a sign of the powerful magic they were about to invoke.
"We need to act quickly," Elara said, positioning herself near the foot of the bed. "Once the ritual starts, there's no turning back. If anything goes wrong, the guard's mind could be damaged permanently."
Lucian took a deep breath and placed his hand on the guard's forehead, feeling the strange coldness of the magic still lingering beneath the man's skin. It was unnerving—like touching something that wasn't entirely human.
Seraphina, standing guard at the door, looked over her shoulder. "Let's hope this works," she said, her voice grim. "The last thing we need is for the Shadow Hand to find out what we're doing."
Lucian met her gaze. "If this works, it'll be worth the risk."
Elara began chanting the words from the ancient tome, her voice low and rhythmic. The symbols on the page started to pulse with a soft, eerie light. Lucian poured the powdered silver into a small circle around the guard, watching as it shimmered and reacted to the magic.
The air in the room grew colder, and the light from the symbols intensified, casting strange shadows on the walls. Lucian could feel the magic building, coiling around them like an invisible force, ready to break through the dark spell that held the guard in its grip.
Suddenly, the guard's body jerked violently, his eyes snapping open. His mouth opened as if to scream, but no sound came out. His hands clenched into fists, his muscles tensing against the invisible bonds of the spell.
"Hold him down!" Elara shouted, her voice cutting through the tension.
Lucian and Seraphina moved quickly, pressing the guard's arms to the bed as his body convulsed. The ritual was working—the dark magic was fighting back, resisting their efforts to free him.
Elara's chanting grew louder, her voice filling the room as the magic reached its peak. The symbols on the page flared with a brilliant light, and the guard let out a strangled gasp. For a moment, everything seemed to hang in the balance, the air thick with tension.
Then, with a final word, Elara slammed the tome shut, and the light vanished. The room was plunged into silence.
The guard went limp, his body sinking back into the bed. His chest heaved as he took a deep, ragged breath, his eyes fluttering closed once more. But this time, it was a natural sleep—not the enchanted slumber he had been trapped in for days.
Lucian released his grip on the guard's arm, his heart pounding in his chest. "Did it work?"
Elara nodded, wiping a sheen of sweat from her brow. "It worked. The spell is broken."
Seraphina stepped closer to the bed, her eyes narrowed. "But will he talk?"
Lucian watched the guard closely, waiting for any sign that he might wake. It was a delicate balance—they had broken the dark magic, but the man's mind was still fragile. Pushing him too hard could cause irreversible damage.
Moments later, the guard stirred, his eyes slowly opening. He blinked, disoriented, and looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time.
"Where… where am I?" he croaked, his voice weak.
"You're safe," Lucian said gently, stepping closer. "You were under a spell, but we've freed you. You need to tell us what you know. Who's behind this?"
The guard's brow furrowed, confusion clouding his expression. He struggled to sit up, and Lucian helped him, propping him against the pillows.
"I… I don't remember everything," the guard said slowly, his voice halting as if he were piecing the fragments of his memory back together. "But there was someone… a man. He spoke to me in the dungeons, right before I found the markings."
"Who was he?" Seraphina asked, her tone urgent.
The guard shook his head, frustration etched on his face. "I don't know. He kept his face hidden, but his voice… it was cold. Like he wasn't fully human. He told me to plant the markings and report back to him when it was done."
Lucian's pulse quickened. "The Shadow Hand. He's working with them."
The guard's hands trembled as he continued. "I didn't have a choice. They threatened my family. They said if I didn't cooperate, they'd kill them all."
Elara placed a comforting hand on the guard's shoulder. "You're safe now. We'll protect your family. But we need to know more. Did this man give you any other orders?"
The guard's eyes darted around the room, as if searching for something unseen. "He said… he said the attack would come soon. They're planning something—something big. But I don't know when."
Lucian felt a cold chill creep down his spine. This was the confirmation they had feared. The Shadow Hand wasn't just lurking in the shadows—they were preparing to strike, and it was only a matter of time before they made their move.
"We need to prepare," Lucian said, turning to Seraphina and Elara. "The Shadow Hand is planning something, and we're running out of time."
Seraphina nodded, her expression hardening. "We'll double the guard patrols and tighten security around the estate. If they're planning an attack, we need to be ready."
Elara, still focused on the guard, asked softly, "Is there anything else? Any detail you can remember that could help us stop them?"
The guard closed his eyes, as if trying to recall something buried deep in his mind. "There's one thing," he said after a moment. "The man… he had a ring. I only caught a glimpse of it, but the symbol on it—it was a snake, coiled around a dagger."
Lucian's heart skipped a beat. He had heard of that symbol before, in the ancient records of the Aldrin archives. The coiled snake was the mark of a powerful family—one long thought to be extinct.
"The House of Serak," Lucian whispered, his mind racing. "They were banished from these lands centuries ago, but if they've returned…"
Elara's eyes widened in realization. "Then the Shadow Hand is working with them."
Seraphina clenched her fists, her jaw set in determination. "We need to find them. And we need to stop them before they strike."
Lucian nodded, his mind already turning to the next steps. The House of Serak was more than just a forgotten name—they were a threat, and they were tied to the dark magic that had plagued their lands for centuries. If the Shadow Hand had allied with them, the kingdom was in greater danger than any of them had realized.
But as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place, Lucian couldn't shake the feeling that they were still missing something—something crucial.
Who else was working with the Shadow Hand? And how deep did their influence truly run?